Our road trip driving Route 66 from Chicago to LA in June and July this year was a bucket list experience that was fantastic. Driving this historic route with my husband took 23 days and over 3000 miles in the end with detours along the way. We didn't argue too much! We ate in a number of interesting Route 66 restaurants, bars and cafes along the trip, from 50s style diners for which Route 66 is known as well as burger joints and smarter more expensive restaurants.

Our friend Amy a spokesperson for RVRentaCampervan.com customer services team recommends booking at least 6 months in advance, The reason is that only a few RV companies are able to offer one way RV rentals across country and demand outstrips supply.

Here are some of our favourite places to eat on this Route 66 road trip. I have rated the restaurants and cafes out of 10 for ambience and food quality, and the price range from 1 to 5 in dollars depending on how expensive they were. This is not a definitive resource of the best restaurants, how can it be as there are thousands on this route? It's just our personal experience from driving the whole route on this occasion.

Route 66 is one of the iconic drives many road trippers would like to do, at least once in their life. Mr W and I drove the 2448 mile long drive from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica California, recently and stayed in some fantastic hotels and motels along the way.  Here are some of the best hotels and motels on Route 66 in my opinion. I have focused on historic accommodation and included a cheeky stay in Las Vegas, which although not on Route 66 is a popular detour along the way. 

Boots Court Motel Carthage Missouri



Where is it?

Boots Court Motel is in Carthage Missouri. It's a historic motel built in 1939 by Arthur Boots. Two sisters bought the Art Deco motel and have restored it to its former glory from the '40s.  Carthage itself is a small town but has a couple of great attractions nearby such as the Precious Moments Chapel and Red Oak 2, an old historic town, where the houses are transplanted from miles around.

Why is it special?

Every room has a retro radio playing 40's music and bed linen from the 40s era but also Wi-Fi, and air conditioning. It mixes modern comforts with historic decor well. We stayed in a room that Clark Gable stayed in that also had its own carport. Debbie who runs the motel is so lovely and helpful and the motel looks beautiful lit up at night. She also flies the flag of the nationality of people staying here, it's a lovely touch and we were surprised to see the Welsh flag flying proudly in the air when we returned from dinner.

How much does it cost?

We paid 74 dollars including tax for a double room, which is about £56. There is no breakfast available at the hotel. We ate breakfast at the Carthage Deli which is a ten-minute walk away and has a variety of breakfast option including eggs, bacon and bagels.



Motel Safari Tucumcari New Mexico



Where is it?

Motel Safari is in Tucumcari New Mexico. It opened in 1959 and was decorated in an architectural style known as 'Googie'. In Tucumcari, you have some well-known stops on Route 66 including the Blue Swallow motel across the road, and the Teepee Curios gift shop close by. Motel Safari is also an hour and a half drive away from the Cadillac Ranch, a popular Route 66 stop. Tucumcari isn't very big, and I would recommend avoiding stying on a Sunday if possible as everything is closed.

Why is it special?

The owner Larry Smith (and his dog Sam) is a Route 66 enthusiast and has made the motel up-to-date without compromising on the old world charm. Air conditioning, a flat panel LCD TV, and comfortable Sealy mattresses make the rooms modern, whilst a Tivoli radio playing Route 66 radio adds to Route 66 vibe.

How much does it cost?

We paid 79 dollars (£63) including tax for a room with two double beds. There is no breakfast available at the hotel. Kix on Route 66 is a really good retro diner a 5-minute walk away which we recommend for breakfast. Have one of the omelettes, they are excellent and come with toast and hashbrowns. 



Inn Of The Governors Santa Fe



Where is it?

The Inn Of The Governors is in Santa Fe New Mexico. Santa Fe is New Mexico's capital and is a vibrant artsy town know for its Pueblo architecture. Founded as a Spanish colony in 1610, it has at its heart the traditional Plaza which is a cool place to walk around, do some shopping and take in the atmosphere.

Why is it special?

The hotel is decorated in an authentic southwest style.  It's a lovely hotel with a calm environment. Every day at 4pm there is a tea and sherry reception which is complimentary and they have a small outdoor pool which is nice for a dip. It's also very close to the main square and offers free parking.

How much does it cost?

We paid 198 dollars a night (£156) inclusive of taxes and breakfast. The breakfast was amazing and included a wide variety of food from fresh fruit to yoghurts, pastries and a hot buffet complete with bacon, potatoes, eggs and Mexican options.



