By Alex Bradford Cobb | Published: October 2, 2026 | Last updated: October 2, 2026
Route 66 runs 2,448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica — through eight states, across the Great Plains, over the Ozarks, through the desert Southwest, and down to the Pacific. It was decommissioned as a federal highway in 1985, but it never stopped being driven. In 2026, with the Centennial bringing more events, more travelers, and more attention to the road than it's seen in decades, there's never been a better year to do it.
This is the complete guide: every state, the stops worth your time, how long the trip takes, and where to find fudge at the exact halfway point of the Missouri stretch.
Uranus Fudge Factory & General Store: 14400 Hwy Z, St. Robert, MO 65584 | Open daily 8 AM – 8 PM | Exit 163 off I-44
The Basics
Total distance: ~2,448 miles, Chicago to Santa Monica Pure driving time: 36–40 hours Recommended trip length: 14–21 days. Ten days is doable if you push; two weeks is where the trip starts to feel like a trip rather than a commute. Best time to go: Late April through June, or September through October. July and August through the Southwest and Texas are genuinely brutal — triple-digit heat that makes the car stops unpleasant and the walking stops short. 2026 note: The Centennial has made this the busiest Route 66 year in decades. Motor courts and motels along the route book up faster than usual, especially in summer. Reserve lodging ahead wherever you care about where you sleep.
State by State
Illinois — Chicago to the Missouri Border (~300 miles)
Route 66 starts at the corner of Adams Street and Michigan Avenue in Chicago, in the shadow of the Art Institute. From there it runs south and west through the heart of Illinois.
Stops worth making:
Chicago — Give yourself a day before you start driving. The Art Institute, Millennium Park, and the lakefront are standard. The Route 66 starting sign on Adams Street is a quick photo stop that confirms you're doing this.
Pontiac — The Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum in downtown Pontiac is one of the better free Route 66 museums on the whole route. Genuine memorabilia, well-organized, and in a beautifully restored building.
Springfield — Lincoln's home, Lincoln's tomb, the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library. Springfield is a real history stop regardless of Route 66. The Cozy Dog Drive In, which claims (credibly) to have invented the corn dog in 1946, is the Route 66 stop.
Staunton — Henry's Ra-Linda Drive-In, one of the last true vintage drive-ins on the Illinois stretch. Worth a detour if it's open when you pass through.
Drive time to Missouri border: About 5 hours from Chicago with stops.
Missouri — St. Louis to Joplin (~317 miles)
Missouri has more Route 66 miles than any other state. The stretch runs from St. Louis through the Ozarks to Joplin — through caves, mural cities, classic motor courts, and the birthplace of the highway's name.
Stops worth making:
St. Louis — Start at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, the 1929 Mississippi crossing with the famous 22-degree bend in the middle. Then the Gateway Arch, if you haven't ridden to the top. Then head southwest on the historic alignment.
Sullivan — Meramec Caverns — A Route 66 institution since the 1930s. Massive cave formations, multiple chambers, guided tours, and the Jesse James hideout story. Worth the hour.
Cuba — The Mural City. Large-scale Route 66 and Missouri history murals painted on building sides throughout downtown. Walk it slowly.
Rolla — Totem Pole Trading Post, open since the highway's early years and still looking the part.
St. Robert — Uranus Fudge Factory & General Store ⭐ Essential Stop
This is us, and we're worth the stop — not just because we say so, but because we're at mile 150 of Missouri's 317-mile stretch, which makes us the natural halfway point for a driver who needs to get out of the car, eat something, and remember why road trips are fun.
Uranus is a full roadside destination: a fudge factory making 19 flavors fresh daily in the on-site kitchen, the Uranus Sideshow Museum, Putt Pirates mini golf (18 holes, pirate-themed, with a river shortcut on certain holes), Uranus Ice Cream Co., and a gift shop stocked with items you didn't know you needed and won't regret buying.
The Taste of Uranus Sampler — 1.5 pounds of the six most popular fudge flavors — is what to grab for the road. It travels well and tastes better than anything you'll find at a gas station between here and Amarillo.
14400 Hwy Z, St. Robert, MO 65584 | Open daily 8 AM – 8 PM | Exit 163 off I-44
We had a roadtripping family come by and buy fudge and they enjoyed it and this happened last week.
Lebanon — Munger Moss Motel — One of the most photographed motor courts on the entire route. Still operating, 1940s neon intact. Stay the night or just stop for the photo.
Springfield — Where Route 66 got its name. On April 30, 1926, officials sent the telegram proposing "U.S. Route 66" from here. The Birthplace Plaza marks the spot. The Route 66 Car Museum on West College Street has 100-plus vintage cars. Springfield is hosting Centennial events throughout 2026 — check the local calendar.
Carthage — Boots Court Motel — A 1939 art deco motor court, curved facade, beautifully preserved. One of the best-looking buildings on Missouri's stretch.
