Six days from Tulsa, hometown of the man who fought for Route 66, to Amarillo, with a loop into Kansas, the best two-lane in Oklahoma and a Panhandle sunset at Cadillac Ranch.
From$2,290per person, double room
Overview
Oklahoma keeps more drivable miles of Route 66 than any other state, roughly 400, and this trip covers most of them. It starts in Tulsa, where our office sits on the 11th Street alignment, makes a day loop northeast through Miami and the 13 Kansas miles, then heads west through Arcadia and Oklahoma City to the museums in Clinton and Elk City. The last driving day crosses the Texas Panhandle by way of Shamrock and Groom to Amarillo.
Earl Whitfield leads it. He grew up in Clinton, so the day there runs on his stories, and he knows which diners open early and which pie runs out by noon. Neon is part of the plan: the Meadow Gold sign in Tulsa, the 66-foot bottle at POPS after dark and the cowboy sign at the Big Texan. Drives are short, between 100 and 220 miles, and you sleep two nights in Tulsa, then in Oklahoma City, Elk City and Amarillo.
Photos
Itinerary
Meals: B breakfast, L lunch, D dinner. Day 1 is arrival day; flights to the start are optional.
Tulsa International is about 15 minutes from downtown by taxi. Earl Whitfield meets the group at 6 pm and walks everyone to the welcome dinner in the Blue Dome district, named for a 1925 gas station whose blue dome still stands. Afterward the coach makes a slow pass down 11th Street, the Route 66 alignment through Tulsa, past the restored Meadow Gold sign, our own office and the fiberglass spaceman Buck Atom, all lit after dark.
Northeast on the old road to Catoosa and the Blue Whale, built by Hugh Davis in the early 1970s as an anniversary present for his wife. Through Claremore, Vinita and Afton, then along the nine-foot Ribbon Road into Miami for lunch at Waylan's Ku-Ku Burger and a look inside the 1929 Coleman Theatre. Kansas comes next: the Phillips 66 station at Baxter Springs, the 1923 Rainbow Bridge, Nelson's Old Riverton Store and Cars on the Route in Galena. Back to Tulsa on the turnpike. About 220 miles.
Morning in Tulsa at Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza, where a bronze shows the Avery family in a Model T meeting a horse-drawn oil wagon. Avery chaired the committee that laid out the national highways in 1925 and made sure the route ran through his city. West through Sapulpa to Stroud and lunch at the Rock Cafe. Arcadia's Round Barn of 1898 has a loft with its curved roof overhead. Time it right and the bottle at POPS is lit as you arrive. Oklahoma City by evening. About 120 miles.
West through Yukon to El Reno, where lunch is a fried onion burger, a Depression habit for stretching the beef that the town never dropped. Over the Canadian River at Bridgeport on the long 1933 pony truss bridge, then Lucille's station in Hydro, run by Lucille Hamons for more than 50 years. Weatherford has the Stafford Air and Space Museum. Afternoon at the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton, where Earl grew up, and a short hop to Elk City. About 130 miles.
The National Route 66 and Transportation Museum in Elk City opens the morning. Past Texola into Texas and Shamrock, where the 1936 U-Drop Inn shows off its tile towers. McLean has the Devil's Rope Museum and a 1929 Phillips 66 station, the first in Texas. In Groom, the Britten water tower leans on purpose, and at Conway five Volkswagen Beetles stand nose down. At sunset, Cadillac Ranch, then the farewell dinner at the Big Texan, where the 72-ounce steak is optional. About 160 miles.
Breakfast, then a last morning on Sixth Street in Amarillo's San Jacinto neighborhood, about a mile of the old road lined with antique shops, cafes and the 1922 Natatorium, a former pool and dance hall. Earl says goodbye at the airport, about 15 minutes from the hotel. Book flights leaving after 1 pm. If you want more road, our classic convertible drive from Amarillo to Flagstaff starts right here.
Pace: RelaxedTwo to four hours on the road on most days, long stops, short level walks in towns and at roadside sights. Every stop is optional; you can always stay with the vehicle.
Route map
Map tiles © Esri, HERE, Garmin, map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Straight lines join the stops; the trip follows the old Route 66 alignments between them.
