A humongous theme park development planned off Route 66 near Vinita, Oklahoma, already is showing signs of financial issues barely six months after a groundbreaking. Mansion Entertainment, a company with ties to Branson, Missouri, announced last summer it would build the American Heartland theme park and RV park by 2026, which is Route 66's centennial … Continue reading Big theme park project near Vinita already showing signs of financial problems
Gearhead Curios wins first Outstanding Attraction honor from Jefferson Highway Association
Gearhead Curios of Galena, Kansas, and its owner Aaron Perry recently received the inaugural Outstanding Attraction award from the Jefferson Highway Association during its 11th annual conference in Alexandria, Louisiana. Gearhead Curios is best known for being on Route 66. The Jefferson Highway, which ran from New Orleans to Winnipeg, Manitoba, also went through Galena … Continue reading Gearhead Curios wins first Outstanding Attraction honor from Jefferson Highway Association
Route 66 landmark Pony Bridge near Bridgeport reopens to traffic
The Route 66 landmark Pony Bridge near Bridgeport, Oklahoma, reopened to traffic Friday after a celebration on the rehabbed span. Rhys Martin, president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association, said ODOT counted more than 350 vehicles at one point of the ceremony. He also shot the above image, which shows how crowded it was. Before … Continue reading Route 66 landmark Pony Bridge near Bridgeport reopens to traffic
Study: Flagstaff is the most dog-friendly city in the U.S.
If you're traveling Route 66 and need a pet-friendly destination, you won't do better than Flagstaff, Arizona. The venerable Route 66 town not only is the best on the Mother Road, but in the entire country, according to a Blueprint study with USA Today. The study reviewed the per capita number of dog-friendly lodging establishments, … Continue reading Study: Flagstaff is the most dog-friendly city in the U.S.
Revive 66 Campground closes less than four years after opening
The nonprofit organization that opened the Revive 66 Campground in Springfield, Missouri, has closed it permanently less than four years after opening it. Revive 66, at 3839 W. Chestnut Expressway, shuttered on April 22, reported the Springfield News-Leader after the Gathering Tree opened it in early 2021. Gathering Tree operates tiny-home communities for the homeless. … Continue reading Revive 66 Campground closes less than four years after opening
Donut Drive-In in St. Louis soon will open its second Route 66 location
The venerable Donut Drive-In shop in St. Louis, which is close to the Route 66 landmark Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, soon will open a second location in nearby Brentwood, Missouri, also on Route 66. According to St. Louis Magazine, the Donut Drive-up with be at the former To Go Sushi space at 8950 Manchester Road (aka Route … Continue reading Donut Drive-In in St. Louis soon will open its second Route 66 location
Restoration of West Winds Motel sign in Erick among Oklahoma Route 66 Commission grants
The restoration of the neon sign for the closed West Winds Motel in Erick, Oklahoma, is among the $6 million in grants recently awarded by the Oklahoma Route 66 Commission. A list of the funds given from the state's Route 66 Revitalization Grant Program was posted in a document on the commission's website. Several grant … Continue reading Restoration of West Winds Motel sign in Erick among Oklahoma Route 66 Commission grants
Former Hi-Way Cafe & Tavern in Edwardsville to become Plaid Coffee Roasters
The historic Hi-Way Cafe & Tavern building along Route 66 in Edwardsville, Illinois, is being converted into a Plaid Coffee Roasters shop. Cheryl Eichar Jett of The Buzz Monthly reported the mother-and-son team of Kim Goodner and Trevor Taynor, who also own a bakery in town, are transforming the Hi-Way property at 463 E. Vandalia … Continue reading Former Hi-Way Cafe & Tavern in Edwardsville to become Plaid Coffee Roasters
Red Carpet Corridor Festival participants get a glimpse of soon-to-be-relocated Gemini Giant
Illinois Route 66 Red Carpet Corridor Festival participants had the rare privilege of seeing the Gemini Giant from the closed Launching Pad Drive-In restaurant lying in repose, with its helmet off. The Joliet Patch had details about the fiberglass giant being shown inside the City of Wilmington's public works building during last weekend's 17th annual … Continue reading Red Carpet Corridor Festival participants get a glimpse of soon-to-be-relocated Gemini Giant
Former Lebanon gas station owner who recalls briefly meeting Pretty Boy Floyd dies at 98
Tommy Speaker, likely the oldest surviving businessman from the peak Route 66 era of Lebanon, Missouri, who as a child encountered outlaw Pretty Boy Floyd, died last Tuesday. He was 98. Speaker ran the now-vacant Speaker's Mobil station, an operation that had been owned by his family since Route 66 was built in the 1920s. … Continue reading Former Lebanon gas station owner who recalls briefly meeting Pretty Boy Floyd dies at 98