Joplin — Western terminus of Missouri's Route 66. The downtown Mural Park is the traditional end-of-Missouri photo stop.
Drive time across Missouri: About 5–6 hours non-stop. Budget a full day with stops.
Oklahoma — Joplin to the Texas Border (~400 miles)
Oklahoma's stretch is one of the longest and one of the most varied — Art Deco cities, Native American heritage, genuine ghost towns, and some of the most intact original Route 66 pavement anywhere.
Stops worth making:
Tulsa — One of the great Art Deco cities in America. The Philtower Building, Cain's Ballroom (still hosting shows), and the Philbrook Museum of Art (a 1920s Italian villa turned museum) are all worth time. The Route 66 experience here is urban and genuinely interesting.
Claremore — Will Rogers birthplace and memorial. Rogers was Oklahoma's most famous son and one of the sharpest observers of American life in the early 20th century. The museum is excellent.
Arcadia — Round Barn — An 1898 round barn built from bur oak that's been beautifully restored and is a free stop. Looks exactly like what a Route 66 roadside attraction should look like.
Oklahoma City — The National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum is world-class. The Oklahoma City National Memorial, built on the site of the 1995 bombing, is quietly devastating and worth an hour of real attention.
Elk City — National Route 66 Museum — One of the best Route 66 museums on the route. Five buildings, vehicles, memorabilia, and a full recreation of a period streetscape.
Texola — A nearly abandoned town right at the Texas border that's become something of a photographers' destination. The buildings are collapsing in photogenic ways.
Drive time across Oklahoma: About 6–7 hours with stops.
Texas — The Panhandle (~178 miles)
Texas is short on the Route 66 map — just the panhandle, running from the Oklahoma border to New Mexico. But it has two of the most iconic stops on the entire route.
Stops worth making:
Amarillo — Cadillac Ranch — Ten Cadillacs buried nose-first in a field west of Amarillo, spray-painted by visitors in layers for decades. It's free, it's weird, and it's one of the few stops on Route 66 that lives up to every photograph you've seen of it. Bring a spray can.
Amarillo — Big Texan Steak Ranch — Famous for the 72-ounce steak challenge (finish it in an hour and it's free). Whether or not you're attempting the challenge, it's the right kind of Texas excess. The building is visible from the highway and hard to miss.
Shamrock — U-Drop Inn — A 1936 art deco gas station and diner with a design so distinctive it inspired the Ramone's House of Body Art in Cars. Stop, walk around it, take the photo.
Drive time across Texas: About 3 hours.
New Mexico — Texas Border to Arizona (~487 miles)
New Mexico's Route 66 runs through high desert, historic trading posts, and two of the most visually striking cities on the route.
Stops worth making:
Tucumcari — One of the most intact Route 66 towns anywhere. Neon signs, vintage motels, and a main street that still looks like the highway's heyday. The Blue Swallow Motel is one of the most photographed neon signs in Route 66 history.
Albuquerque — Old Town Albuquerque has been a settlement since 1706. The Petroglyph National Monument on the city's west side has thousands of ancient rock carvings. Route 66 runs right through Central Avenue (Historic Route 66), lined with vintage signage.
Santa Fe — Technically a detour off the main alignment, but worth every mile. The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum, the Palace of the Governors, Canyon Road's galleries. Santa Fe is one of the best American cities for wandering.
Gallup — A trading post town with a genuine Native American arts market and some of the best silverwork and turquoise jewelry you'll find anywhere. The El Rancho Hotel has hosted more movie stars than most Hollywood lots — it was base camp for the westerns filmed in the area throughout the 1940s and '50s.
Drive time across New Mexico: About 7–8 hours.
Arizona — New Mexico Border to California (~401 miles)
Arizona delivers the landscapes that make the road trip posters. Red rock, high desert, the Grand Canyon on a detour, and the longest remaining stretch of uninterrupted original Route 66 pavement in the country.
Stops worth making:
Petrified Forest National Park — The original Route 66 alignment ran through what is now the park. Ancient logs turned to crystal, badlands, and one of the quieter national parks on the route.
Holbrook — Wigwam Motel — Concrete teepee-shaped cabins from 1950. Still operating, often fully booked. One of the most photographed motels on the entire route.
Winslow — Standin' on the Corner — Yes, that corner. The Eagles reference. There's a mural, a bronze statue, and enough visitors playing the song on their phones that it's either charming or annoying depending on your tolerance. Worth 10 minutes.
Flagstaff — A real college city with good food and the Lowell Observatory, where Pluto was discovered in 1930. A natural overnight stop before the long western Arizona stretch.
Seligman to Kingman — The Longest Original Stretch — About 160 miles of the most intact original Route 66 pavement remaining anywhere. Drive it slowly. Historic 66 through this section feels like the highway before the interstates.
Oatman — A former gold rush town in the Black Mountains where wild burros roam the streets. Genuinely strange. Worth the detour if you want one final piece of authentic roadside weird before California.
Drive time across Arizona: About 6–7 hours.