La Posada Winslow Arizona



Where is it?

La Posada is in Winslow Arizona. Winslow is famous for being mentioned in the song 'Take It Easy' by the Eagles. You must go to the corner of Winslow Arizona to see the flatbed Ford and the statues of The Eagles if you visit. 

Why is it special?

La Posada is a historic hotel, famous for being a 'Harvey house'. Fred Harvey was a man who 'civilised the west'. He built hotels where people could stop near the Santa Fe railroad. La Posada was built in the 1920s and many famous people like John Wayne and Albert Einstein stayed there. La Posada is also home to the Turquoise Room, one of the best restaurants in the whole of the area. We ate here and it was fabulous. My meal of pepper steak was mouthwatering.

How much does it cost?

We paid 154 dollars including tax which is about £121.  Breakfast wasn't included but the Turquoise Room serves breakfast. Also, there is a decent small cafe opposite 'the corner of Winslow Arizona' that serves crepes, granola bowls and muffins. 



The Flamingo Las Vegas Nevada



Where is it?

The Flamingo Hotel is in the entertainment capital of the US - Las Vegas. Whilst technically not on Route 66, Las Vegas is a very popular detour on a Route 66 road trip. We stayed here as it's a historic hotel, that fitted into the Route 66 vibe. Bugsy Siegal the gangster opened it in 1946 and it was one of the first hotels in Las Vegas at the time

Why is it special?

The Flamingo is situated in a perfect position - in the centre of the Las Vegas strip, with Ballys and the Linq hotel close by. It has the Linq Promenade outside for places to eat and drink as well as its own food court, Margaritaville restaurant, Centre Cut Steakhouse and more. If you book, check out the 'Go' rooms which are refurbished. It has it's own flamingo habitat too and two pools, one party pool and one family pool.

How much does it cost?

Rooms are from 35 dollars a night, however, with taxes and resort fees this can more than double in price. In Vegas, many hotels have resort fees which cover the cost of Wi-Fi, phone calls and so on. You have to accept you will be paying a resort fee in the majority of hotels. If you have a casino players card and you bet a lot, they may waive the fee, it's worth a try asking on check out. We ended up paying around £80 a night all in over the 4th of July. Breakfast is not included but there are many options in the hotel including the Paradise Garden Buffet, as well as close by. We liked the Chayo Mexican Kitchen for breakfast in the Linq Promenade.



So here are some of the best hotels and motels on Route 66 in my opinion. We planned our Route 66 road trip with books and Google maps.  Check out this road trip planner for help with planning your trip. 




Let me know what you think of these places to stay. Have you driven Route 66?

We've been on many road trips in our time and must admit there is nothing like driving a minor road, off the highway, moving on from day to day, experiencing authentic historic towns and local life, especially in small-town America. I also love the planning aspect of a road trip, picking the perfect stop, family run motels and places to eat along the way. So when we decided to drive the iconic Route 66, the 'Mother Road' from Chicago to Santa Monica LA, later this year, I thought what a cool experience. 

This iconic route made famous by the song (Get Your Kicks) On Route 66 and the book The Grapes Of Wrath, by John Steinbeck has been on my bucket list for a long time and getting to drive this route with Mr W would be a great experience. However, planning this route was not the simplest task! 

Why Route 66?

Route 66 is a slice, of old school America. The historic road, one of the original highways in the US, was built in 1926 and is littered with quaint towns, old school diners, friendly people, quirky museums and roadside statutes called the Muffler Men. Route 66 served as a primary route for those who migrated west, especially during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and the road supported the economies of the communities through which it passed. 


However, in 1985 large sections of the route were replaced by the Interstate Highway and the road was decommissioned. This affected the businesses along the way almost overnight. Fed up with the downturn in business a number of Route 66 associations started up, with the goal to preserve this historic route and brings tourists back to the area, with some success.

The difficulty with planning



It's not as easy as buying a map off the shelf and using that either. The route covers 8 states for starters and is 2448 miles in length. There isn't one map that covers the route and you can't follow the whole route on Google Maps or with a Sat Nav either.

You also need to decide how long to allocate to the trip. Two weeks is the minimum you should allocate, but this doesn't really allow you time to explore. If you want to do any detours and spend longer in any of the places along the route then three to four weeks is better. Then you still won't see it all. 


