The Mother Road, as the author John Steinbeck called it, has evolved over the years from an escape for poor farmers fleeing the devastating dust storms of the 1930s to perhaps the quintessential American road trip route that’s still delivering kicks.

Although there have been faster and more direct routes between the nation’s second and third largest cities for some time, Route 66’s neon still burns brightly and its vintage signs beckon travellers to restored motor lodges, classic diners and roadside attractions.

Each stop turns the wheels of the imagination, leaving travellers to contemplate what life was like for the people and communities that have made the road hum over the years.

Illinois

Chicago has long been one of the country’s economic engines, with access to international waters and railroads that linked all corners of the country. In the 1920s, the Oklahoma businessman Cyrus Avery, who became known as the “father of Route 66”, knew it wouldn’t be long before automobiles would dominate the transportation landscape, and thought the Windy City would be the perfect place to start the journey he envisioned.

A member of the federal highway board appointed to map the US highway system, Avery opted to go with the number 66. He knew those double digits were ripe for marketing and could be seared into the minds of motorists.

For some travellers, the journey is fuelled more by the food than the scenery, and there’s plenty to choose from – slices of homemade pie, thick shakes, cheeseburgers and an assortment of fried delights.

The Cozy Dog Drive In in Springfield, the Illinois capital, is one of the many diners that sprang up along Route 66, and its breaded hotdogs on a stick have stood the test of time.

The third-generation owner, Josh Waldmire, says the recipe is a secret. Waldmire’s grandfather Ed saw the concoction’s potential as fast and convenient road food and developed a system for frying the dogs vertically.

Missouri

Route 66 has its share of twists and turns, and it’s no surprise that a highway famous for its quirky roadside attractions would cross the nation’s most famous river on one of the more peculiar bridges known to modern engineering.

As the road nears St Louis, the mile-long (1.6km) Chain of Rocks Bridge hovers more than 60ft (18 metres) above the Mississippi River, taking a 22-degree turn in the middle.

Engineers eventually built a straighter, higher-speed option, and a poor resale market spared the original bridge from the scrapheap. Today it’s reserved for pedestrians and cyclists.

A median in Missouri is home to the Route 66 Neon Park in St Robert, which features orphaned neon signs that once beckoned travellers to stop at certain sites and businesses along the highway. Often handcrafted, they weren’t only markers for motels, cafes and gas stations, but were also folk art and symbols of local culture.

Kansas

The Sunflower State hosts only a short stretch of Route 66, but it packs a punch with the Kan-O-Tex service station in Galena. A classic example of roadside architecture, the station served as inspiration for the animated 2006 Pixar film Cars.

The film’s director, John Lasseter, and his crew took road trips along the route, digging into history and looking for elements that could bring the project to life. It was in Galena where they spotted the old boom truck that served as the basis for the character Tow Mater. The plot wasn’t far off, as so many once bustling towns – like the fictional Radiator Springs – nearly faded away after being bypassed by an interstate.

Kansas also is home to the Brush Creek Bridge, otherwise known as the Rainbow Bridge. It’s on the national register of historic places and is one of few remaining examples of the concrete arched bridges designed by James Barney Marsh.

Oklahoma

There was a real danger for some who travelled the road, particularly Black motorists passing through inhospitable and segregated areas during the Jim Crow era. The Green Book, a guide first published in 1936 by Victor Hugo Green, listed hotels, restaurants and gas stations that would serve Black customers.

The Threatt filling station near Luther wasn’t listed in the Green Book but it was a safe haven – not only for getting fuel but for barbecue and baseball. Listed on the national register of historic places, it was the only known Black-owned and -operated gas station along Route 66.

Route 66 is littered with abandoned buildings and faded signs, but one example of the highway’s resilient spirit stands tall in Sapulpa, near Tulsa. The restored Tee Pee Drive-In theatre offers a step back into the 1950s, when the booming car culture helped spawn thousands of drive-in venues nationwide.