California — Needles to Santa Monica (~315 miles)
The final stretch — desert into the sprawl of Los Angeles and out to the Pacific.
Stops worth making:
Needles — A Mojave Desert town on the California border, hot and remote and genuinely atmospheric. The El Garces Harvey House (now a restored Amtrak station) is worth a look.
Barstow — Calico Ghost Town — A 19th-century silver mining town, now a San Bernardino County regional park. Well-preserved, authentically dusty, good for an hour.
San Bernardino — Original McDonald's Site — The spot where Dick and Mac McDonald opened their first assembly-line burger restaurant in 1940. There's a museum now. Whether fast food history is your thing or not, this is where it started.
Pasadena — The Colorado Street Bridge, the Rose Bowl, and the beginning of the urban descent into Los Angeles.
Santa Monica Pier — The end of the road. There's a Route 66 endpoint sign on the pier. Take the photo, put your feet in the Pacific, and call it done.
Drive time across California: About 5–6 hours.
Planning Your Route 66 Road Trip
How long does Route 66 take? Two weeks is the sweet spot — enough time to stop where you want to stop without rushing every day. Three weeks lets you take real detours (Grand Canyon, Santa Fe, Sedona). Ten days is the minimum if you want to drive the whole thing rather than cherry-pick states.
Do you have to drive it west to east? No, but Chicago to Santa Monica (east to west) is the traditional direction and the one most resources are organized around. The light is also better for photographing westward in the afternoon.
What about the 2026 Centennial? Route 66 turns 100 on November 11, 2026. The Centennial has produced events, car caravans, passport programs, and more organized activity along the route than it's seen in decades. Check route66centennial.org for the official calendar. Individual cities — Springfield, Amarillo, Flagstaff, Kingman — are running their own Centennial programming throughout the year.
What's the best Route 66 navigation resource? The National Park Service has a Route 66 corridor preservation program and maps. The Missouri Route 66 Association (missouri66.org) has the best turn-by-turn for Missouri specifically, where the historic alignment diverges most from I-44.
Stock Up at Uranus Before the Long Stretch
St. Robert is roughly the midpoint of Missouri's Route 66 — which makes it a natural refueling stop before the longer western half of the drive. What you can get at Uranus that you can't get at a truck stop:
Fudge for the road. The Taste of Uranus Sampler (1.5 lbs, six flavors) is built for exactly this situation. It travels well, doesn't melt easily, and gives everyone in the car something to argue about ranking.
19 fudge flavors, made fresh daily in the on-site kitchen. Classics like Chocolate Pecan and Peanut Butter & Chocolate. Blueberry Cheesecake if you want to surprise yourself. A rotating Fudge of the Month worth asking about.
Gift shop supplies. Lip Shit lip balm, Uranus air fresheners, breath mints, apparel, keychains. The kind of things you buy at mile 150 that become the running joke for the rest of the trip.
Everything also ships from UranusGeneralStore.com if you want to send fudge ahead to wherever you're ending up.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long is a Route 66 road trip? The full route is approximately 2,448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica. Pure driving time is 36–40 hours. Most travelers take 14–21 days to drive it properly.
What states does Route 66 go through? Eight states: Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. (Kansas has a small 13-mile section near Galena that's worth a detour if you're a completionist.)
What is the best stop on Route 66? Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Meramec Caverns in Missouri, the Wigwam Motel in Arizona, and the Santa Monica Pier endpoint are consistently cited as the top stops. For food and a full roadside experience, Uranus Fudge Factory & General Store in St. Robert, Missouri is the stop most road-trippers remember talking about afterward.
Where should I stop on Route 66 in Missouri? The essential stops are Meramec Caverns (Sullivan), the Mural City of Cuba, Uranus Fudge Factory & General Store (St. Robert, Exit 163 off I-44), the Munger Moss Motel (Lebanon), and Springfield's Route 66 Birthplace Plaza. Uranus is at the natural halfway point of the Missouri stretch and is open daily 8 AM – 8 PM.
What is the Route 66 Centennial? Route 66 was officially designated on November 11, 1926. The 2026 Centennial marks 100 years of the highway. It's been the busiest Route 66 year in decades, with events, passport programs, and organized celebrations in every state along the route. See route66centennial.org for the full calendar.
Can I order Route 66 fudge online? Yes — Uranus Fudge Factory ships nationwide from UranusGeneralStore.com. If you drove through and want more, or if you want to send some ahead before you arrive, fudge orders placed before 7 AM CST Monday ship same day.
For the complete stop-by-stop Missouri itinerary with mile markers and drive times, see the Missouri Route 66 Centennial Road Trip Guide at UranusMissouri.com.
For current Centennial events: route66centennial.org
Alex Bradford Cobb is a strapping young man who works for the Mayor in a semi-legal indentured servitude arrangement, similar to how Dubai was built, and possibly the pyramids. What works, works, and there's no need to reinvent the wheel.