Of course, LA is worth spending time exploring too. LA is a massive sprawl so if you have limited time, I recommend exploring Santa Monica. The end of Route 66 is on Santa Monica Pier and this cool city, with its beaches, shopping and hip restaurants, is worth at least a couple of days on its own. You also have the vibrant and eclectic Venice Beach not far from Santa Monica Pier which is brilliant for people watching.

So as you can see these major cities and the awe-inspiring Grand Canyon and beauty of Sedona will need extra time to explore, and this is before you visit all the cool little towns along the way, and that is the main reason for driving Route 66, the small towns. Don't forget the journey is the part of the fun, not necessarily the big stops.

Where to start and end

Research

Before you plan the route you really need to do some research, to find out what you want to see and where you want to go. However don't get stressed if you have limited time, no one says you have to do all the route in one go, so you could always take it section by section, and come back for more at a later date.

There are a number of useful resources that I have used to plan.

A blog I particularly found invaluable is Independent Travel Cats, this blog post I linked to was excellent for helping me plan.

For an overview of the route, I recommend the Road Trip USA Route 66 book by Jamie Jensen for Moon Guides. This is a handy condensed account of the whole trip, and brilliant as an overview.

The book I was recommended, the EZ Guide to Route 66, was very detailed but complicated to use, instead, we found the Here It Is Route 66 Map Series written by the same author Jerry McClanahan in partnership with Jim Ross invaluable. This is a package of a number of maps for the route, not just one. Mr W used it to plan each part of the trip.

YouTube has a number of people that have driven the route. I highly recommend watching the videos by Adam The Woo and Nomadic Fanatic on YouTube for an insight into the quirky stops along the way.

I also recommend the comedian Billy Connolly's Route 66 show, available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Amazon. Billy Connolly now lives in the US and I've always loved his humour and his outlook on life. Of course, if you have kids you may have seen the animated film Cars which is based on a made-up town along Route 66 called Radiator Springs, thought to be based on a real town called Peach Springs. If you haven't seen it, it's worth a watch especially after reading about the route as you will get all the references and in house jokes about Route 66.

Facebook groups have also helped my planning. Historic Route 66 is a group full of helpful people that have a real passion for Route 66. Post your itinerary there and they will give you genuinely helpful and friendly feedback. Another useful group is Route 66 Travelers. 

If you have Spotify check out Mr W's post on 66 Best Songs To Get You Started On Route 66.

Record the detail - the information
So let's get down to basics. You've done your research and you have a rough idea of how long you have and what you want to do. So make a plan. Well, more than one.

I suggest two plans - recording the detail of what you want to do, where you are staying, where you want to eat. So you have all the information in one place. Then you need to plan the driving route.

To keep track of the essential information like hotels, what to do and so on, either make a spreadsheet or use a notebook and record all the important information. I used Google Sheets. Some of the detail I recorded included the day, the town stayed in, what to do that day and where to stop off along the day, the hotel, if breakfast was included, if parking included and if not the cost of parking, ideas of where to eat, and any activities booked.

The route is known for historic 'mom and pop' motels so ensure you stay in some of these for an authentic feel.

The Boots Court Motel, Motel Safari and the Blue Swallow in Tucumcari, the Wagon Wheel Motel and the WigWam motel are just some of those motels recommended to me. These motels are small places and especially in high season will need to be booked in advance. As I would rather have all the hotels booked we have already done this, to avoid disappointment and also so we can budget for the trip. Some people like to just turn up and that's fine too. 

Other hotels we are using are well-known chain hotels in the US such as Holiday Inn Express and La Quinta Inn, which we chose as a combination of good prices and the best option in that area. Some of the more luxurious independent hotels such as the Lodge of the Ozarks in Branson were chosen due to price, quality, location and uniqueness.

Record the detail - the driving

On the journey, make sure you plan in stops for lunch and to explore the small towns along the way. This is the joy of the trip - to stop and meet the small shop owners, the cafe and restaurant owners proud of their burgers or the best pies in the county, stop and listen to their stories, and buy from their stores and cafes. This is the joy of Route 66.

Budgeting



Here are some of the recommended places to eat along the way, according to the Route 66 Facebook groups.
Lou Mitchells Chicago - a classic diner
Lucky J Steakhouse Carthage - watch rodeo as you eat
The Big Texan Steak Ranch Amarillo - home of the 72 oz steak
Midpoint Cafe Texas - known for its ugly crust pies
Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In Seligman Delgadillo himself is a legend
The Road Kill Cafe In Seligman - a unique stop!
The Turquoise Room La Posada Winslow Arizona - excellent quality dining

Unmissable stops