A few weeks ago, a little birdie told me that the Oklahoma Tourism and Recreation Department had just published a new Route 66 guide and that folks at the agency were really pleased with it.
I received it in the mail a few days ago. The little birdie was right. “Oklahoma Route 66 — The Ultimate Road 
Trip” is a nearly perfect introduction to the Sooner State’s portion of the Mother Road.
Far from being a flimsy brochure, the guide is a 30-page, magazine-size publication chock-full of excellent color photography, eye-pleasing graphics and handy, well-researched information on dozens of Route 66 attractions, plus a few key side trips. It contains even a fold-out map.
“Oklahoma Route 66” lists this in the table of contents:
- Oklahoma’s Share of Route 66
- History of the Mother Road
- Oklahoma’s Route 66 Museum
- National Route 66 Museum
- Interpretive Center
- Across Oklahoma
- Cruisin’ Oklahoma Map
- Mother Road Attractions
- Mother Road Resources
The information is mostly up-to-date, too. It did overlook that Seaba Station near Warwick is being converted into a motorcycle museum. But undoubtedly close to deadline, the guide does mention the fire that destroyed the Rock Cafe in Stroud a few weeks ago and implores travelers “to keep this beloved icon on your list as she looks forward to a truly grand reopening.”
Best of all, the guide is free. You can order it from the tourism agency’s brochures page here and have it sent to your door.
I don’t think it quite matches the Oklahoma Route 66 Association’s annual “Route 66 Trip Guide,” which is also free at many Route 66 businesses and via download (the only expense for mailing it is postage). The Trip Guide is especially comprehensive in detailed driving directions and pointing out nearly all of the state’s obscure Route 66 alignments. (Disclosure: My wife is the editor of the Trip Guide.)
But the Route 66 guide is a keeper nonetheless. Oklahoma’s tourism department has set a high standard that other states on the Mother Road should emulate.