Route 66Trip Guide
Gemini Giant, Joliet, IL
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Route 66 in Illinois: Map, Towns & Things to See

  • 213 stops
  • 12 categories
Photo: Gemini Giant · Wikimedia Commons
Plan a trip through Illinois

The planner builds a day-by-day plan from the Illinois line (east) to the Illinois line (west) — about 336 mi.

Towns in Illinois (6)

East to west. Tap a town for its guide and stops.

Kinds of stops in Illinois

Where to eat: 6 classic diners and restaurants on or near Route 66 in Illinois. See them →

Route 66 begins in downtown Chicago and runs about 300 miles across Illinois to the Mississippi River at St. Louis. It is a prairie drive of small railroad towns, corn and soybean fields and restored gas stations, with Chicago's big museums at one end and Abraham Lincoln's Springfield in the middle. Our map has 213 stops in Illinois, and most of them sit within a few miles of the old road.

213 of 213 stops on the map

Tap a dot to see that stop here.

What to see on Route 66 in Illinois

Start with breakfast at Lou Mitchell's, a classic diner near the first "Begin" sign, a short walk from the Art Institute of Chicago. West of the city the road passes Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket and reaches the Gemini Giant, a fiberglass astronaut in Wilmington. Dwight keeps Ambler's Texaco Gas Station, and Odell is one of the small villages the road still runs straight through. In Springfield, the Lincoln Home National Historic Site is a short detour. South of the capital come the Ariston Cafe in Litchfield, still serving meals since 1935, and the Soulsby Service Station in Mount Olive. Just before the river, the ancient mounds of Cahokia are worth an extra hour.

By kind, our 213 Illinois stops include 67 historic buildings, 51 museums, 25 parks and nature spots, 15 archaeological sites and 15 historic districts.

Before it was Route 66, the road was Illinois State Route 4, and in several towns you can still drive the 1920s pavement and a later four-lane alignment side by side, with the interstate never far away. The small-town main streets are the reason to take the old road instead of I-55.

Towns, overnight stops and how long to allow

Route 66 towns in Illinois, east to west: Chicago, Joliet, Pontiac, Bloomington, Springfield and Litchfield. Chicago and Springfield have the widest choice of motels for the night; Joliet, Pontiac, Bloomington and Litchfield suit a shorter day.

Allow two days for Illinois at an easy pace, or three if you want a day for Chicago's museums. Springfield, about 200 miles from Chicago, is the natural halfway night. The old road is paved nearly all the way and marked with brown "Historic Route 66" signs where it runs beside Interstate 55.

Best time to drive Route 66 in Illinois

May, June, September and early October are the best months: mild days, green or golden fields and every seasonal attraction open. July and August are hot and humid but fine for driving; winter brings snow and short days, and many small museums keep reduced hours.

Historic buildings in Illinois (67)

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Jacob H. Henry House in Joliet, IL

Jacob H. Henry House

Joliet, Illinois · 0.2 mi from Route 66

A grand Second Empire and Italianate house on Joliet's East Side, built for a railroad-era family.

Historic buildingPhoto credit
Joliet Iron and Steel Works, Illinois

Joliet Iron and Steel Works

Joliet, Illinois · 0.3 mi from Route 66

The ruins of a giant 1869 ironworks, now an open-air forest preserve site telling Joliet's industrial story.

Historic buildingPhoto credit
Duncan Manor in Towanda, IL

Duncan Manor

Towanda, Illinois · 0.1 mi from Route 66

An 1860s Italianate farmhouse near Towanda, built for a breeder of prized shorthorn cattle.

Historic buildingPhoto credit
Illinois State Capitol in Springfield, IL

Illinois State Capitol

Springfield, Illinois · 0.1 mi from Route 66

Illinois's working statehouse, a cross-shaped capitol with a silvery zinc-clad dome finished in the 1880s.

Historic buildingPhoto credit
Benjamin Stephenson House in Edwardsville, IL

Benjamin Stephenson House

Edwardsville, Illinois · 0.3 mi from Route 66

An 1820 Federal home restored to its original look and open as a museum in Edwardsville.

Historic buildingPhoto credit
Old Joliet Prison, Illinois

Old Joliet Prison

Joliet, Illinois · 0.6 mi from Route 66

The limestone fortress where Joliet Jake walked free, now open for guided tours near downtown Joliet.

Historic buildingPhoto credit

More historic buildings in Illinois 61

Museums in Illinois (51)

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Art Institute of Chicago, Illinois

Art Institute of Chicago

Chicago, Illinois · on Route 66

World-famous paintings like American Gothic and Nighthawks, a short walk from where Route 66 begins.

