Small groups of up to 14, a road captain on every trip

How to book
Restored 1929 brick gas station with orange pumps and a vintage tank truck in McLean, Texas

State 5 of 8, driving west

Texas Route 66: Shamrock, Amarillo and the midpoint

Route 66 crosses the Texas Panhandle in about 180 miles of flat, windy high plains. The stops are few and far apart, which makes each one count: an Art Deco gas station, a leaning water tower, ten buried Cadillacs and the halfway point.

Trips
6All cross state lines
Stops
4On our trips
Length
6 to 15 daysSmall groups
Best months
Apr to MayTrips run Mar to Nov
From
$2,290Per person

The Plains: Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas

What the road is like in Texas

The Texas Panhandle is the flattest, emptiest and windiest stretch of Route 66. The road enters from Oklahoma at Texola, passes Shamrock, McLean, Alanreed, Groom, Conway, Amarillo, Vega and Adrian, and leaves for New Mexico at the ghost town of Glenrio, about 180 miles in all. Most of the way it runs beside I-40 on frontage roads and old Main Streets, through cattle and wheat country where grain elevators are the tallest things for miles. Amarillo, with about 200,000 people, is the only city; the other towns have a few hundred to a few thousand residents and a lot of empty storefronts with good stories behind them.

Six of our trips cross Texas. The Oklahoma and Texas trip ends in Amarillo, and Neon and Diners spends an evening in Shamrock to watch the U-Drop Inn light up. The Classic Convertible Drive from Amarillo to Flagstaff starts here, with Mike Tillman, an Amarillo mechanic who restores 1960s cars, handing over the keys after a morning briefing. The End to End journey, the classic convertible and the motorcycle trip each spend a day and a night in the Panhandle. Earl Whitfield, who grew up just across the line in Clinton, Oklahoma, leads most of our Texas days and knows the ranch roads well.

Route 66 trips through Texas, 2026 and 2027

Per person sharing a double room. Trips that only cross part of Texas are listed too.

All 16 trips

6 trips

    Your own private trip

    Car club, family reunion or friends: any trip can run just for your group on your dates, from 6 travelers.

    Private and group trips

    Deals and early booking

    Save $150 per person on 2027 departures booked by January 31, 2027, plus last-minute prices on November and December 2026 dates.

    See current offers

    Not sure which stretch?

    Tell us how many days you have, the month and what you love: neon, diners, museums or open desert. A trip advisor in Tulsa suggests two or three trips.

    Email a trip advisor

    4 stops

    Where our trips stop in Texas

    Art Deco tower and green neon trim of the U-Drop Inn at dusk in Shamrock, Texas

    Shamrock and the U-Drop Inn: Art Deco and green neon

    Shamrock is the first Texas town on Route 66, about 15 miles from the Oklahoma line, and the U-Drop Inn is why people stop. Built in 1936 as the Tower Conoco station and U-Drop Inn cafe, it is an Art Deco building of glazed tile and brick with a tall tower, and Pixar's artists used it as a model for Ramone's body shop in the film Cars. Restored in the early 2000s, it now houses a visitor center and gift shop, free to enter, and its neon trim is lit every evening. The Neon and Diners trip arrives at dusk to watch it come on. The town grew up around the railroad and took its name from an Irish settler's hope for good luck.

    • The 1936 U-Drop Inn and Tower Conoco
    • Neon lighting at dusk
    • Visitor center and gift shop

    Best monthsMarch to June, September to November

    Trips that stop here

    The leaning Britten water tower tilting over the plains in Groom, Texas

    Groom: A leaning tower and barbed wire

    Groom is a farm town of a few hundred people with two things you can see from miles away. The Britten water tower leans hard to one side; Ralph Britten set it at that angle on purpose around 1980 to pull drivers off the interstate to his truck stop, which later burned. The other is a steel cross about 190 feet tall, raised in 1995, with life-size Stations of the Cross around its base. Earlier in the day we stop in McLean for the Devil's Rope Museum, devoted to barbed wire and to Route 66 in Texas, and for a restored 1929 Phillips 66 station, the first the company opened in Texas. In Groom itself we stop for photos and coffee.

