Route 66 Illinois: From Chicago to St. Louis (Missouri)
Traveling time: about 6 and a half hours, easily done in two days.

THE ROUTE, THE STOPS, THE ATTRACTIONS

Departure in the morning from Chicago from the Route 66 start sign to number 77 on Adam Street.
Here are the places I stopped over on Route 66 Illinois and highly reccommend:

Joliet (roughly 1 hour): stop at Dick’s on 66 (911 N Broadway St, Joliet) to have a snoop around, you can actually see some real cars on the roof of Dick’s garage. If you’re thinking of entering the store, Dick offers water bottles to all travelers on Route 66 for free.

Wilmington (roughly 30 minutes): take a picture with the Gemini Giant, the first of the three giants in Illinois, in front of the Launching Pad Drive-In (810 E Baltimore St, Wilmington). This fiberglass statue depicting a “Muffler Man” has been re-adapted with a rocket in his hands and a space helmet.

Dwight (roughly 30 minutes): here you’ll find the Ambler-Becker Texaco Service Station (W Waupansie St & W Mazon Ave, Dwight), one of the oldest service stations on the Route. It was open until 1999 and has now been converted into a museum for the Mother Road travelers. If you have time, stop over, have a look around and sign the visitors register.

Pontiac (roughly 30 minutes): Route 66 Hall of Fame & Museum (110 W Howard St, Pontiac) is one of Route 66 ‘s most popular stops. Located inside an old fire station, it has historical artifacts, photos, signs, newspapers, reconstructed rooms and much more (including Bob Waldmire’s van and mobile-home). At the back of the museum you can take a picture of the largest mural on Route 66, one of the most photographed locations. Take a picture with the car or the bike that’s accompanying you on your journey on the Mother Road. It will be a wonderful memory.

Lexington (roughly 30 minutes): Memory Lane is a particularly well-preserved stretch of the original Route 66. It’s open to traffic on special occasions and events, which can be driven on by your own means of transport (Old Route 66 & Parade Rd, Lexington).

Funks Grove (roughly 35 minutes): it’s worth stopping at Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup (5257 Historic US Route 66, Shirley) to try some real maple sirup. Founded by the Funk family in 1891, today it produces about 2,000 gallons (almost 8,000 liters) of sirup per season. Get them to tell you about the production process. It’s really interesting.

McLean (roughly 10 minutes): Dixie Truckers Home (501 S Main St, McLean), the oldest truck stop in the United States. It was built in 1928 and today it has been renewed and enlarged, but still remains one of the icons of Route 66.

Atlanta (roughly10 minutes): here you’ll find another “Miuffler Man” on Route 66 in Illinois, the Bunyon Giant (112 SW Arch St, Atlanta). This giant, 5.8 meters high, originally held an axe, which was then replaced by a hot dog when it was purchased by the Bunyon hot dog stand. Don’t miss the Palms Grill Café and its homemade cakes just across the street. Once you’re back on the road, remember to look for the Smiley Face Water Tower – the water tower in the shape of a smiling face (400 block of SW 2nd St, Atlanta), you can’t miss it.

Lincoln (roughly 15 minutes): here you’ll see the World’s Largest Covered Wagon (Route 66 & 5th St, Lincoln). The wagon was hand-built by the Craftsman Dave Bentley and is here since 2007. A statue of Abraham Lincoln 12 feet high (about 3.5 meters) reading a book sits in the huge wooden wagon. The wagon weighs 5 tons, is 40 feet long (approx. 12 meters), 12 feet wide and 24 feet tall (about 7 meters). In Lincoln you’ll also see one of the most peculiar things on Route 66 in Illinois, the Phone booth on a Roof – the rooftop phone booth (700 Broadway St, Lincoln). The phone booth dates back to the 60s and was aimed at providing firefighters with a privileged vantage point in case of extraordinary atmospheric events.

Springfield (roughly 40 minutes): this is the capital of Illinois, here you can see the Old State Capital, the new State Capital, Lincoln’s Tomb (1500 Monument Ave, Springfield) and the Lauterbach Giant (1569 Wabash Av, Jerome), another “Muffler man”, this time holding an American flag.

Arrival to St. Louis, in Missouri (roughly one and a half hours).

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