MuseumPhoto credit
Lincoln Home National Historic Site in Springfield, IL

Lincoln Home National Historic Site

Springfield, Illinois · 0.1 mi from Route 66

Abraham Lincoln's home for 17 years before the presidency, set in a preserved four-block Springfield district.

MuseumPhoto credit
Old State Capitol State Historic Site in Springfield, IL

Old State Capitol State Historic Site

Springfield, Illinois · 0.2 mi from Route 66

Illinois's Greek Revival statehouse of 1840 to 1876, where both Lincoln and Obama announced candidacies.

MuseumPhoto credit
Illinois State Museum in Springfield, IL

Illinois State Museum

Springfield, Illinois · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A free state museum of Illinois fossils, Native American life, art and everyday history, near the Capitol.

MuseumPhoto credit
Shea's Gas Station Museum in Springfield, IL

Shea's Gas Station Museum

Springfield, Illinois · on Route 66

A former Route 66 gas station museum in Springfield whose collection was auctioned off in 2015.

MuseumPhoto credit

American Giants Museum

Atlanta, Illinois · on Route 66

A free museum about the Muffler Man advertising giants, on a 1926 Route 66 alignment in Atlanta, Illinois.

Museum

More museums in Illinois 45

Nature & parks in Illinois (25)

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Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie near Joliet, IL

Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie

Joliet, Illinois · 0.7 mi from Route 66

The country's first national tallgrass prairie, on a former ammunition plant, now home to bison.

Nature & parksPhoto credit
Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve in Darien, IL

Waterfall Glen Forest Preserve

Darien, Illinois · 0.4 mi from Route 66

Nearly 2,500 acres of prairie, oak savanna and creekside waterfalls, wrapped around a national laboratory.

Nature & parksPhoto credit
Miller Park Zoo in Bloomington, IL

Miller Park Zoo

Bloomington, Illinois · 0.6 mi from Route 66

Bloomington's city zoo, set inside Miller Park beside a lake and a preserved steam locomotive.

Nature & parksPhoto credit
Miller Park (Bloomington, Illinois), Illinois

Miller Park (Bloomington, Illinois)

Bloomington, Illinois · 0.6 mi from Route 66

A big city park in Bloomington with a lake, a zoo, a steam locomotive and summer theater.

Nature & parksPhoto credit
Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices State Historic Site in Springfield, IL

Lincoln-Herndon Law Offices State Historic Site

Springfield, Illinois · 0.2 mi from Route 66

The restored brick office building where Abraham Lincoln practiced law beside the Old State Capitol.

Nature & parksPhoto credit
Washington Park in Springfield, IL

Washington Park

Springfield, Illinois · 0.4 mi from Route 66

A century-old Springfield park with a duck pond, rose garden, botanical garden and a carillon.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

More nature & parks in Illinois 19

Archaeological sites in Illinois (15)

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Briscoe Mounds in Channahon, IL

Briscoe Mounds

Channahon, Illinois · 5.6 mi from Route 66

Two Mississippian-era mounds on the Des Plaines River, the biggest mound site in northern Illinois.

ArchaeologyPhoto credit
White and Company's Goose Lake Tile Works near Joliet, IL

White and Company's Goose Lake Tile Works

Joliet, Illinois · 7.8 mi from Route 66

The site of an 1850s tile works in Goose Lake Prairie, an early try at making farm drainage tile.

ArchaeologyPhoto credit
White and Company's Goose Lake Stoneware Manufactury in Morris, IL

White and Company's Goose Lake Stoneware Manufactury

Morris, Illinois · 8.1 mi from Route 66

An 1850s stoneware plant site in Goose Lake Prairie that gave rise to a village called Jugtown.

ArchaeologyPhoto credit
Cahokia in Collinsville, IL

Cahokia

Collinsville, Illinois · 7.3 mi from Route 66

The mounds of the largest ancient city north of Mexico, just across the Mississippi from St. Louis.

ArchaeologyPhoto credit

Mound 34

Collinsville, Illinois · 6.9 mi from Route 66

A small mound at Cahokia where the only known Mississippian copper workshop was found.

Archaeology
Mound 72 in Collinsville, IL

Mound 72

Collinsville, Illinois · 7.6 mi from Route 66

A low ridgetop mound at Cahokia that began as a ring of posts and became an elite burial site.

ArchaeologyPhoto credit

More archaeological sites in Illinois 9

Historic districts in Illinois (15)

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Joliet East Side Historic District, Illinois

Joliet East Side Historic District

Joliet, Illinois · 0.2 mi from Route 66

Joliet's old East Side, a 290-building district of 19th-century homes built on limestone and railroads.

