Route 66Trip Guide
Route 66 town guide · Illinois

Route 66 in Joliet, Illinois

Joliet is the first real Route 66 town after Chicago, about 41 miles down the road. The places we group under Joliet spread out from the city itself: north to Willowbrook and Lockport, and south along the old road to Wilmington.

Tap a dot to see that stop here.

Tap a dot for the photo and a link to the stop (the fork-and-knife markers are places to eat). Open Joliet on the full map to filter by kind or add stops to your trip.

The best-known stop in this group is the Gemini Giant, a fiberglass astronaut holding a rocket beside Route 66 in Wilmington. In downtown Joliet, the Rialto Square Theatre is a lavish 1926 movie palace that still hosts shows steps from the old road, and the Joliet Area Historical Museum tells the story of the city and Will County. North of town, Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket in Willowbrook is a Route 66 restaurant with roots in 1938 and a spot on the National Register.

Joliet was built on limestone, canals and steel, and it shows. The ruins of the Joliet Iron and Steel Works, a giant ironworks from 1869, are now an open-air forest preserve site, and Lockport's canal-era downtown, with its old Illinois and Michigan Canal buildings, sits a few miles north. Nature is close too: Midewin National Tallgrass Prairie, the country's first national tallgrass prairie, was an ammunition plant and is now home to bison. Several state wildlife areas line the rivers south of the city.

Practical note: the stops here are spread across many miles of suburbs and farmland, so plan a loop by car rather than a walk. Joliet works as a first night out of Chicago if you start late; the next town west on our list is Pontiac, about 64 miles on.

Top 10 Route 66 attractions in and around Joliet

  1. Gemini GiantA fiberglass astronaut holding a rocket, standing beside Route 66 in Wilmington.
  2. Lambert 1957A working Joliet gas station run by one family since 1957, with a mural of the station it once was.
  3. Louis Joliet HotelAn eight-story Neoclassical hotel building that rises over downtown Joliet near the old road.
  4. Eagle HotelAn 1838 hotel building in Wilmington, a short walk from the Gemini Giant.
  5. Dell Rhea's Chicken BasketA restaurant on the old Route 66 in Willowbrook with roots in 1938 and a spot on the National Register.
  6. Midewin National Tallgrass PrairieThe country's first national tallgrass prairie, on a former ammunition plant, now home to bison.
  7. TedensA vanished DuPage County community, best paired with nearby Lemont and Waterfall Glen.
  8. Waterfall Glen Forest PreserveNearly 2,500 acres of prairie, oak savanna and creekside waterfalls, wrapped around a national laboratory.
  9. Rialto Square TheatreA lavish 1926 movie palace in downtown Joliet, still hosting shows steps from the old road.
  10. MillsdaleA vanished railroad village near Joliet that counted only about two dozen residents in the 1900s.

Art & landmarks (3)

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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

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
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

Route 66 sites (1)

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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.

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Retro roadside (2)

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Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket in Willowbrook, IL

Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket

Willowbrook, Illinois · 0.2 mi from Route 66

A restaurant on the old Route 66 in Willowbrook with roots in 1938 and a spot on the National Register.

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

Historic hotels (2)

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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.

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Nature & parks (7)

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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
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
Channahon State Park, Illinois

Channahon State Park

Channahon, Illinois · 6.0 mi from Route 66

A riverside state park at the junction of three rivers, named for a Native word about meeting waters.

Nature & parksPhoto credit
Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area near Joliet, IL

Des Plaines State Fish and Wildlife Area

Joliet, Illinois · 4.3 mi from Route 66

A 5,000-acre state wildlife area on the floodplain where two rivers meet to form the Illinois River.

Nature & parksPhoto credit
Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area in Divine, IL

Goose Lake Prairie State Natural Area

Divine, Illinois · 8.1 mi from Route 66

A 2,537-acre state natural area where more than half the land is protected tallgrass prairie.

Nature & parksPhoto credit

Heidecke Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area

Aux Sable, Illinois · 9.6 mi from Route 66

A 1,300-acre lake dug to cool a power plant, now an Illinois state fish and wildlife area.

Nature & parks

Mazonia/Braidwood State Fish and Wildlife Area

Mazonia, Illinois · 0.9 mi from Route 66

A 1,017-acre state fish and wildlife area in Grundy County, a quiet side trip south of Joliet.

Nature & parks

Ghost towns (3)

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Tedens

Tedens, Illinois · 2.2 mi from Route 66

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

Ghost town

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

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 theaters (1)

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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

Museums (5)

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National Shrine of St Therese in Darien, IL

National Shrine of St Therese

Darien, Illinois · 0.2 mi from Route 66

A Catholic shrine and museum honoring St. Thérèse of Lisieux on a Carmelite campus in Darien.

MuseumPhoto credit

Isle a la Cache Museum

Romeoville, Illinois · 0.6 mi from Route 66

A small island museum on the Des Plaines River that tells the story of the fur trade and French voyageurs.

Museum
Gaylord Building in Lockport, IL

Gaylord Building

Lockport, Illinois · 0.9 mi from Route 66

An 1838 limestone canal building in Lockport, saved by a restoration later seen as a model for others.

