WASTELAND FIREBIRD'S BIG LIST OF THE BEST THINGS ON ROUTE 66

A curious guide to Route 66 and the American Dream, updated 2026 Jul 17

This Book is available now! Click here to buy!

Wasteland Firebird's Big List of the Best Things On Route 66 is like no other Route 66 guide. It's not a map. It's a carefully curated list of addresses, updated twice yearly. It's all the best things, and nothing more. Each page has a QR code that opens up Google Maps directions to your next destination. If you stop at every address, you'll be on Route 66. No app needed! Many pages contain descriptions, reviews, recommendations, memories of previous journeys, or musings about the American Dream.

Wasteland Firebird has traveled the Route five times, adding and subtracting items from this list along the way. None of the businesses in this book paid to appear in it. This book is solely a list of places that are beautiful, old, quirky, luxurious, or delicious. Every place in this book is worth at least a brief stop. Some of the entries are new discoveries that have never before been seen in connection with Route 66, such as "Room Attack" and "Toynbee Tiles."

The previous edition of this book served as the guide for The Great Route 66 Centennial Convergence, held in April 2026. So many people asked for the book that we quickly ran out of our free copies. As soon as the trip was complete, we released this new updated edition for sale.

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Chicago to LA · LA to Chicago

  1. Cloud Gate mirrored bean sculpture
  2. Chicago Athletic Association
  3. Art Institute of Chicago
  4. Berghoff Restaurant
  5. Steak 'n Egger
  6. Henry's Drive-In
  7. Cigars & Stripes BBQ Lounge
  8. Berwyn's Toy & Trains
  9. Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket
  10. White Fence Farm Restaurant
  11. Old Joliet Prison
  12. First Dairy Queen
  13. Rialto Square Theatre
  14. Blues Brothers Copmobile
  15. Polk-A-Dot Drive In
  16. Shop on Route 66
  17. Gothic Church Dwight Townhall
  18. Dwight Coin Laundry
  19. Ambler's Texaco Gas Station
  20. Standard Oil Gas Station
  21. Old Log Cabin restaurant
  22. Route 66 Association of Illinois
  23. Pontiac Oakland Auto Museum
  24. Route 66 of Chenoa Roadside Attraction Tourist Info
  25. Lexington Route 66 Memory Lane
  26. Sprague's Super Service Station
  27. Carl's Ice Cream Factory
  28. Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup Farm
  29. Arcadia America's Playable Arcade Museum
  30. Country-Aire Restaurant
  31. American Giants Museum
  32. Hot Dog Muffler Man
  33. Outkast Tattoo Studio
  34. Illinois State Fair Route 66 Experience
  35. Shea's Filling Station
  36. Pharmacy Gallery Art Space
  37. Mel-O-Cream Donuts
  38. Charlie Parker's Diner
  39. Lauterbach Muffler Man
  40. Route 66 Motorheads Bar and Grill
  41. Chatham Railroad Museum
  42. Illinois Brick Road
  43. Doc's Just Off 66
  44. Niehaus Cycle Sales
  45. Soulsby Service Station
  46. Pink Elephant Antique Mall
  47. Route 66 Creamery
  48. West End Service Station
  49. Old Chain of Rocks Bridge
  50. O'Brien Tire & Auto Care
  51. Mr. Twist Ice Cream
  52. It's Electric Neon Sign Park
  53. Crown Candy Kitchen
  54. Chili Mac's Diner
  55. Neon Museum of St Louis
  56. Auto Seat Covers sign
  57. Ted Drewes Frozen Custard
