In 1946, Americans finally had one road that they could travel in their jivin’ jalopies all the way from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California. Route 66 took Americans through eight states, but the most existing drivable miles of the Mother Road can be found in Oklahoma.
That seems fitting since the idea for an east-west thoroughfare came from Tulsa resident, Cyrus Avery. Active in economic activities, Avery realized that well-planned and maintained roads could help Tulsa and Oklahoma. He joined several road associations and helped created the Ozark Trail highway, which eventually became part of Route 66.
The Mother Road helped promote tourism across the U.S., leading to many cities putting up attractions for travelers throughout the years. In Oklahoma, there are still many Route 66 roadside attractions to see, including the Coleman Theatre in Miami, the Totem Pole Park in Chelsea, the Blue Whale in Catoosa, and Lucille’s Service Station in Hydro.
There are even newer attractions created in homage to sites that were once along the historic route, such as Buck Atom in Tulsa and the Muffler Men murals in Calumet.
In the Oklahoma City metro, you can visit many attractions along the Mother Road as well. For a one-day adventure, you can head east to Arcadia, where you can visit The Old Round Barn and OK County 66. At OK County 66, you can browse through John Hargrove’s tribute to the Route, all in a smaller form, including the Blue Whale.
On your way back into town, check out all the flavors of soda offered at POPS. You won’t miss it on your way to The Round Barn. It’s marked by a giant, four-ton, 66-foot sculpture of a soda bottle, covered in multi-colored LED lights. Also on the metro’s east side, you can find a well-known fried chicken restaurant, The Chicken Shack in Luther, or barbecue in Wellston at Butcher BBQ Stand.
If you start your journey in the central part of the city, you can dine on fried chicken at Ann’s Chicken Fry House or grab a brew from Broke Brewing Co. Then, keep heading west to Lake Overholser where you can cross a restored bridge that’s older than the route itself. Originally built in the early 1920s as part of Highway 3, the bridge was washed away during the 1923 flood. It was rebuilt and opened in 1925, before Route 66 was created. By the 1950s, the bridge couldn’t handle the traffic volume anymore, so the federal highway commission built a newer bridge, taking the Mother Road with it.
Once you cross the bridge, keep heading west to Route 66 Park, built and operated by the City of Oklahoma City. The park’s sign emulates a hotel sign seen along the Route during its heyday. Be sure to stop and check out the new art piece at the nearby adaptive baseball field.
The Oklahoma Department of Travel and Tourism celebrates all the attractions along Route 66 and makes it easy to find them with their Route 66 Travel Guide, which you can request to have mailed to you. Now get out and go get those kicks on Route 66!
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