Leave the interstate behind and discover America with the classic road trip down Route 66. Running from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, before ending in Los Angeles for a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 km), this legendary American road passes through the heart of the United States on a trip that takes in some of the countries most archetypal roadside scenes. If your looking for vintage mom ‘n’ pop diners, neon signs, funky roadside attractions, and stunning natural beauty, as the song says you’ll be sure to “get your kicks on Route 66”.

A road trip down Route 66 tells a compelling story of not only America’s historical move West, but of the country’s culture itself. Before it was called Route 66 this corridor was one of Americas first transcontinental highways. For three decades before and after World War II, Route 66 earned the title “Main Street of America” as it wound through small towns across the Midwest and Southwest, lined by hundreds of cafés, motels, gas stations, and tourist attractions. During the Great Depression, hundreds of thousands of farm families, displaced from the Dust Bowl, made their way west along Route 66 to California, following “the Mother Road”. After World War II, many thousands more expressed their upward mobility by leaving the industrial East, bound for good jobs in the suburban idyll of Southern California—again following Route 66, which came to embody the demographic shift from the Rust Belt to the Sun Belt.

Route 66 passes through a marvellous cross-section of American scenes, from the gritty streets of St. Louis and Chicago, past the Grand Canyon and the Native American communities of the desert Southwest to the golden sands and sunshine of Los Angeles. Whether you are motivated by an interest in its history, feel a nostalgic yearning for the good old days the route has come to represent, or simply want to experience firsthand the amazing diversity of people and landscapes that line its path, Route 66 offers an unforgettable journey into America, then and now.

Tags: Adventure, Historical, Road trip, Route 66, USA