Ride Route 66
from Weatherford, OK ... where the West Begins

In 1926 the number 66 was assigned to a Chicago to Los Angeles route and, with that famous and enduring number, one of the nation’s most important east-west arteries was born -- Route 66.

It zigzagged along, connecting little towns, major cities, and rural communities, and created one of the more interesting and well loved drives in America.

During the Depression, novelist John Steinbeck proclaimed Highway 66 the “Mother Road” in connection with the thousands who headed west to escape the Dust Bowl and poverty. They traveled what almost all believed to be the road of hope and opportunity. By 1938 they were traveling over a road described, for the first time, as continuously paved. This paved road was an important contributor to the WWII war effort and was vital to industrial development after the war.

Route 66, where untold thousands got their “kicks,” according to a famous Nat King Cole song, prospered until President Eisenhower’s second term, in the mid 50s, when the push was on for Interstate Highways which spelled the beginning of rough times for the Mother Road. Efforts by many civic and business groups have since been launched to try to restore and maintain our nations’ Mother Road. It still offers a remarkable driving experience.

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Where to Stay

Dining and Entertainment

• Lucille's Road House
• Hydro Bar

Drive Route 66