    • The leaning Britten water tower
    • Devil's Rope Museum in McLean
    • The 1929 Phillips 66 station in McLean

    Best monthsMarch to June, September to November

    Trips that stop here

    Spray-painted Cadillacs buried nose down in a row at Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo, Texas

    Amarillo and Cadillac Ranch: Ten Cadillacs and a big steak

    Amarillo is the only city on Texas 66 and the cattle capital of the Panhandle. West of town, ten Cadillacs built between 1949 and 1963 stand nose-down in a field. The art group Ant Farm made Cadillac Ranch in 1974 for the late Stanley Marsh 3, and today visitors may spray paint them, so the layers grow by the day; we bring cans. Wear old shoes, since the field is often muddy. The old road through town is Sixth Avenue, where the San Jacinto district keeps antique shops, bars and 1920s brick. The Big Texan Steak Ranch, which opened on Route 66 in 1960, still offers its 72 ounce steak free to anyone who finishes it and the sides in an hour.

    • Spray painting at Cadillac Ranch
    • Sixth Avenue and the San Jacinto district
    • Dinner at the Big Texan Steak Ranch

    Best monthsMarch to June, September to November

    Trips that stop here

    MidPoint Cafe sign and diner building on Route 66 in Adrian, Texas, halfway to LA

    Adrian, the midpoint: Halfway between Chicago and LA

    Adrian is a town of about 150 people, and a sign by the road explains why travelers stop: Midpoint, 1139 miles to Chicago, 1139 miles to Los Angeles. The MidPoint Cafe has fed travelers here since the late 1920s under several names and owners, and it is known for its ugly crust pies, homemade and better than the name suggests. A former owner, Fran Houser, is often named as an inspiration for the character Flo in Cars. After Adrian the plains empty out toward the New Mexico line and Glenrio, a ghost town of abandoned motels and stations that sits right on the border. Our trips stop for lunch or pie and the halfway photo before crossing into Mountain Time.

    • The halfway sign and photo
    • A slice of ugly crust pie
    • Glenrio ghost town on the state line

    Best monthsMarch to June, September to November

    Trips that stop here

    Coach, convertible or motorcycle

    Ways to drive Route 66 in Texas

    1. By small coach with Earl Whitfield

      The Oklahoma and Texas trip and Neon and Diners cross the Panhandle in a 24-seat coach with at most 14 guests. The distances are short by Texas standards, about 100 miles from Shamrock to Amarillo, so the days have room for the Devil's Rope Museum, coffee in Groom and an evening at Cadillac Ranch. The Oklahoma and Texas trip ends in Amarillo, with flights home from Rick Husband Amarillo International.

    2. In a 1960s convertible from Amarillo

      The Classic Convertible Drive from Amarillo to Flagstaff starts here. Mike Tillman, who restores 1960s cars in Amarillo, walks each pair of guests around their car, explains the quirks of a column shifter and drum brakes, then leads the convoy west past Cadillac Ranch and Adrian. A mechanic follows in the chase truck with the luggage, and the long flat roads make easy first miles.

    3. By motorcycle on the high plains

      On Route 66 by Motorcycle, the Panhandle is a day of open road and wind. Riders on rented Harley-Davidson touring bikes stop at the Groom water tower, Cadillac Ranch and the MidPoint Cafe, with the support van behind. Crosswinds can be strong, especially in spring, so Hank Delgado keeps the group on the older two-lane alignments where the speeds are lower.

    One price

    What is included on our Texas trips

    In Texas our prices cover hotel nights in Amarillo or Shamrock (or similar), breakfast every day, the dinners listed in each itinerary, the road captain and driver or the convertible and motorcycle support, parking, entry to the Devil's Rope Museum where visited, and the spray paint at Cadillac Ranch. The 72 ounce steak challenge is on you.

    Flights are optional: each trip page shows the add-on price for flying into the start and home from the end, from 10 US cities. Full list and payments.

