The song Get Your Kicks on Route 66 celebrates the road known as the mother road. Before the Interstate Highway System was created by President Dwight Eisenhower, there was Route 66. As the lyrics to the song say: “It winds from Chicago to LA, more than two thousand miles all the way. Get your kicks on route sixty-six. Now you go through Saint Looey Joplin, Missouri, and Oklahoma City is mighty pretty. You see Amarillo, Gallup, New Mexico, Flagstaff, Arizona. Don’t forget Winona, Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino. Won’t you get hip to this timely tip when you make that California trip. Get your kicks on route sixty-six”.
Completed in 1926 Route 66 runs 2400 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica- the highway ends on the Paradise Park Pier in Santa Monica. Of all the states that Route 66 runs through, Oklahoma has more miles of the original Route 66 than any other state. It runs across the state of Oklahoma and was the first major East-West highway in the state. Route 66 passes through Tulsa and Oklahoma City. If you are making a road trip to the International Convention in Oklahoma City this June you have a chance to get off the Interstate and take a brief detour back into the history of cross country travel before the Interstates.
If your Kicks on Route 66 are limited to Oklahoma, you’ll find several kitschy and historic spots to visit in Oklahoma City or just a short drive outside the city.
Inside Oklahoma City is the Milk Bottle Grocery Store. Built in 1930, the store has a large Braum’s Milk Bottle on top of the roof to catch the attention of the cars passing by on Route 66. The Store was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is also on Route 66 in Oklahoma City. Founded in 1955, the museum boasts a collection celebrating western history, art and culture.
The Golden Driller in Tulsa, Oklahoma is a 75-foot-tall statue that weighs over 43,000 pounds. The Driller pays homage to Oklahoma’s history as a gas and oil state.
The Ed Gallway Totem Pole Park in Foyil, Oklahoma is the oldest and largest example of a folk-art environment that was built between 1937 and 1961 by folk artist Ed Galloway.
There’s Pop’s 66 Soda Ranch in Arcadia, Oklahoma- a mixture of a roadside diner, soda store and gas station. You’ll recognize it by the tall neon lit soda bottle beside the building. Also in Arcadia there is the Round Barn which is exactly as the name implies- a large round barn. Buit by a local farmer in 1898 it is a historic museum and gift shop.
There’s the Oklahoma City Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Oklahoma- the ultimate Route 66 Experience. It celebrates the history of Route 66.
How about the Blue Whale of Catoosa in Catoosa, Oklahoma? While it now stands as a kitschy tourist stop along Route 66, the blue whale was originally a gift from retired zookeeper Hugh Davis to his wife Zella who was fascinated with whale figurines. The 80-foot-long whale sits alongside Route 66 outside of Catoosa on a large pond of water and was once a swimming park destination for the area.
But if your road trip starts outside of Oklahoma, you may have stops along the way, Route 66 offers opportunities in several other states that you could pass through on your way to the International Convention. To find out more about the Mother Road and possible opportunities to take a break from Interstate highways and get your kicks on Route 66, go to one of these websites:
National Historic Route 66 Federation
Travel Route 66 (U.S. National Park Service)
U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission Official Website
About the Author: Brenda McDermott, CPCU, CLP, SCLA, CIIP, SCLA, ARM, AIDA, AIC is a workers’ compensation claims specialist in The Hartford’s Major Case Unit. She is a past International Rookie, Claims Professional of the Year, Risk Management Professional of the Year and International CWC Speak-Off winner. She was the 2022 Region V Insurance Professional of the Year. She has been a long-time member of IAIP and served in multiple offices at the local, state, and regional levels. A Past Region V RVP she is currently serving as the Region 5 Marketing Director and Assistant to the RVP. She is Co-Chair of the International Marketing and Today’s Insurance Professional Committee. She is an MAL in Region 5 from Missouri.