  58. Red Cedar Inn Museum and Visitor Center
  59. Hoffman's Drive-In
  60. Gardenway Motel sign
  61. International Shoe Company Building
  62. Creative Chainsaw Carvings
  63. Meramec Caverns
  64. Shamrock Court Motel
  65. Missouri Hick Barbeque
  66. Wagon Wheel Motel
  67. Weir on 66 Rich's Famous Burgers
  68. Fanning Outpost Rocking Chair
  69. St James SLSF Railroad Depot
  70. Phelps County Historical Society
  71. Totem Pole Antiques sign
  72. Devil's Elbow Bridge
  73. Uranus Fudge Factory
  74. Route 66 Neon Sign Park
  75. Old Stagecoach Stop
  76. Route 66 Gasconade Bridge
  77. Munger Moss Motel
  78. Smokin' Jones BBQ Wrink's Market
  79. Boswell Park Camp Joy
  80. Redmon's Candy Factory
  81. 1920s Ford dealership
  82. Little Clay House
  83. Joe's Route 66 Diner
  84. Andy's Frozen Custard
  85. Glenstone Court Motel
  86. Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven
  87. College Street Cafe
  88. Route 66 Car Museum
  89. Rockwood Motor Court
  90. Route 66 KOA Holiday
  91. Gary's Gay Parita Sinclair
  92. Campbell 66 Express
  93. Royale Cinema Lounge
  94. Wilder's Steakhouse
  95. Cars on the Route Kan-O-Tex Service Station
  96. Gearhead Curios
  97. Galena Mining & Historical Museum
  98. Old Riverton Store
  99. Baxter Springs Heritage Center & Museum
  100. Route 66 Visitors Center
  101. Dallas' Dairyette
  102. Waylan's Ku-Ku
  103. Coleman Theater
  104. Route 66 Sidewalk Hwy
  105. Crosstar Flag and Tag Museum
  106. Hi-Way Cafe Western Motel
  107. Pryor Creek Bridge
  108. Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park
  109. JM Davis Arms Historical Museum
  110. Blue Whale of Catoosa
  111. Desert Hills Motel
  112. Tally's Good Food Cafe
  113. Coney I-Lander
  114. Campbell Hotel
  115. Buck Atom's Cosmic Curios on 66
  116. Buck's Vintage
  117. Meadow Gold Mack
  118. Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza
  119. Route 66 Neon Sign Park
  120. Route 66 Historical Village
  121. Gasoline Alley Classics
  122. Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum
  123. Rock Creek Bridge
  124. J's Country Kitchen
  125. Chrysler Plymouth Sign
  126. Bristow Train Depot Museum
  127. Hicks Filling Station
  128. Skyliner Motel
  129. Farmers Bank Building
  130. Route 66 Interpretive Center
  131. McJerry's Route 66 Gallery
  132. Westfall Phillips 66 Station
  133. Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum
  134. Threatt Filling Station
  135. John's Place Museum
  136. Chicken Shack
  137. Arcadia Round Barn
  138. 1889 Territorial School
  139. Lake Overholser Bridge
  140. Yukon Mill Grain Co
  141. Indian Trading Post
  142. Bridgeport Bridge
  143. Hinton Junctions Courts and Cafe
  144. Lucille's Historic Highway Gas Station
  145. Major Tom Astronaut
  146. Cotton Boll Motel sign
  147. United Supermarkets
  148. National Route 66 & Transportation Museum
  149. Western Motel
  150. Scary pedestrian underpass
  151. Sandhill Curiosity Shop
  152. U-Drop Inn Cafe
  153. Restored 1929 Route 66 Gas Station
  154. Red River Steakhouse
  155. Alanreed
  156. Leaning Tower of Texas
  157. Big Texan Steak Ranch
  158. Texas Route 66 Visitor Center
  159. Elmo's Drive Inn
  160. Lile Art Gallery
  161. GoldenLight Cafe & Cantina
  162. Texas Ivy Antiques
  163. Handle Bar and Grill
  164. 2nd Amendment Cowboy Muffler Man
