Route 66 Top 10 Guides
Original, rider-first \u201cTop 10\u201d articles inspired by The Road Ahead\u2019s personal journey down the Mother Road \u2014 the best diners, museums, roadside attractions, historic hotels, motorcycle roads, sunsets and the things you simply can\u2019t miss.
10 Things You Can’t Miss in Tulsa
Tulsa was the pleasant surprise of our Route 66 trip — wealthier, cooler and friendlier than we expected. The oil money of the 1920s left a legacy of Art Deco, the original Route 66 still runs down 11th Street, and a giant blue whale grins at you on the way in. These are the ten we’d tell you not to ride past.
Read10 Best Stops in Amarillo
After 280 miles of open Texas plains, Amarillo earns its welcome. It’s the most Texan night of the trip — big sky, buried Cadillacs, a steak the size of your head and the exact halfway point of Route 66. These ten stops make the long ride in more than worth it.
Read
10 Things to See in Flagstaff
After 320 miles of desert, Flagstaff feels like a reward. A cool, pine-scented mountain town at 6,900ft with the San Francisco Peaks behind it and the best riding of the Southwest beginning here. We loved it — you will too. These ten make a day of it.
Read
10 Best Route 66 Diners
The road is the reason; the diners are the soul. From the Chicago breakfast that starts every trip to the desert diner where a film was shot, these ten fed us best and linger longest in the memory. Order the thing they’re known for, and never skip the pie.
Read10 Best Route 66 Museums
Route 66 grew up with the American road trip, and the museums along it tell the story better than any guidebook. These ten are the ones worth pulling off for — some grand, some tiny, all genuine. Most are cheap, several are free, and the best are unforgettable.
Read10 Weirdest Roadside Attractions
Route 66 was built on roadside whim — the giants, the whales, the buried cars and the tipi motels. These are the ten weirdest stops we actually made, ranked by how hard we laughed or how long we stood there grinning. Bring a camera and your sense of the absurd.
Read10 Best Historic Hotels
Route 66 was the golden age of the American motel, and a few grand hotels rode along with it. These ten are the historic stays we’d book again in a heartbeat — neon, character and a story at every door. Book early; the famous ones fill a year ahead.
Read10 Best Motorcycle Roads
Route 66 is mostly straight and easy, but the road saves its best riding for the corners. These ten stretches are the ones we still talk about — the switchbacks, the canyon drops and the mountain sweepers that make a motorcycle the only right way to do this trip.
Read
10 Best Route 66 Sunsets
You ride all day for the light at the end of it. These ten sunsets are the ones that stopped us — the ones where we parked the bike, took off the helmet and just watched. Bring your camera, stay until the last light, and let the road end the day for you.
Read