Top 6 Travel Planning Tips when visiting Arizona’s famous Route 66

Arizona 66 Passport

Photo Credit

1950 Studebaker car at the Arizona Route 66 Museum.

Arizona Route 66 Museum

Inside Mr D'z Route 66 Diner

Oatman Hwy in bloom with cars near Shaffer's Fish Bowl

Oatman Burros

Burros worked the Oatman mines in the early 1900's. Today, the descendants of these early residents now come from the hills looking for handouts from town visitors.

Previous Next

Taking Route 66 out of Kingman is like a drive down memory lane in 1950-something. Historic downtowns, curio shops, twisty mountain passes, and even a couple vineyards dot the landscape. You’ll discover so many things to see and do on Arizona’s Route 66, that we’ve compiled a quick list of 6 things to help you plan your Mother Road adventure.

1. Your first order of business should be to get your hands on the Arizona 66 Passport. Originally launched in 2010, this handy little travel guide is fun for Route 66 Road Trippers, both young and young at heart. It can be ordered at www. historic66az. com for a mere $1.66. Don’t set out for a drive on Route 66 without it!


2. Plan a stop somewhere at the Grand Canyon. While you’re this close to one of the top natural wonders, make some time to plan a gander from the rim. There are two main Grand Canyon landmarks near Route 66, Grand Canyon Village at the South Rim and the Grant Canyon Skywalk at the West Rim.


3. Whatever you do, don’t miss Oatman Hwy and a stop in the living ghost town of Oatman, AZ. This is the original highway, built for the stream of prospectors looking to stake a claim in the Oatman Gold Rush of 1902. It’s representative of the Mother Road mentioned in John Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath”. The town site of Oatman hasn’t changed much since the gold rush days, still the same old buildings slapped together of whatever settlers could find. However, the shops and bars don’t cater to the Miners coming out of the hills; they open their doors to the travelers coming down the road. They have a quirky selection of trinkets, art and apparel to browse while enjoying the Oatman hospitality.


4. Designate some mealtime at a Route 66 Diner or Café. A few fine examples in Kingman are Mr. D'z Route 66 Diner, known for their home-made root beer, Rutherford's 66 Family Restaurant, and the Kingman Airport Café, serving WWII bomber themed dishes.


5. Route 66 is a mecca of Instagramable selfie hotspots, do a little research to find the best roadside murals, old neon signs and art installations. You’ll discover photo worthy sites at just about every street corner along Route 66 (aka Andy Devine Avenue) in Downtown Kingman. Nearby attractions are some pretty cool sites too – we’d recommend Ginanticus Headicus or Grand Canyon Caverns and their many photo-op staged classics cars and large dinosaur metal sculptures.


6. Experience the History. There are many Museums and historic sites along ol’ 66. A few not-to-miss historic experiences in Kingman are the Historic Downtown, Arizona Route 66 Museum and White Cliffs Wagon Trail.

• 
  

  Historic Downtown Kingman has over 40 sites on the National Registry of Historic Places. There are two breweries, several restaurants, museums, a historic Locomotive and a lot of unique shops.

  
  


• 
  

  Arizona Route 66 Museum, located in the Historic Powerhouse, which supplied power to Kingman and area mines from 1909 until Hoover Dam began producing power in the late 1930’s. The Museum, which opened in 2001, was dubbed “Impressive new Route 66 Museum” in the article An Asphalt Odyssey by Reed Johnson, August 19,2001 in the Los Angeles Times.

  
  


• 
  

  White Cliffs Wagon Trail, located just a mile from Downtown Kingman, has wagon tracks dating back to the late 1800s that are still visible today. The trail was used to bring ore from Stockton Hill mine to the railroad. There are very few places like it still in existence where you can see historic wagon tracks etched into stone.

  
  

Kingman is located in Arizona’s high desert, it has comfortable summers and moderate winters. So whatever you plan to do, come to enjoy Kingman’s great weather. For more travel ideas when in Kingman, click here!