  165. Mama Jo's Pies
  166. Milburn-Price Culture Museum
  167. Roadrunner Drive-in sign
  168. Dream Maker Station
  169. Glenrio TX Ghost Town
  170. Russell's Travel Center
  171. World's Largest Flip Flop
  172. Cedar Hill Grocery Store
  173. Del's Restaurant
  174. Roadrunner Lodge Motel
  175. Blue Swallow Motel
  176. Tucumcari Historical Museum
  177. Blake's Lotaburger
  178. Richardson Store
  179. Cuervo Ghost Town
  180. Old Rio Pecos Ranch Truck Terminal
  181. Sun & Sand Restaurant
  182. Blue Hole
  183. Bowlin's Flying C Ranch
  184. Clines Corners Travel Center
  185. Sal & Inez's Service Station
  186. Country Friends Antiques
  187. Midway Trading Post
  188. Loma Verde Motel sign
  189. Western View Steak Diner & House
  190. Route 66 lowrider-style sign
  191. Route 66 Visitor Center
  192. St Joseph Church
  193. Budville Trading Post
  194. Villa de Cubero Trading Post
  195. Ruins of Whiting Brothers Gas Station
  196. New Mexico Mining Museum
  197. Old Bluewater Motel
  198. Bowlin's Bluewater Outpost
  199. Indian Village Gift Shop
  200. Blue Spruce Lodge
  201. Historic El Rancho Hotel
  202. John's Used Cars
  203. Yellowhorse Trading Post
  204. Fort Courage
  205. Dotch Windsor's Painted Desert Trading Post
  206. Petrified Forest National Park
  207. Stewart's Petrified Wood Shop
  208. El Rancho Restaurant & Motel
  209. Geronimo Trading Post
  210. Here It Is Jack Rabbit Trading Post
  211. Falcon Restaurant & Lounge
  212. Earl's Route 66 Motor Court
  213. La Posada Hotel
  214. Route 66 Delta Motel
  215. Meteor City Trading Post
  216. Meteor Crater
  217. Two Guns
  218. Twin Arrows Trading Post Ruins
  219. Walnut Canyon Bridge
  220. Americana Motor Hotel
  221. Route 66 Dog Haus
  222. Flagstaff Visitor Center
  223. Weatherford Hotel
  224. J Lawrence Walkup Skydome
  225. Old Route 66 Parks Store
  226. Bearizona Wildlife Park
  227. Pete's Route 66 Gas Station Museum
  228. Historic Grand Canyon Hotel
  229. Williams Visitor Center
  230. Cruiser's Route 66 Cafe
  231. Arizona 9 Motor Hotel
  232. Ash Fork Route 66 Museum
  233. Aztec Motel & Creative Space
  234. Delgadillo's Snow Cap
  235. Delgadillo's Gift Shop
  236. Westside Lilo's Cafe
  237. Grand Canyon Caverns
  238. Hackberry General Store
  239. Kingman Railroad Museum
  240. Mr. D'z Route 66 Diner
  241. Cool Springs Station
  242. Oatman
  243. Claypool & Co building
  244. El Garces Hotel
  245. Wagon Wheel Restaurant
  246. Rio Del Sol Inn
  247. Goffs Schoolhouse
  248. Chakwala wash
  249. Guardian Lion East
  250. Road Runner's Retreat
  251. Guardian Lion West
  252. Former Whiting Brothers Gas Station
  253. Peggy Sue's 50's Diner
  254. Liberty Sculpture Park
  255. Thrift & More
  256. Original Del Taco Location
  257. Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch
  258. Emma Jean's Holland Burger Cafe
  259. California Route 66 Museum
  260. Santa Fe Trading Company
  261. First Original McDonald's Museum
  262. Cucamonga Service Station
  263. Magic Lamp Inn Restaurant
  264. Fair Oaks Pharmacy & Soda Fountain
  265. La Fuente Restaurant
  266. Million Dollar Theater
  267. Grand Central Market
  268. Clifton's building
  269. United Theater on Broadway
  270. Petersen Automotive Museum
  271. Edelweiss Chocolates
  272. Santa Monica Pier