See the Enduring Magic of Route 66 Through Nat Geo's Classic Photos
From historic diners to neon-lit motels, a Route 66 historian reflects on the people and places that keep the legendary highway alive.
One could easily argue that Route 66 is the most famous highway in the world. At a Route 66 festival in Zlín, Czech Republic, an elderly gentleman shared a story that helps explain why. Growing up behind the Iron Curtain, he recalled how a song about getting your kicks on Route 66 and bootlegged copies of movies such as Easy Rider, filmed in part along the highway, had shaped his generation's view of America. For him, Route 66 had come to symbolize freedom, just as the Statue of Liberty had for previous generations.
Over the years, similar conversations with travelers from around the world have changed the way I see Route 66. I've come to understand that this highway is more than an American icon. Its story has inspired people across the globe for decades. Enthusiasts in Japan, Europe, Australia, and North America organize tours and festivals celebrating this legendary road.
Yet Route 66, at least officially, no longer exists.
On October 13, 1984, Williams, Arizona, became the last town along Route 66 to be bypassed by the interstate. The following June, the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials officially decommissioned U.S. 66. That should have been the end of an amazing American story.
Instead, it marked the beginning of an unlikely revival.
As Route 66 celebrates its centennial in 2026, its enduring appeal lies not simply in nostalgia, but in the history, communities, and cultural traditions preserved along its path.
A Route 66 road trip during its centennial celebration is not easily described. At the Jack Rabbit Trading Post in Arizona, which opened in the 1940s, or the family-owned Clanton’s Café in Oklahoma, which has welcomed travelers since 1927, there is the illusion of time travel. That sense of timelessness is magnified at places like the centuries-old Laguna Pueblo in New Mexico or Maldaner’s Restaurant in Springfield, Illinois, which opened in 1884. With every mile driven, you find authenticity and a rich blend of history, scenic wonders, and diverse cultures.
Indeed, the highway’s history stretches back centuries before Route 66 was established. In Arizona, portions followed the Beale Wagon Road, the first federally funded wagon road in the Southwest, which in turn followed older Native American travel and trade routes. In New Mexico, the original alignment followed portions of the Santa Fe Trail into Santa Fe, founded in 1610, before turning south along the historic El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro.
Route 66 is also a museum of 20th-century highway engineering. In 2025, the American Society of Civil Engineers designated the highway a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. In Kansas, the Rainbow Bridge, built in 1923, is the last surviving example of a Marsh Arch Bridge along the state's stretch of Route 66, distinguished by its graceful concrete arches.
But Route 66 might have faded into history were it not for the people determined to preserve it.
Business owners, travelers, community leaders, and authors wrote the first chapters of the Route 66 renaissance with infectious enthusiasm for a highway that is the American story made manifest. Among them were Roy and Scott Dunton, whose family has operated businesses along Route 66 in western Arizona for a century. In the early 1990s, they transformed the historic Kimo Café into Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner in Kingman, Arizona. Scott later established the Route 66 Association of Arizona, helping revitalize the historic district through storefront and neon sign restorations. Today, his daughter and grandchildren continue the family's century-long connection to the highway.
A new generation, many born after the highway’s decommissioning, is writing the next chapters. In Stroud, Oklahoma, Cody and Terra Paige have restored the 1950s Skyliner Motel. Rhys Martin, president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association, also manages the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preserve Route 66 program.
Route 66 has evolved into America's longest small town, a linear community where past and present blur, offering a tangible link to centuries of history. There are even glimpses of the future. In Kingman, the Historic Electric Vehicle Foundation is developing a new home for its museum, scheduled to open in 2027. Its collection of more than 125 vehicles spans over a century of electric transportation.
But the real magic of the Route 66 experience is the people you meet along the way. This road trip is about adventures shared with friends and friends yet to be made. It is an opportunity to discover the rich cultural diversity at the heart of the American story. It is travelers from Japan, Georgia, California, and New Zealand gathering with the owner of a renovated vintage motel beneath the glow of neon to share stories of the day’s adventures. Route 66 is a road trip where the apple pie in a century-old café is freshly baked, language and cultural barriers vanish, and friendships are made.
