Illinois Route 66 – Preparing for 100

In 2026, the Mother Road will celebrate a centennial birthday! Springfield, Illinois, and local communities are preparing for the big celebration. Recently, my husband Keith and I were privileged to be hosted by Visit Springfield. We toured some of the new sites, and revisited Route 66 icons! Come with me and see what is out there to sight see down the highway that beat all the highways ever built and journey back in time!

During our visit, we stayed at the beautiful Inn at 835. This luxurious accommodation listed National Register of Historic Places. Here you can stay, host an event, or do like us, and play tourist in your own backyard!

We stayed in the beautiful Gladiolus suite that had two bedrooms and was even decked out with a terrace. 

Built in 1909, the Inn was one of Springfield’s first luxury apartment buildings. Built by an enterprising woman business owner, Miss Belle Miller was a florist to the Springfield high society. She built greenhouses once on this property, and also apartments that are now Inn at 835.

Breakfast by Chef Kris was a sumptuous traditional breakfast we enjoyed before setting out for our tourist journey!

Dining on Route 66

Part of the fun of travel is finding fun dining spots! During our trip, we stopped at both restaurants along Route 66 and at Route 66 themed restaurants.  While I have dined here numerous times, I had not paid attention to the fact that at Charlie Parker’s, there is a breakfast horseshoe! The horseshoe was invented in Springfield, and while downtown, we even saw the historic sign proclaiming this. Springfield even has its own horseshoe trail!

We had breakfast at Charlie Parkers, which I just learned from Cindy Murphy, who along with her husband Mike, once owned the diner, that it was named after the famous musician, a Grammy Award winning jazz saxophonist. The restaurant is a music and Route 66 themed diner located in a WWII Quonset hut.  They offer a breakfast horseshoe, which is part of the horseshoe trail!

Our other Route 66 dining stop was at Maldners, the oldest restaurant in Springfield, and along Illinois Route 66. This is a true date night diner. This iconic stop has the best food and service and such a cool atmosphere! he Chef Michael Wiggins uses seasonal local and regional ingredients, and his menu is influenced by Mediterranean cuisine.

Our last night in town, we stopped at a new dining spot. Right next door to Maldners is La Piazza, which offers authentic Italian cuisine. Our daughter joined us, and together the three of us tried a crisp, tasty Neapolitan pizza!

Murals outside of Springfield

Route 66 new additions! In the nearby town of Auburn, on the side of the Community Building is a new mural. The town square sports a lovely two-story bandstand.

Travel further north, and you will see the brick road just north of Auburn. The 1.4-mile piece consists of hand-laid brick made in 1931.  This is a great place for a phot op!

Right on the main drag, along Route 4 is another new Route 66 mural. 

In Springfield, we also checked out Route 66 murals like the one behind Lons Tire and Auto Clinic, and on the side of Kidzeum.

The Route 66 Experience, and Ace Sign Museum!

A wonderful new Route 66 stop perfect for kids of all ages, is Springfield’s Route 66 Experience. Located at the Illinois State Fairgrounds inside Gate 2 on the corner of Route 66 & Sangamon Avenue, early evening is the best time to enjoy the colorful neon signs. We stopped here with my brother and sister -in-law and reminisced about the local businesses we remembered that were along the Route. The Illinois section is just part of the 92 communities along the Illinois Route that begins in Chicago and ends at the Chain of Rocks Bridge in Madison. Open every day, this is a stop that doesn’t require any plans, reservations, or appointments!

The team at the Ace Sign Co. created the signs for the Route 66 Experience. To see more Route 66, and local history, tour the amazing Ace Sign Co. Museum. This Cozy Dog Drive Inn sign is a reminder of Bob Waldmire, artist and son of the founders of the Cozy Dog diner where he displayed his art. The invention of the cozy dog and more. Luckily, this stop is one that can still be made today!

The owner, Dennis Bringuet was our tour guide and told stories about many of the signs offering a local angle.  We saw the sign for Barrelhead where we met, Arts where we used to dine in Farmersville, and many more. These stops were like entering the wayback machine!

Route History Museum and Souvenier Shop

Have you seen the movie, The Green Book? I saw the film that tells the story of a musician. In the film we learn about the Green Book, a book that shared safe places for Blacks to dine, stay and stop while traveling. I saw a real Green Book at the Springfield and Central Illinois African History Museum.

We stopped at the Route History Museum & Souvenir Shop on Cook Street, where the Green Book comes to life. The museum provides a virtual reality experience highlighting Black experiences on Route 66 during the Civil Rights and Jim Crow eras. Founded by Dr. Gina Lathan and Dr. Stacy Grundy, Dr. Lathan shared the real-life importance of the Green Book. She told us the book was created by Victor Hugo Green a black postman. The book identified safe places open to blacks to stop while traveling.  “The Green Book was a lifesaving document,” Dr. Lathan said.

Keith and I both chose the virtual reality story of being a Black Blues singer traveling to Springfield. It was quite interesting and eye opening. The museum shares the economic power that Springfield Black businesses had along with challenges both business owners and travelers through the state.

Something new!

Route 66 might be turning 100, but there are still new things to do on Route 66. So get your kicks trying out some of these new, or reimagined stops and make your own memories on the Mother Road.