There has never been a better year to pack the car and chase the horizon. In 2026, Route 66 turns 100 — and the entire stretch from Chicago to Santa Monica is throwing a yearlong party that no road tripper should miss.
First designated on November 11, 1926, the “Mother Road” connected the heartland to the California coast across 2,400 miles of open highway. Officially decommissioned in 1985, nearly the entire route remains drivable today — and in 2026, it’s more alive than it’s been in decades.
This isn’t just nostalgia. Towns up and down the highway have been preparing for years — restoring landmarks, relighting vintage neon signs, and stacking a calendar of events that runs through November 11, 2026, the road’s official 100th birthday. If you’ve ever thought about doing this trip, this is the year.
Why 2026 Is the Year to Do It
Combine the centennial with everything else happening in 2026 — the FIFA World Cup hosted across U.S. cities, America’s 250th anniversary — and you start to see the picture. Domestic travel is surging. Route 66 is sitting at the center of it all, and the communities along it have invested heavily in making this year count.
The infrastructure has been upgraded. The roadside attractions are being restored. And the events calendar — from Missouri to California — gives you a reason to time your trip around something real, not just a scenic drive.
The Centennial Events Worth Planning Around
The celebrations are spread across all eight states the highway touches, with major events running from spring through the official birthday in November. Here are the anchors.
National Centennial Kickoff — Springfield, Missouri (April 29–May 3, 2026)
Springfield is the birthplace of Route 66 — it’s where a telegram was sent to Washington, D.C. in 1926 requesting the road be named Route 66. The national kickoff is centered here for good reason. April 30th marks the 100th anniversary of that telegram, and the celebration includes a headline concert at Great Southern Bank Arena on the Missouri State University campus. If you’re doing the full route east to west, start here.
Route 66 Fun Run — Seligman to Kingman, Arizona (May 1–3, 2026)
The oldest Route 66 celebration in the country takes on new weight this year. Participants from around the world travel a 140-mile stretch through Arizona, with events in nearly every community along the way. The Fun Run ends in Kingman with something worth staying for: the Hotel Beale neon sign — dark for over 40 years — being relit for the first time since the 1980s.
Oklahoma’s Yearlong Programming — Statewide
Oklahoma has more drivable miles of Historic Route 66 than any other state — over 400 miles. The centennial programming runs all year, including a “Kickin’ It” Birthday Bash in OKC on May 30th, a statewide Mural Fest on July 18th featuring new mural unveilings in communities along the highway, and a Tulsa Birthday Bash on November 11th with live music and a Veterans Day parade downtown.
The Main Street of America Centennial Caravan (June 2026)
A rolling celebration traveling the full length of the route from Santa Monica to Chicago, with one representative car from all 50 states and international participants. It’s part road trip, part living history, and open for anyone to join along the way.
The Official Birthday — November 11, 2026
The centennial lands on Veterans Day, with major celebrations coast to coast. If you can only do one stretch of the route this year, time it around November for the densest concentration of community events and the energy of the actual milestone.
Planning the Trip: What You Need to Know
How Long Does It Take?
A full end-to-end run — Chicago to Santa Monica — takes a minimum of two weeks if you want to actually stop and see things. Budget three weeks if you want breathing room for side roads and unplanned detours. This is not a highway you drive straight through. The whole point is the stops.
Best Time of Year
Spring (April–May) and fall (September–October) are the most comfortable across the route’s range of terrain. Summer brings the highest event volume and the most energy, but desert stretches through Arizona and New Mexico will push well above 100°F. If you’re planning around specific centennial events, spring and early November are the sweet spots. If you want the biggest crowds and most activity, summer is peak season.
The Centennial Route 66 Passport
A limited-edition Centennial Route 66 Passport is being produced as a collector’s item for the anniversary year. Get it stamped at attractions, diners, and landmarks along the way. It’s a tangible record of your trip — and a genuine keepsake from one of the more significant road trip years in recent American history.
Stops You Shouldn’t Skip
Route 66 is as much about what you stop for as the miles in between. A few that belong on every itinerary:
Cadillac Ranch — Amarillo, Texas
Ten Cadillacs half-buried nose-first in a field off Interstate 40. Bring a spray can — covering them in graffiti is the tradition, and the next wave of visitors will paint over yours. It’s participatory art whether you think about it that way or not.
Blue Swallow Motel — Tucumcari, New Mexico
One of the best-preserved vintage motels on the entire route. The neon sign at dusk is the kind of image that makes you understand why people drive this road in the first place.
Wigwam Village Motel — Holbrook, Arizona
Sleep in a concrete teepee. That’s the pitch, and it’s accurate. These places defined “roadside” before roadside was a genre.
Roy’s Motel and Café — Amboy, California
The ultimate Mojave Desert photo stop — space-age Googie architecture sitting against nothing but desert and sky. It’s being expanded for the centennial year, with a restored motel and café. Go now while you can still get the original feeling.
Santa Monica Pier
The western terminus. Touch the sign. Walk to the end of the pier. Take the photo. You’ve earned it.
Gear Worth Packing
A road trip spanning multiple states, climates, and two weeks of living out of a car demands the right gear. A few things that are worth thinking about before you leave the driveway:
A Road Trip Bag That Actually Works in a Car
Rolling suitcases are a nuisance on a road trip — you’re in and out of the car constantly, often at stops where you only need a few things. A well-organized duffel or soft-sided bag with exterior pockets is more practical than anything with wheels for this kind of travel.
Portable Power
Long stretches between towns mean long stretches without a wall outlet. A solid car charger hub or a portable power station keeps phones, cameras, and navigation devices charged without hunting for a plug at every rest stop.
A Dash Cam
You’ll drive through Monument Valley, the Painted Desert, the Ozark Mountains, and some of the best flat-horizon desert landscape in the country. A quality dash cam captures it automatically while you focus on driving. The footage from a two-week Route 66 run is worth having.
A Physical Map or Atlas
Cell service is genuinely spotty through long stretches of New Mexico and Arizona. A good road atlas is both practical and part of the experience — it’s how people drove this road for most of its 100 years.
Sun Protection
Sunglasses with UV protection, a wide-brim hat, and SPF are non-negotiables through the desert Southwest. The sun is relentless from the Texas Panhandle through California, and you’ll be outside at every stop.
A Compact Cooler
Stock it with drinks and snacks so you can pull over at a scenic overlook without being tied to town stops for every meal. Some of the best moments on Route 66 happen in the middle of nowhere.
The Bottom Line
Route 66 at 100 is not just a road trip — it’s a national event. Whether you tackle the full 2,400 miles or spend a long weekend on a single state’s stretch, 2026 is the year to do it. Communities that have spent years quietly preserving this piece of American history are ready to share it, and the events calendar means there’s something worth stopping for no matter when you go.
Pack the car, grab the passport book, and get your kicks. This one won’t come around again.
Have you driven Route 66 before, or is 2026 your first time? Drop your plans — or your favorite stops — in the comments below.