Historic districtPhoto credit
Franklin Square in Bloomington, IL

Franklin Square

Bloomington, Illinois · 0.2 mi from Route 66

A leafy Bloomington square framed by the homes of a vice president and a governor.

Historic districtPhoto credit
White Place Historic District in Bloomington, IL

White Place Historic District

Bloomington, Illinois · 0.5 mi from Route 66

A Bloomington neighborhood of Prairie School, Craftsman and Spanish Colonial homes from 1895 to 1928.

Historic districtPhoto credit
Central Springfield Historic District, Illinois

Central Springfield Historic District

Springfield, Illinois · 0.2 mi from Route 66

Twelve acres of 19th-century brick storefronts wrapped around Springfield's Old State Capitol.

Historic districtPhoto credit
Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack in Ridgely, IL

Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack

Ridgely, Illinois · 0.2 mi from Route 66

The Springfield Mile: a one-mile dirt oval at the state fairgrounds that has hosted car racing since 1910.

Historic districtPhoto credit
LeClaire Historic District in Edwardsville, IL

LeClaire Historic District

Edwardsville, Illinois · 0.8 mi from Route 66

An 1890s factory village built on profit sharing and free adult classes, praised by Nellie Bly.

Historic districtPhoto credit

More historic districts in Illinois 9

Retro roadside stops in Illinois (12)

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Ambler's Texaco Gas Station in Dwight, IL

Ambler's Texaco Gas Station

Dwight, Illinois · on Route 66

A house-style filling station in Dwight that sold gas on Route 66 for 66 straight years.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit
Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop in Springfield, IL

Maid-Rite Sandwich Shop

Springfield, Illinois · 0.2 mi from Route 66

A 1921 Maid-Rite on historic Route 66 in Springfield that claims the nation's first drive-thru window.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit
Ariston Cafe in Litchfield, IL

Ariston Cafe

Litchfield, Illinois · on Route 66

A 1935 restaurant on Old Route 66 in Litchfield, listed on the National Register and still a meal stop.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit
Soulsby Service Station in Mount Olive, IL

Soulsby Service Station

Mount Olive, Illinois · on Route 66

Mount Olive's 1926 house-and-canopy gas station, counted as the oldest usable station on Illinois Route 66.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

Lambert 1957

Joliet, Illinois · on Route 66

A working Joliet gas station run by one family since 1957, with a mural of the station it once was.

Retro roadside
Standard Oil Gasoline Station in Odell, IL

Standard Oil Gasoline Station

Odell, Illinois · on Route 66

A restored 1932 house-and-canopy gas station in Odell, on the National Register of Historic Places.

Retro roadsidePhoto credit

More retro roadside stops in Illinois 6

Art & landmarks in Illinois (10)

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Chicago Water Tower, Illinois

Chicago Water Tower

Chicago, Illinois · 1.2 mi from Route 66

The Gothic Revival tower that survived Chicago's Great Fire in 1871, right on the Magnificent Mile.

Art & landmarksPhoto credit
Navy Pier in Chicago, IL

Navy Pier

Chicago, Illinois · 1.2 mi from Route 66

A long lakefront pier packed with food, theaters, parks and family attractions, a Chicago favorite.

Art & landmarksPhoto credit
Site A / Plot M Disposal Site near Joliet, IL

Site A / Plot M Disposal Site

Joliet, Illinois · 3.2 mi from Route 66

A quiet forest marker where Manhattan Project reactors were run, then buried, outside Chicago.

Art & landmarksPhoto credit
Gemini Giant in Wilmington, IL

Gemini Giant

Wilmington, Illinois · on Route 66

A fiberglass astronaut holding a rocket, standing beside Route 66 in Wilmington.

Art & landmarksPhoto credit

Old Chicago

Bolingbrook, Illinois · 0.7 mi from Route 66

The site of a 1970s indoor amusement park and mall in Bolingbrook, torn down in 1986.

Art & landmarks
World War II Illinois Veterans Memorial in Springfield, IL

World War II Illinois Veterans Memorial

Springfield, Illinois · 0.5 mi from Route 66

Illinois's World War II memorial: a 22-ton white globe ringed by granite walls in Oak Ridge Cemetery.

Art & landmarksPhoto credit

More art & landmarks in Illinois 4

Route 66 sites in Illinois (5)

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Berwyn Route 66 Museum

Berwyn, Illinois · on Route 66

A small nonprofit museum about the Mother Road in Berwyn, just west of Chicago.

Route 66 site
Route 66 Raceway in Joliet, IL

Route 66 Raceway

Joliet, Illinois · 0.2 mi from Route 66

A NASCAR-owned drag strip and dirt oval in Joliet that carries the Route 66 name.

