Route 66 will transport you to a bygone era of America. It is dotted with historic gas stations, old-school diners, scenic flatlands, and quirky roadside attractions.
We travelled from Tulsa through Supulpa, Chandler, Arcadia and into Oklahoma City which is just a short stretch of Route 66. It’s even short for Oklahoma which has over 400 miles of the highway.
Historically Route 66, was born in Oklahoma. Cyrus Avery, a Tulsa businessman and Oklahoma’s first highway commissioner, spearheaded the national committee that created the U.S. Highway System in 1926. He championed a Chicago-to-Los Angeles route that dropped south through Oklahoma, then turned west through Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Avery picked the now famous double sixes as the new road’s official number.
Avery also helped create the U.S. 66 Highway Association, which was dedicated to the promotion and paving of Route 66. This group changed their name to the Will Rogers Highway Association and began calling 66 the Will Rogers Highway in December of 1935, following the death of legendary Will Rogers, an Oklahoma native.
Travel Tip – Avoid Monday travel. As we soon discovered, many shops, attractions and restaurants along the route are closed that day!
What did we see along this route?
Meadow Gold Sign
Tulsa’s giant Meadow Gold sign was erected in 1934. For decades this sign served as a landmark in Tulsa, even though the business was long gone.
Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on 66 & the Buck Atom Space Cowboy Muffler Man
Mary Beth Babcock opened Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on 66 in 2018. The quirky souvenir shop is located in a repurposed classic 1950’s PEMCO gas station. In 2019 they unveiled their very own larger-than-life fiberglass mascot: Buck Atom. This retro roadside attractions is part muffler man, part cowboy, part spaceman, and all fun.
Sapulpa Murals and the World’s Tallest Gas Pump
In addition to multiple murals, diners, and old gas stations, just outside of the Heart of Route 66 Auto Museum in Sapulpa is the Worlds Tallest Gas Pump. #ipulledoverforthis Completed in 2018, this Oklahoma roadside attraction was modeled after vintage pumps common on the route when it opened in 1926. The non-functioning pump was meant to stand at 66 feet tall, but ended up being even taller.
Route 66 Bowl
The vintage Route 66 Bowl sign in Chandler is a repurposed neon sign that originally stood in Oklahoma City. A stop here includes bowling lanes, an arcade, laser tag, mini golf, and more.
Arcadia Round Barn and World’s Largest Soda
This barn in Arcadia is the only wooden round barn in Oklahoma. Farmer William Harrison Odor built the oddly shaped barn in 1898. At 43 feet high and 60 feet in diameter, the building’s unique construction was maintained by soaking native bur oak boards and then curving them using a special form.
In 2007 a 66-foot-tall soda bottle, appropriately called “Bubbles” was erected in Arcadia. It is made of stacked steel hoops and thousands LED lights that can be illuminated with different colors. You can grab some lunch and choose from over 700 sodas at Pops 66 Soda Ranch and the World’s Largest Soda.
Blue Whale of Catoosa
The whale has been a Route 66 must see icon since 1972. Hugh Davis originally built the giant 80-foot-long blue sperm whale adjacent to their alligator farm as an anniversary present for his wife Zelta and their kids. It soon became the centerpiece of their Route 66 attraction, Nature’s Acres, and a much beloved roadside attractions for travelers on the Mother Road and beyond. After the park closed in 1988, the giant whale fell into disrepair, but today it is maintained by a local group, preserving this piece of nostalgia for modern road trippers.
National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
Just outside of downtown Oklahoma City you should definitely stop to explore Western history, art and culture at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum. The museum is home to more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artifacts as well as an extensive collection of American rodeo photographs, barbed wire, saddlery, and rodeo trophies. It was outstanding!
Whenever we can we take the backroads and this stretch was particularly fun!
