Route 66 with Littles

​I was a normal summer morning in 2020. We were in a quarantine rut and I had decided to shake things up by reading my latest Magnolia Journal.  It had a whole section on road trips and I mentioned casually to my husband that I had always wanted to travel along Route 66 again (as much as possible).  In college I did a summer program in El Paso and most of our trip out west was parallel to Route 66 and I had always wanted to check it out again!
 

 

My husband responded by saying ‘lets do it!’   I asked him when and he shrugged and replied “why not now?”  It was true. We would never have the gift of time with nothing else to do again!  He went to get my oil changed and cleaned up my car while I packed for everyone.  It was almost an adrenaline rush deciding such a thing on a whim!  I am going to share my favorite parts of the trip below, but I swear the best part was that we didn’t plan our trip! We took off and followed the road. Each night we made a list of things we might want to check out while we go, but the best part was being in the moment.  If we saw a roadside attraction we went.  This trip was unscripted and unplanned!  We decided we’d see how far out we could get in five days and then head back home. We knew this wouldn’t get us to California, but we had a budget here! And no matter what we accomplished it would be better than sitting at home!
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We got started by cutting over to Norther Illinois from our home in Indianapolis.  Our first Route 66 stop was Fanning Outpost General Store in Cuba, Missouri where we took a picture at the World’s Largest Rocking Chair and got our bottled soda for the road.  They recommended that we stay at the Munger Moss Motel, so that was our plan!   After the Munger Moss, we just stayed in chain hotels (we tended to prefer the Hampton Inn—it was mid-priced and very clean).
 
The Munger Moss was built in 1946 and was not fancy—but it was clean and fit the vibe of a true Route 66 trip!  From there we planned our other stops along the way!  Here is our list of attractions and stops from East to West! They’re simple, cheap and sometimes gimmicky, but still so fun! Our boys don’t use tech in the car, so they just took in the sights and played on their mini magnadoodles most of the drive.  They were 4 and 1.5 at the time and loved it!
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​Missouri

1. Fanning Outpost General Store, Cuba MO– Get a picture with the Rocking Chair and buy some unique bottled sodas and snacks for the mother road!
2. Munger Moss Motel, Lebanon, MO – spend the night and rest up!
3. The Lunch Box Café, Lebanon, MO – Get the biscuits and gravy—they tasted like ny grandmas and almost made me emotional. This place is small and delicious! 
4. Grand Falls, Joplin, MO – Get out of the car and play! This is my one regret from our trip, I wish we would have swam here! It was beautiful. 
5. When in Missouri you also drive through St. Louis.  We didn’t stop, but we did drive around some and do drive by sightseeing! 

 
 Oklahoma

1. Enjoy the drive! Oklahoma is just beautiful to drive through. This was also part of the drive where we could find the old Route 66. There were many sights such as old filling stations, statues, a giant blue whale, old bridges, and murals along the way.
   
2. Black Wall Street, Tulsa, OK – Explore the murals and learn the history of this tragic sight. Disclaimer: We kept this conversation to the adults, we will teach our children then history when they are a bit older.
3. Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, Oklahoma City, OK – This sight is a beautiful tribute to the lives lost in the Oklahoma City Bombing.  Again, due to our children’s age we shared the bare minimum about this location.  If you are comfortable having those conversations with your children, that is a personal choice.  Based on our littles, we decided it was best to wait to explain.  We did share something very sad happened and building came down so we’re remember the people and answered questions as they came up, but wanted to keep it vague and be honest.  You know your child best!
4. Route 66 Museum, Elk City, OK – This is a fun little excursion and step into the past! We got the book Weird Route 66 to share some stories from throughout the drive!  

 
Texas

1. The Big Texan, Amarillo, TX – This restaurant is the best steak you’ll ever have mixed with a fun atmosphere.  Both of the boys got adorable cowboy hats with their meals and if you’re lucky you’ll get to see someone attempt to the 72 oz steak!
2. Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, TX – Cadillac Ranch is quite literally 10 old Cadillacs nose first in the middle of a field. Pack your own spray paint and leave your mark on this art instillation!  It is one of my favorites, but my husband was not as impressed! The boys loved getting to try spray paint for the first time.

 
New Mexico
New Mexico was the last leg of our trip! We could have ventured on to Arizona and California, but we set a goal for the number of days we’d drive out before turning around!

1. Route 66 Diner, Albuquerque, NM – This diner as a must! The burgers are delicious, the décor is perfectly Route 66 Retro, and it is an awesome experience.
2. Rosewell, NM – Rosewell is hilarious.  I’ve been to the International UFO Museum and it was okay. This time we just grabbed a hotel and enjoyed the touristy aliens everywhere—down to the hotel lobby and drive through.

Home
On the trip home we decided to take a different route.  We stopped in Waco at Magnolia (okay, we drove by and went to The Little Shop on Bosque to avoid the crowds) and the Mt. Carmel Center (to learn more about the Waco Massacre and pay our respects).  Then we stopped by Southfork Ranch because my husband has always been a huge Dallas fan.
 
Overall it was an amazing trip and I have zero regrets about just hitting the road without planning! It was a true roadtrip and our son talks about it often! I’ll post travel tips, soon!