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U-Drop Inn

Retro roadside
In Shamrock, Texas
On Route 66
National Register of Historic Places

The U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, TX, is one of the most striking buildings on the whole of Route 66: a 1936 Art Deco gas station and cafe with two flared towers, glazed tile walls and neon trim. After years of decline it was restored and now houses a museum, a visitor center and a gift shop. It sits less than a mile off the main route and is well worth the stop.

What is U-Drop Inn?

J. C. Berry designed the building, taking his idea from the picture of a nail driven into the ground. The result is a rare case of Art Deco applied to a roadside gas station and restaurant. Its two towers flare outward and carry geometric trim, the walls curve and are faced with glazed ceramic tile, and neon lighting outlines the design.

The building has always had two halves. The west side held Tower Station, selling gas, and the east side held the U-Drop Inn cafe. Through many owners it kept housing the same kinds of businesses it was built for.

History of U-Drop Inn

The building opened in 1936 in Wheeler County along Route 66, and it was long seen as a showpiece of the highway in Texas. When Route 66 was decommissioned, business faded and the building fell into poor repair, closing in the late 1990s.

The National Register listed it in September 1997. A local bank, First National Bank of Shamrock, then bought it and gave it to the city. With a federal grant covering most of the cost, the city had specialists restore it and turn it into a museum, visitor center, gift shop and chamber of commerce office.

Visiting U-Drop Inn: tips

Allow 20 to 30 minutes to look around, take photos and stop at the visitor center. The site is listed as wheelchair accessible. The neon trim makes it a good subject after dark as well as in daylight.

The historic Route 66 bridge over the old Rock Island rail line is about 8 miles away, and the Magnolia Service Station in Texola is about 14.5 miles away across the Oklahoma line.

Practical info

Address: 101 E. 12th Street U.S. 83 at U.S. 66 NE Shamrock, Texas
Phone: +1 806-216-1691
Website: nps.gov/nr/travel/route66/tower_station_u-drop-inn_cafe_shamrock.html
Hours: Mon–Fri 9–6 · Sat 9–2:30
On site & nearby

Sources: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) · Wikidata · official site — may be outdated. Suggest a fix

On the map

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U-Drop Inn with the 6 closest stops. Tap a marker for details.

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Stops near U-Drop Inn

All of Texas

Route 66 Bridge over the Chicago, Rock Island and Gulf Railroad

Shamrock, Texas · on Route 66

A 1932 steel-and-concrete Route 66 bridge near Shamrock that still carries traffic over an old rail line.

Historic bridgePhoto credit

8.1 mi from U-Drop Inn

Magnolia Service Station

Texola, Oklahoma · on Route 66

A little house-style gas station in Texola, one of the last stops in Oklahoma for westbound drivers.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

14.5 mi from U-Drop Inn

Devils Rope Barbed Wire Museum

McLean, Texas · on Route 66

A McLean museum all about barbed wire, ranching and the Texas stretch of Route 66, set in an old bra factory.

MuseumPhoto credit

19.7 mi from U-Drop Inn

West Winds Motel

Erick, Oklahoma · on Route 66

A 1940s Mission Revival motor court in Erick, with a garage beside every room around a U-shaped yard.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

21.2 mi from U-Drop Inn

First National Bank

Erick, Oklahoma · on Route 66

A 1907 bank building in Erick with a survey marker for the 100th meridian set into its wall.

MuseumPhoto credit

21.6 mi from U-Drop Inn

Roger Miller Museum

Erick, Oklahoma · on Route 66

The former home of a Roger Miller museum in the singer's hometown of Erick, on old Route 66.

Museum

21.6 mi from U-Drop Inn

Questions about U-Drop Inn

Can you go inside the U-Drop Inn?

Yes. The restored building houses a museum, a visitor center and a gift shop, along with the local chamber of commerce.

When was the U-Drop Inn built?

In 1936. It joined the National Register in 1997 and was later restored by the city of Shamrock.

Who designed the U-Drop Inn?

J. C. Berry, who based the design on the image of a nail pushed into the ground.

Own or run U-Drop Inn? Send us a photo or a correction.

See it on the map