Travelogue

We woke up to even stronger winds than the night before and some very ominous clouds. Fearing we would be dodging tornadoes our entire drive through Oklahoma, I was very anxious to get moving. Herb and the kids, however, insisted that I was overreacting and that we should stop, as planned, at the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum.

Route 66 TouristsThere are several Route 66 museums throughout the country, but this one is supposed to be one of the best, a real tribute to America's first transcontinental highway. Even the building itself is a Route 66 icon, with its chrome finish and neon and fluorescent lights beckoning the weary traveler to come on in.

I was relieved to notice that none of the employees seemed at all concerned about the weather--I guess they get pretty used to it out here. Based on one of the tour guide's recommendations, we wisely rented the audio tour of the museum, and I'm glad we did. It gave us a very informative narration of the chronological history of the highway. Wearing our headphones, we strolled through the museum, which was laid out in an interesting fashion with each room representing a different decade in the life of Route 66. There was a VW van that spanned the 60s and 70s room. The part of the van in the 60's room was a hippy wagon. Some other highlights included an authentic replication of a classic roadside diner and a drive-in style theater showing vintage Route 66 footage.

The gift shop had some great Route 66 memorabilia--signs, license plates, clocks, knick-knacks, postcards, books, mugs, etc.

It was definitely a worthwhile stop. When we exited the museum, we saw that there had been no improvement in the weather. The skies were very dark and the winds were getting even stronger. We got back on I40 and started heading east as fast as we could.

Description

The Oklahoma Route 66 museum in Clinton, Oklahoma, is the state's official showcase of its Route 66 heritage. The museum building itself, with its neon and fluorescent lights, looks like a Route 66 icon.

Inside, visitors wander through the various rooms, each one representing a different decade, while listening to headphones narrating a chronological history of the highway. Some highlights include an authentic replication of a classic roadside diner and a drive-in style theater showing vintage Route 66 footage.

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