Route 66 museums worth the stop

Route 66 has dozens of museums, many run by volunteers in towns of a few thousand people. Some are wonderful. These are the ones we stop at.

I spent 25 years as a librarian in Pontiac, Illinois, so I may be biased, but I think the museums are the heart of Route 66. They are where the towns tell their own story, and they are usually staffed by people who lived it.

Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum, Pontiac

In an old firehouse behind City Hall, with the VW bus and memorabilia of the artist Bob Waldmire, signs, photographs and the stories of people inducted into the Hall of Fame. Pontiac also has more than 20 outdoor murals, and the museum is free.

Lincoln museums in Springfield, Illinois

Strictly not Route 66 museums, but the Lincoln Home and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum are a few blocks from the old road, and we always leave time for them.

Ask the volunteer what they remember. That is usually the best exhibit.

Mining and gas station history in Kansas

Kansas has only 13 miles of 66, but they are full. In Galena the restored Kan-O-Tex station, now Cars on the Route, has the old tow truck that inspired a character in Cars, and the Galena Mining and Historical Museum explains the lead and zinc mines that built the town. Baxter Springs has a heritage center and a restored 1930 Phillips 66 station that serves as the Kansas visitor center.

Two Route 66 museums in western Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton, run by the Oklahoma Historical Society, walks through the road decade by decade with music to match. Half an hour west, the National Route 66 and Transportation Museum in Elk City is part of a complex with an old-time town, a farm museum and a giant Route 66 shield.

The Powerhouse museum in Kingman, Arizona

The Arizona Route 66 Museum is in the Powerhouse, a 1907 power station on the old road, with good displays on the Dust Bowl migration and the Mohave people.

How to visit small Route 66 museums

• Check opening days; many close Mondays or open only from spring to autumn.
• Leave a donation in free museums. It keeps the lights on.
• Ask the volunteer what they remember. That is usually the best exhibit.

Our Main Street Museums trip visits most of these in eight days, and the full route coach trip stops at several of them.

Photo: Neon Motel Road. All photo credits.