Route at a glance
Road miles are rounded and include the detours to the stops named in the itinerary.
| Day | From and to | Miles | On the road |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Tulsa airport to Tulsa | 10 | Airport transfer, 11th Street |
| Day 2 | Tulsa | 220 | Catoosa, Miami, Kansas corner and back |
| Day 3 | Tulsa to Oklahoma City | 120 | Stroud, Chandler, Arcadia |
| Day 4 | Oklahoma City to Elk City | 130 | El Reno, pony truss bridge, Clinton |
| Day 5 | Elk City to Amarillo | 160 | Shamrock, McLean, Groom |
| Day 6 | Amarillo to Amarillo airport | 10 | Airport transfer |
| Total | 6 days | 650 | Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas |
Where you stay
Rooms by town and style. The exact motels and hotels for your date, these or similar ones, are confirmed in your travel documents.
2 nights
Restored 1920s hotel in downtown Tulsa, or similar
1 night
Hotel in Bricktown by the canal, or similar
1 night
Comfortable hotel on the Route 66 business loop, or similar
1 night
Hotel near the Sixth Street historic district, or similar
Already included
5 nights, 5 breakfasts, 3 lunches, 2 dinners, 2 entries and guided visits
Straight talk
Dates and prices 2026-27
Per person in US dollars, sharing a double room. Group up to 14 guests.
| Dates | Status | Double roomPer person | Single roomPer person |
|---|---|---|---|
| to Sunday arrival | AvailableLast minute: save $200 | $2,090 | $2,650 |
| to Sunday arrival | AvailableEarly booking: save $150 | $2,290 | $2,850 |
| to Sunday arrival | GuaranteedEarly booking: save $150 | $2,290 | $2,850 |
| to Sunday arrival | AvailableEarly booking: save $150 | $2,290 | $2,850 |
| to Sunday arrival | AvailableEarly booking: save $150 | $2,290 | $2,850 |
| to Sunday arrival | Few seatsEarly booking: save $150 | $2,290 | $2,850 |
Guaranteed means enough guests have booked and the departure will run. Seats change every week. Email [email protected] and we hold a seat for 72 hours. All departures on one page.
Optional add-on
Economy on scheduled airlines into Tulsa International Airport (TUL) and home from Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport (AMA), per person including taxes. Add them when you book, or fly on your own and meet us on day 1.
Fares are held for 72 hours with your seat and confirmed when you pay the deposit. Extra nights before or after the trip on request.
Practical
Weather in Kansas
Warm, humid summers, stormy springs with tornado risk in April and May, mild dry falls; winters are cold but short
Weather in Texas
Dry, sunny and windy most of the year; spring storms and hail, hot summers, cool clear falls and sudden winter cold fronts
Time zones
Central Time, with daylight saving time from March to November Central Time, with daylight saving time; New Mexico, just past Glenrio, is one hour behind
Where it starts and ends
Start: Tulsa International Airport (TUL). End: Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport (AMA).
What to eat
Deli sandwiches at Nelson's Old Riverton Store, lunch at Cafe on the Route in Baxter Springs, snacks at Cars on the Route in Galena
Luggage
One medium suitcase and a small bag per person. Vintage motel rooms are compact and some have no elevator.
Your road captain
Oklahoma and Texas
Earl grew up in Clinton, Oklahoma, a block from the old highway, and remembers the traffic before I-40. He leads the Oklahoma and Texas section and the Neon and Diners trip.
Road captains rotate on some dates; the name for your departure is in your documents. Meet all the road captains
FAQ
Booking, motels, flights and insurance questions are answered on the main FAQ page.
The Kansas loop runs northeast from Tulsa while the rest of the trip runs west, so two nights in Tulsa saves packing and gives you the 11th Street neon twice. The return on the turnpike takes about 90 minutes.
No. The farewell dinner at the Big Texan is a regular menu, and most guests order something reasonable. The challenge is free if you finish the steak and sides in an hour; very few do.
Usually dry and clear, with highs in the 50s and 60s and cold nights on the Panhandle. Wind is the main thing, so bring a warm layer for Cadillac Ranch at sunset. Spring dates can bring thunderstorms in the afternoon.
Between about 100 and 220 miles. The long one is the Kansas loop on day 2, broken by stops every 30 to 40 minutes. The other driving days are around two to three hours behind the wheel for our driver.
Yes. We book open-jaw flights from 10 US cities, from about $380 per person, with arrival in Tulsa on day 1 and departure from Amarillo after 1 pm on day 6.
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