Built in 1949, it opened in the spring of 1950 with a screening of John Wayne’s Tycoon. It was one of the few drive-ins at the time to have paved pathways. Over the years it survived a tornado, a fire that destroyed the concession stand, and break-ins, before being shuttered for more than 20 years. It reopened in 2023.

Texas

Blink and you might miss it, but a stop at the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo is a must for any Route 66 journey. For decades, visitors have been spray-painting the 10 vintage Cadillacs at the site and mulling over the transitory nature of time, as Bruce Springsteen did in his 1980 song of the same name.

It’s not a ranch but rather a public art installation created in 1974 by the art and architecture collective Ant Farm. At first, the cars – which were half-buried front-down at a 60-degree angle – were used for target practice. Others would scratch their initials into the metal. The spray-painting started later.

Arrive in Adrian and you’re halfway through your trip. Steps away from a white line marking the midpoint of Route 66 is the Midway Cafe, where the “ugly pies” are anything but.

If you’re still hungry, head back to Amarillo for a 72oz (2kg) steak and all the sides at the Big Texan Steak Ranch. If you can finish the meal in an hour or less, it’s free.

New Mexico

More than half of Route 66 cuts through sovereign Native American lands, often tracing routes used by tribes long before settlers arrived. Much like the railroad in the 1800s, the highway opened the door to a new era of commerce, but it also fuelled stereotypes about cultures along the way.

There are still faded and crumbling references to tipis and feathered headdresses at some stops along the historic highway. The symbols were easily appropriated for marketing by roadside vendors but weren’t indicative of the separate and distinct Native American cultures in the area.

Today, tribes are telling their own stories and showcasing their creations, whether it be pottery, fruit pies or poems.

Albuquerque boasts the longest intact urban stretch of Route 66. Those 18 miles pass through several neighbourhoods and business districts, from historic Old Town to Nob Hill.

Some of the old motor lodges and neon signs along what is now Central Avenue have been restored. Other signs are being reimagined using hubcaps, elaborate lowrider-inspired paint jobs and New Mexico’s classic yellow and red licence plates in a nod to the car culture that is very much still alive in the city.

Arizona

The musician Jackson Browne was taking his own road trip in the early 1970s when his car left him stranded in Winslow. The experience inspired the lyrics to the Eagles’ hit Take it Easy. But it’s certainly not the only song that is a must-have for a Route 66 playlist.

Bobby Troup created a classic American road anthem in the 1940s with (Get Your Kicks on) Route 66. Nat King Cole, Chuck Berry, the Rolling Stones and Depeche Mode carried it through the decades, each covering the song with their own flair.

While standing on a corner in Winslow, don’t be surprised if someone saunters up with a guitar and starts strumming favourites from their own road trip playlist.

Before leaving the state, the one-time goldmining town of Oatman features a wild west atmosphere, daily staged shootouts and beloved burros. Oatman was a destination along one of the original alignments of Route 66 via a treacherous path through the Black Mountains, but it was later bypassed as part of improvements made in the 1950s.

California

Once a desert oasis, Roy’s Motel & Cafe in Amboy is a quintessential Route 66 landmark. The towering neon sign is one of the most photographed spots along the road. Inside, foreign currency left by international visitors lines one wall. Across the street, a clothing post decorated with shoes, shirts and other items juts up from the desert floor.

This stretch of the highway through the Mojave desert offers a special kind of solitude. The road surface gets rough in spots and the landscape takes charge, showing off Joshua trees, wide open spaces and the remnants of ancient volcanic activity.

Much of the area is undeveloped, meaning it looks a lot like it would have when Route 66 was commissioned in 1926.

After making it through oft-congested Los Angeles, the Santa Monica pier marks the end of the line, and it’s nothing short of a perpetual party, with a steady stream of spectators and performers. Although many stretches of Route 66 have lapsed into decay, the breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean are a reminder of the pursuits made possible by the road over the last century.

Associated Press writers John O’Connor in Springfield, Illinois, and Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed to this report