A sign marking the beginning of historic Route 66 stands at the intersection of East Adams Street and South Michigan Avenue, in Chicago, Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
When it comes to Route 66, it’s not about getting somewhere fast — it’s about the journey.
One of the most iconic highways in the world, the Mother Road is turning 100 this year. Despite losing its status decades ago as one of the nation’s main arteries, people from around the world still flock to it to take perhaps the quintessential American road trip and soak in the neon lights, kitschy motels and culinary offerings.
Aside from establishing a course from bustling Chicago to the West Coast, the vision a century ago was to connect rural America and create new pockets of commerce along the way. It didn’t take long for the route to become a symbol of hope and freedom for generations of Americans.
Many stretches of Route 66 may be littered with abandoned buildings and faded signs, but there’s still much history and magic to be discovered. With each stop the wheels of imagination turn, leaving travelers to contemplate what life was like for the people and communities that made the road hum.
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This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.
The McKown & Hawes Building is reflected in a window with a neon Route 66 sign in Atlanta, Ill., Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)Donna Webb and her daughter Victorija explore the American Giants Museum along historic Route 66, in Atlanta, Ill., Wednesday, Jan. 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)A portion of historic Route 66 winds through the countryside in Baxter Springs, Kan., Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)Oakley Wooten, 2, walks on a crack that formed inside the historic Nelson’s Old Riverton Store about 20 years ago and was subsequently patched and painted to resemble Route 66 which passes by outside in Riverton, Kan., Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)Terry and Christie Partee visit Route 66 Neon Park inside George M. Reed Roadside Park along historic Route 66 in St. Robert, Mo., Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)Reygan Calloway, right, and her boyfriend Jordan Smith walk across the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge spanning the Mississippi River from Illinois to Missouri and is now part of the Route 66 Bikeway in Madison, Ill., Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)Pins placed by visitors on a map at a Twistee Treat Diner in Livingston, Ill, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)A customer picks up their order at the Cozy Dog Drive In, in Springfield, Ill., Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)Customers at Cozy Dog Drive In have lunch in Springfield, Ill., Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)A puddle from a midday storm surrounds vehicles as the setting sun peeks through at Cadillac Ranch, a roadside attraction along Route 66 in Amarillo, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)Traffic passes under a neon Route 66 sign on the west end of Albuquerque, New Mexico, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)A cook prepares a 72 oz steak at Big Texan Stake Ranch, a roadside staple along Route 66 in Amarillo, Texas, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)Everett Swett has lunch inside the Twistee Treat Diner, a 50s-style diner and ice cream shop along Historic Route 66 in Livingston, Ill., Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)Lightning is visible on the sky near a large cross at the grounds of Life.Church, where Route 66 meets with Interstate-35 in Edmond, Okla, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)A person pulls up to a stoplight in Galena, Kan., Monday, Nov. 17, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)The sun rises over the horizon as a vehicle travels near a large Totem Pole at Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park in Chelsea, Okla., Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)An astronaut figure is placed in front of a window opening at Meteor Crater, an attraction near historic Route 66, near Winslow, Ariz., Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Vintage cars sit beneath a neon sign at the Wigwam Motel, a landmark along historic Route 66, in Holbrook, Ariz., Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Teepee-shaped rooms at the Wigwam Motel, a landmark along historic Route 66, are seen in Holbrook, Ariz., Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Motorists travel through an intersection marked with a U.S. 66 shield in Winslow, Ariz., a town on the historic highway, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Newlyweds Keith Hedberg, left, and his wife, Adriana, traveling from Syracuse, Kansas, on their honeymoon, pose for photos with a large guitar installation outside a gift shop in Winslow, Ariz., a town on historic Route 66, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Route 66 buttons are displayed at the Wigwam Motel, a landmark on the historic highway, in Holbrook, Ariz., Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Rana Bal gets a haircut from Daniel Bailon inside a mobile barbershop in Holbrook, Ariz., a town on historic Route 66, Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Alex Lara, left, and Rosie Diehl practice jiu-jitsu at Route 66 Jiu Jitsu Academy in Williams, Ariz., a town on the historic highway, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Jeff Smith, a part-time employee at a souvenir shop, smokes a cigar as a shaft of sunlight illuminates him in Williams, Ariz., a town on historic Route 66, Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)A vehicle covered in stickers is parked outside a souvenir shop in Seligman, Ariz., a town on historic Route 66, Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)A burro peeks into a souvenir shop along Oatman Highway, historic Route 66, in Oatman, Ariz., Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)A car is driven along Oatman Highway, historic Route 66, near Oatman, Ariz., Friday, Nov. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Motorists cross the historic Colorado Street Bridge in the foreground, a Route 66 landmark in Pasadena, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)A visitor poses for photos with the “End of the Trail” Route 66 sign on the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, Calif., Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Julio Cortez, Jae C. Hong, Erin Hooley, Jeff Roberson And Susan Montoya Bryan The Associated Press
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