Experience Iconic Route 66 Attractions in Illinois
With the nationwide celebration of the Route 66 Centennial coming up in 2026, interest in the famous highway has never been higher. Springfield abounds with attractions that recall the glory days of cruising along the Mother Road, a pathway to adventure that stretched from Chicago to California.
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Enjoy These Attractions and More:
- Illinois State Fairgrounds Route 66 Experience
- Shea’s Gas Station Museum
- Lincoln Home National Historic Site
- Historic Route 66 Brick Road
- Motorheads Bar & Grill
- Cozy Dog Drive-In
Day-to-Day Route 66 Illinois Itinerary
Day 1 Attractions Along Route 66 in Illinois
For an eye-opening overview of Illinois Route 66, visit the new Illinois State Fair grounds Route 66 Experience, an outdoor walk-through exhibit with little red sheds highlighting businesses, past and present, in 92communities.The garden courtyard brims with replicas of billboards and neon signs that once advertised motels, a drive-in movie theater and other places along the fabled ribbon of roadway.
Across from the fairgrounds, Mahan’s Filling Station presents a great photo opportunity. The early gas station is on display at Fulgenzi’s Pizza & Pasta. Nearby, find more nostalgia at the newly renovated Shea’s Gas Station Museum, a former Texaco and Marathon filling station that served Route 66 travelers from 1946-1982. Offering a different perspective, Route History, the newest Route 66 attraction in town, shares stories about Black-owned businesses and how the Mother Road impacted African Americans during the Jim Crow and civil rights eras—in Springfield and beyond.
For lunch, consider Cozy Dog Drive-In. Founded in 1949, Springfield’s best-known eatery from Route 66 days is packed with memorabilia and still run by the same family. It is home to the “original” cornmeal-battered hot dog on a stick, the Cozy Dog. Or go to Maid-Rite for a“ loose meat” sandwich (crumbly ground beef) and homemade root beer. Dating back to the 1920s, the old school diner on Historic Route 66 in downtown Springfield is touted as being the first fast food drive-thru in America. At the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, see the only home Abraham Lincoln ever owned. Its visitor center shows a dramatic movie about his life in Springfield.
Next, tour the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum, renowned for its rare artifacts, high-tech exhibits and theater shows with special effects. For dinner, bring your appetite to Maldaner’s, the oldest continuously operating restaurant in Springfield(since 1884),and try a horseshoe. A Springfield specialty, the horseshoe typically consists of two slices of Texas toast, your meat of choice (hamburger, ham, turkey, chicken or shrimp), French fries and cheese sauce. At dusk, head to Route 66 Twin Drive-In Theatre and catch a double feature on one of its two screens.
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Day 2 of Things To Do Along Route 66
Take a guided tour of Ace Sign Company. Dozens of rare signs from Springfield and Route 66are on display next to tables where workers are drilling, trimming and welding. Among notable neon signs are a 12-foot-tall neon Pepsi bottle cap (1953) and one that graced Springfield’s Sonrise Donuts, a shop that enticed donut lovers for 70 years. Ace’s state-of-the-art factory—located two blocks from Historic Route 66—makes neon, LED and electric signs for clients across the nation. At Lauterbach Tire and Auto Service, see Springfield’s own Muffler Man, the Lauterbach Giant fiberglass statue.
Then, it’s selfie time on the Historic Route 66 Brick Road just minutes outside the city. The 1.4-mile-long stretch of hand-laid brick road is a segment done in 1931.More Route 66 lore awaits at Motorheads Bar & Grill, our lunch stop. Its dining area, entertainment dome and free indoor-outdoor museum overflow with vintage advertising and automotive-themed memorabilia. The collection includes cars, motorcycles, gas pumps, Coke machines, telephone booths, a soda fountain, barber shop, you name it. Motorheads’ biggest claim to fame is the world’s largest Route 66 shield, a 32-foot-tall sign fabricated and installed by Ace Sign Company.
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