Route 66 sitePhoto credit
Odell, Illinois

Odell

Odell, Illinois · 0.2 mi from Route 66

A small Livingston County village right on Route 66, founded in 1856.

Route 66 sitePhoto credit
U.S. Route 66 in Staunton, IL

U.S. Route 66

Staunton, Illinois · on Route 66

The Mother Road itself: the 1926 highway from Chicago to Santa Monica, here on its Illinois run.

Route 66 sitePhoto credit

Old Route 66 Brick Road Curve

Auburn, Illinois · on Route 66

A curving stretch of brick-paved Route 66 in Auburn, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Route 66 site

Historic hotels in Illinois (5)

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Louis Joliet Hotel, Illinois

Louis Joliet Hotel

Joliet, Illinois · 0.2 mi from Route 66

An eight-story Neoclassical hotel building that rises over downtown Joliet near the old road.

Historic hotelPhoto credit
Eagle Hotel in Wilmington, IL

Eagle Hotel

Wilmington, Illinois · on Route 66

An 1838 hotel building in Wilmington, a short walk from the Gemini Giant.

Historic hotelPhoto credit
President Abraham Lincoln Hotel in Springfield, IL

President Abraham Lincoln Hotel

Springfield, Illinois · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A downtown Springfield hotel linked by tunnel to the convention center, steps from the Old State Capitol.

Historic hotelPhoto credit

Leland Hotel

Springfield, Illinois · 0.2 mi from Route 66

Springfield's old Leland Hotel, where the horseshoe sandwich is said to have been born in 1928.

Historic hotel
St. Nicholas Hotel in Springfield, IL

St. Nicholas Hotel

Springfield, Illinois · 0.2 mi from Route 66

A 1924 Springfield hotel tower that hosted presidents and where a politician's hidden cash turned up.

Historic hotelPhoto credit

Ghost towns in Illinois (3)

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Millsdale

Millsdale, Illinois · 3.7 mi from Route 66

A vanished railroad village near Joliet that counted only about two dozen residents in the 1900s.

Ghost town

Tedens

Tedens, Illinois · 2.2 mi from Route 66

A vanished DuPage County community, best paired with nearby Lemont and Waterfall Glen.

Ghost town

Tracy

Tracy, Illinois · 3.6 mi from Route 66

A lost coal-mining town in Kankakee County that emptied out when its coal ran out around 1900.

Ghost town

Historic bridges in Illinois (3)

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Ninth Street Seven Arch Stone Bridge

Lockport, Illinois · 0.6 mi from Route 66

The story of Lockport's 1868 limestone bridge, the first across the Des Plaines River, lost in 2011.

Historic bridge
Camelback Bridge in Normal, IL

Camelback Bridge

Normal, Illinois · 0.6 mi from Route 66

A humpbacked old bridge on iron Phoenix columns, arching over a rail-trail in Normal.

Historic bridgePhoto credit
Sugar Creek Covered Bridge in Glenarm, IL

Sugar Creek Covered Bridge

Glenarm, Illinois · 0.7 mi from Route 66

Illinois has just five historic covered bridges left, and this 110-foot span is counted as the oldest.

Historic bridgePhoto credit

Historic theaters in Illinois (2)

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Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet, IL

Rialto Square Theatre

Joliet, Illinois · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A lavish 1926 movie palace in downtown Joliet, still hosting shows steps from the old road.

Historic theaterPhoto credit
Normal Theater, Illinois

Normal Theater

Normal, Illinois · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A restored Streamline Moderne movie house in downtown Normal, saved by the town in 1993.

Historic theaterPhoto credit

Route 66 in Illinois: questions

Where does Route 66 start in Chicago?

In downtown Chicago, close to Grant Park and the Art Institute. Westbound drivers begin on Adams Street, where a "Begin Historic Route 66" sign stands near Michigan Avenue; eastbound, the road ended one block south on Jackson Boulevard.

How many miles of Route 66 are in Illinois?

About 300 miles, depending on which of the road's alignments you follow. The whole road, from Chicago to Santa Monica, is about 2,448 miles long.

What towns does Route 66 go through in Illinois?

The main stops, east to west, are Chicago, Joliet, Pontiac, Bloomington, Springfield and Litchfield. Smaller places on the road include Wilmington, Dwight, Odell, Atlanta, Lincoln and Mount Olive.

Can you still drive Route 66 in Illinois?

Yes. Most of the old road is paved and open, often as a frontage road beside I-55, and it is well signed with brown historic-route signs. A few early segments are abandoned or closed, so follow the signs rather than an old map.