Route 66 Centennial Guide Launches
Tripadvisor and Choice Hotels have launched an "Ultimate Route 66 Road Trip Guide" ahead of the iconic highway's 100th anniversary celebration. The guide provides tips on historic stops, quirky roadside attractions, and recommended accommodations along America's most famous road. The centennial celebrations are designed to help travelers navigate the cross-country journey with both classic and newly discovered points of interest.
- U.S. Highway 66 was officially established on November 11, 1926, creating a crucial link for commerce by connecting rural communities in states like Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas to Chicago. Its diagonal path made it a popular and more temperate route for the trucking industry compared to northern highways. - The entire route from Chicago to Los Angeles was continuously paved by 1938, an effort completed during the Great Depression by thousands of young men working in road gangs. The highway earned its famous nickname, "The Mother Road," from John Steinbeck's 1939 novel, "The Grapes of Wrath." - After decades of being a primary route for migrants, military convoys, and vacationers, Route 66 was officially decommissioned in 1985, having been replaced by the Interstate Highway System. - While the original, uninterrupted road no longer exists, about 85% of the route is still drivable today. Many portions have been preserved and are now designated as "Historic Route 66" on state and national scenic byways. - A U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission was established by Congress to plan the 100th-anniversary celebrations in 2026. The commission's goals include preserving the road, generating tourism, and boosting economic opportunities for the communities along its path. - Preservation efforts are supported by the National Park Service's Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program, which was created in 1999. The program provides cost-share grants to help maintain significant historic sites along the highway.