MuseumPhoto credit
Slovenian Women's Union of America in Joliet, IL

Slovenian Women's Union of America

Joliet, Illinois · on Route 66

The Joliet headquarters of a Slovenian-American heritage society founded by women in 1926.

MuseumPhoto credit
Joliet Area Historical Museum, Illinois

Joliet Area Historical Museum

Joliet, Illinois · on Route 66

The museum that tells the story of Joliet and Will County, a short walk from the old road.

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Historic buildings (14)

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John Humphrey House in Orland Park, IL

John Humphrey House

Orland Park, Illinois · 8.9 mi from Route 66

The second permanent house ever built in Orland Park, once the home of a state senator.

Historic buildingPhoto credit
Stone Manor in Homer Glen, IL

Stone Manor

Homer Glen, Illinois · 7.3 mi from Route 66

An Italianate house in Homer Glen, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Historic buildingPhoto credit
Ron George Round Barn in Romeoville, IL

Ron George Round Barn

Romeoville, Illinois · 1.1 mi from Route 66

A round barn from about 1912, built for Frank Eaton and now on the National Register.

Historic buildingPhoto credit
Robert Milne House in Lockport, IL

Robert Milne House

Lockport, Illinois · 1.4 mi from Route 66

A Greek Revival home in Lockport built for a commissioner of the I&M Canal.

Historic buildingPhoto credit
Will County Historical Society Headquarters in Lockport, IL

Will County Historical Society Headquarters

Lockport, Illinois · 1.1 mi from Route 66

The 1830s Lockport office that ran the I&M Canal, now home to the county's historical society.

Historic buildingPhoto credit
Fitzpatrick House in Romeoville, IL

Fitzpatrick House

Romeoville, Illinois · 0.2 mi from Route 66

A plain, vernacular-style historic home in Romeoville, about a mile from Lockport's canal district.

Historic buildingPhoto credit
John Heck House in Lockport, IL

John Heck House

Lockport, Illinois · 1.1 mi from Route 66

A Greek Revival residence in Lockport, also called the Hauer Residence, close to the canal district.

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
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
Joliet YMCA, Illinois

Joliet YMCA

Joliet, Illinois · on Route 66

A Georgian-style YMCA building in Joliet designed by the Chicago firm D. H. Burnham & Company.

Historic buildingPhoto credit
United States Post Office in Joliet, IL

United States Post Office

Joliet, Illinois · on Route 66

A two-story Renaissance Revival post office that served Joliet for nearly eight decades.

Historic buildingPhoto credit
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
Hiram B. Scutt Mansion in Joliet, IL

Hiram B. Scutt Mansion

Joliet, Illinois · 0.2 mi from Route 66

A Second Empire mansion in Joliet, also known as Barb Villa, listed on the National Register.

Historic buildingPhoto credit
Small–Towle House in Wilmington, IL

Small–Towle House

Wilmington, Illinois · 0.1 mi from Route 66

An 1864 Wilmington house once sold for a single dollar, a short walk from the Gemini Giant.

Historic buildingPhoto credit

Historic bridges (1)

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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

Historic districts (5)

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Lemont Downtown Historic District, Illinois

Lemont Downtown Historic District

Lemont, Illinois · 2.6 mi from Route 66

Fourteen blocks of canal-era storefronts in Lemont, a town built on limestone and water transport.

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Lockport Historic District, Illinois

Lockport Historic District

Lockport, Illinois · 1.0 mi from Route 66

Lockport's canal-era downtown, a compact district of 59 historic buildings near the old road.

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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.

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Upper Bluff Historic District in Joliet, IL

Upper Bluff Historic District

Joliet, Illinois · 0.7 mi from Route 66

A large Joliet neighborhood of more than 600 buildings, most of them part of its historic fabric.

Historic districtPhoto credit

Dresden Island Lock and Dam Historic District

Morris, Illinois · 8.0 mi from Route 66

A 1930s lock and dam on the Illinois River, finished by Washington after the state ran out of money.

Historic district

Archaeology (3)

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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

Where to eat in and around Joliet

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Next towns on Route 66

Route 66 in Joliet: questions

Did Route 66 go through Joliet?
Yes. Route 66 ran through Joliet on its way from Chicago toward St. Louis, and the Rialto Square Theatre downtown stands about a tenth of a mile from the old road.
What is there to see on Route 66 in Joliet?
We list 47 stops in and around Joliet, mostly historic buildings, parks and nature areas and historic districts. The ones our trip planner rates highest are Gemini Giant, Lambert 1957 and Louis Joliet Hotel. Every stop is on the map above with a photo where one exists, and the distance from the old road.
How far is Joliet from the next towns on Route 66?
Joliet sits at about mile 41 of Route 66, counting from Chicago. The next town east with its own guide is Chicago, IL, about 40 miles back. Heading west, Pontiac, IL is about 64 miles on. Distances are measured along the road and rounded.
Is Joliet a good place to stay overnight on Route 66?
It works for a night. Our trip planner ends a day in Joliet when the day's miles fit, and otherwise prefers a bigger overnight town nearby.