The New Mexico Route 66 Museum in Tucumcari has been operating with regular hours for about two weeks.
Hours on weekdays are from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. And it plans to soon add Saturday hours as well.
According to the museum’s website:
The New Mexico Route 66 Museum will offer a unique look into New Mexico’s Route 66 heritage, as well as offer a wide range of representation, from Glenrio to Gallup and everywhere in between. From Route 66’s beginnings in New Mexico with the Ozark Trails system to today’s Historic Route 66, we will offer a unique perspective of the Mother Road’s history in our great state “The Land of Enchantment”.
We are currently adding to our first opening exhibits, which include: Michael Campanelli’s Route 66 Photo Exhibit with over 166 photos of Route all on one wall, Diner with Rock-Ola Juke Box, Vintage Gas Pumps, Porcelain Signs, Memorabilia, 1931 Ford Model A, 1937 Studebaker President, Mercury Montclair, 1963 Ford Galaxie 500, Dodge Super Bee and much more…
The museum is at the Tucumcari Convention Center property at 1500 West Highway 66, west of the center of town.
The museum had held a couple of “soft” openings, plus during special occasions. But it’s the first time it’s had regular hours.
And although Oklahoma, Missouri and Illinois each boast several museums devoted to Route 66, this museum is the first such one in New Mexico.
The museum is accepting sponsorships, which you can buy here.
UPDATE: The Quay County Sun, based in Tucumcari, posted an article about the museum’s regular hours.
Museum board member Bob Beaulieu told the newspaper, however, that it was looking for a more permanent location:
“We’re looking for a bigger building,” he said, and he hopes to find a location that could accommodate 40,000 square feet of museum space.
The museum board is currently hoping to receive a 501(c)(3) designation, which will make donations to the museum tax free.“That should unleash dollars for us in a really big way,” Caldwell said.
(Photos courtesy of the museum)