Route 66 in Pontiac, Illinois
Pontiac is the seat of Livingston County, about 105 miles down Route 66 from Chicago, where the old road crosses the Vermilion River on its way from Joliet toward Bloomington. The stops we group here run from Dwight and Odell in the north to Chenoa in the south, so this is Pontiac and the farm towns around it.
- About mile 105 of 2,448 from Chicago
- 9 stops in and around Pontiac
- Small-town overnight
Tap a dot to see that stop here.
Tap a dot for the photo and a link to the stop. Open Pontiac on the full map to filter by kind or add stops to your trip.
The town itself is a small courthouse town, and its best sights are its old public buildings. The Livingston County Courthouse went up in 1875 and still anchors the square, and Pontiac City Hall and Fire Station is a few steps away. Two houses on the National Register sit near the center: the Jones House, a Gothic Revival brick home from the 1850s, and the Strevell House. Pontiac is also known for the painted murals on its downtown walls and for its Route 66 museum, which are easy to find on foot.
North of town the road runs past two of the best-known filling stations in Illinois. Ambler's Texaco Gas Station in Dwight sold gas for decades and is now a visitor stop, and Odell, a village founded in 1856, keeps a restored station of its own right on the old highway. Out in the fields, the Raymond Schulz Round Barn is one of the round barns that farmers built after studying the University of Illinois designs.
Practical note: Pontiac is a small overnight town on our planner, about 64 miles from Joliet and 40 miles from Bloomington. Park once by the courthouse and walk; most of the town's sights are within a few blocks.
Top 8 Route 66 attractions in and around Pontiac
Retro roadside (2)
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Route 66 sites (1)
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Historic buildings (6)
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Next towns on Route 66
Route 66 in Pontiac: questions
- Did Route 66 go through Pontiac?
- Yes. Route 66 ran through Pontiac, and older alignments of the road can still be driven north and south of town. The courthouse square sits about a mile off the later four-lane highway.
- What is there to see on Route 66 in Pontiac?
- We list 9 stops in and around Pontiac, mostly historic buildings, retro roadside stops and Route 66 sites. The ones our trip planner rates highest are Ambler's Texaco Gas Station, Standard Oil Gasoline Station and Matthew T. Scott House. Every stop is on the map above with a photo where one exists, and the distance from the old road.
- How far is Pontiac from the next towns on Route 66?
- Pontiac sits at about mile 105 of Route 66, counting from Chicago. The next town east with its own guide is Joliet, IL, about 64 miles back. Heading west, Bloomington, IL is about 40 miles on. Distances are measured along the road and rounded.
- Is Pontiac a good place to stay overnight on Route 66?
- It works for a night. Our trip planner ends a day in Pontiac when the day's miles fit, and otherwise prefers a bigger overnight town nearby.