Route 66 is more than an old highway. It is a rolling piece of American memory, stretching from big-city streets to desert towns, neon diners, vintage motels, mining villages, bridges, museums, and roadside oddities that still feel proudly alive. These historic stops show how the Mother Road carried families, dreamers, workers, artists, and travelers westward, leaving behind places that are still worth seeing, saving, and celebrating today.”
#1: Route 66 Begin Sign
The Route 66 Begin Sign stands in downtown Chicago, Illinois, near the corner of East Adams Street and South Michigan Avenue. It marks the traditional starting point of the “Mother Road,” which was established in 1926 as one of America’s original numbered highways, running from Chicago toward the Pacific.
Its significance is simple but powerful: this is where the great westward journey begins. For generations, Route 66 symbolized freedom, hard work, migration, family vacations, and the American open road. Seeing the sign gives travelers a small but meaningful starting-line moment before following one of the country’s most beloved highways.