    Included on every Texas trip

    • Restored vintage motels and good 3 to 4 star hotels, double room with private bathroom
    • Breakfast daily plus the lunches and dinners listed in the itinerary
    • A road captain from the first day to the last, and local guides at museums and parks
    • Small coach with a professional driver, or your classic convertible or motorcycle on themed trips
    • Museum, park and attraction entries listed in the itinerary
    • Airport pickup on day 1 and drop-off on the last day

    Seasons

    Best time to drive Route 66 in Texas

    The Panhandle sits at 3,000 to 4,000 feet, so it is drier and cooler than most of Texas. April, May, September and October bring highs in the 70s and 80s and cool nights, our best months. Spring is windy, often 20 to 30 miles an hour, and May and June can bring big thunderstorms and hail. July and August are hot, often in the mid 90s. Late March and November can be crisp and clear, but a cold front can drop temperatures 30 degrees in an afternoon, so pack a warm layer.

    1. JanNo trips: No trips
    2. FebNo trips: No trips
    3. MarGood: Good
    4. AprBest: Best
    5. MayBest: Best
    6. JunGood: Good
    7. JulNo trips: No trips
    8. AugNo trips: No trips
    9. SepBest: Best
    10. OctBest: Best
    11. NovGood: Good
    12. DecNo trips: No trips

    Best monthsGood, some trips runNo trips

    Practical

    Route 66 in Texas at a glance

    • Route 66 miles

      About 180 miles from the Oklahoma line near Texola to Glenrio, mostly on I-40 frontage roads and old Main Streets through Shamrock, McLean, Groom and Amarillo

    • Main towns on the road

      Shamrock, McLean, Alanreed, Groom, Conway, Amarillo, Vega, Adrian, Glenrio

    • Airports

      Rick Husband Amarillo International (AMA); Oklahoma City (OKC) and Albuquerque (ABQ) are each about four hours away

    • Time zone

      Central Time, with daylight saving time; New Mexico, just past Glenrio, is one hour behind

    • Road weather

      Dry, sunny and windy most of the year; spring storms and hail, hot summers, cool clear falls and sudden winter cold fronts

    • What to eat

      Steak at the Big Texan, chicken fried steak, Tex-Mex in Amarillo, ugly crust pie at the MidPoint Cafe in Adrian

    • Best months for our trips

      April, May, September and October

    5 questions

    Route 66 in Texas: questions

    Can I really spray paint the cars at Cadillac Ranch?

    Yes, it is allowed and expected. Visitors have painted the cars for decades, and the layers are now thick. We bring cans for the group. Please take empty cans back with you, since litter is the only real problem there, and wear clothes and shoes you do not mind getting paint or mud on.

    How windy is the Texas Panhandle?

    Very, by most standards. Amarillo is one of the windiest cities in the country, with spring winds often at 20 to 30 miles an hour and gusts above that. Bring a hat that ties or fits snugly and sunglasses. On the motorcycle trip the crosswinds are the main challenge of the day.

    Is the 72 ounce steak challenge worth trying?

    Only if you are very hungry. The meal is a 72 ounce steak with a shrimp cocktail, baked potato, salad and roll, to be finished in an hour, and it is free if you succeed. Most people who try fail. The rest of the Big Texan menu is ordinary sized, and the place is worth a visit for the dining room alone.

    Which trip starts in Amarillo?

    The Classic Convertible Drive from Amarillo to Flagstaff, eight days in restored 1960s convertibles. It starts at Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport and ends at Flagstaff Pulliam Airport. The Oklahoma and Texas trip ends in Amarillo.

    Is there much to see between the towns?

    Not much, and that is part of it. The plains are wide open, with grain elevators, cattle feedlots and wind farms. Our road captains fill the drive with stories of the Dust Bowl, the ranches and the people who ran the motels, and the stops are every 30 to 60 minutes.

    Next on the road

    Keep driving from Texas

    The whole route
    Pale yellow trusses of the Pony Bridge repeating over the Canadian River in OklahomaRoute 66 in Oklahoma7 trips, from $179 Old La Bajada road switchbacks climbing a dark basalt mesa in the New Mexico high desertRoute 66 in New Mexico8 trips, from $2,390

    Free advice, no obligation

    Drive Texas on the old road

    Tell us the month and how many of you are traveling. A trip advisor checks seats and replies by email, usually the same working day.

    Email about Texas How to book
    How to book