Explore the history, landmarks and communities along America’s legendary “Mother Road” using Google AI and 130 partner-curated stories.
Senior Vice President, Preservation Initiatives Division, National Trust for Historic Preservation
Rhys Martin
President of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association and Historian with the National Trust for Historic Preservation
General summary
Google Arts & Culture and the National Trust for Historic Preservation are celebrating Route 66. You can explore the highway's history through a new online hub. Check out landmarks stories and images and use the Route 66 Rewind experiment to compare past and present views.
Summaries were generated by Google AI. Generative AI is experimental.
Basic explainer
Google Arts & Culture made a cool website about Route 66. It shows pictures and stories about the famous road. You can see what it looked like long ago with a special tool. It's like taking a trip back in time to learn about American history.
Summaries were generated by Google AI. Generative AI is experimental.
Explore other styles:
Route 66 has been a backdrop both as a cultural touchstone and a road that linked two parts of this country together. It traverses across 2,448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica cutting through the beating heart of Oklahoma City along the way—and there are plenty of other highlights on its path. Route 66, or “The Mother Road," is an American legend. From car culture, westward mobility and countless stories captured in songs and movies, it’s a living symbol of American culture and history.
In partnership with the National Trust for Historic Preservation and 22 additional cultural organizations, Google Arts & Culture is celebrating Route 66’s upcoming Centennial in 2026 with a new hub dedicated to this historic highway. A Culture Trip Down Route 66 is a rich digital archive that highlights iconic landmarks as well as the diverse communities and small businesses that have shaped Route 66. With more than 20 partners, 130 stories and 4000 images, you’ll discover the route in a new way.
There's even a new Google Arts & Culture experiment called Route 66 Rewind that uses Google’s Veo AI technology to bring the Route’s history to life in a new and immersive way. So step back in time and imagine what key stops along Route 66 might have looked like in the past, compare them to contemporary Street View imagery and learn about them using Gemini and try out our quiz below to see what you have learned.
Check out this Route 66 Road Trip Airstream from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Bring home a souvenir from Angel & Vilma Delgadillo's Original Route 66 Gift Shop, run by Angel Delgadillo, or the “guardian angel” of Route 66. From the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The Threatt Filling Station in Luther, Oklahoma is a historic Black-owned filling station that provided a safe haven for African American travelers on the road in the 20th century. From the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
The Painted Desert Trading Post is the perfect place to step back in time, restored to its former glory by grassroots preservationists. From the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Drive down the Mother Road and see iconic neon signs like this one captured by photographer Carol M. Highsmith. From the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
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You got that one right! It’s a blue whale.
Whale, that’s not quite right…the correct answer is a blue whale!
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You got that one right! It’s a blue whale.
Whale, that’s not quite right…the correct answer is a blue whale!
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You got that one right! It’s a blue whale.
Whale, that’s not quite right…the correct answer is a blue whale!
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You got that one right! It’s a blue whale.
Whale, that’s not quite right…the correct answer is a blue whale!
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You got that one right! It’s a blue whale.
Whale, that’s not quite right…the correct answer is a blue whale!
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Which town is the home of the "Guardian Angel" of Route 66, a local barber that spearheaded the movement to get the road designated as historic?
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Yes! Angel Delgadillo, the route's "Guardian Angel" is from Seligman, Arizona.
Whoa there! That's a great Route 66 stop, but doesn't make the cut for this question.
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Yes! Angel Delgadillo, the route's "Guardian Angel" is from Seligman, Arizona.
Whoa there! That's a great Route 66 stop, but doesn't make the cut for this question.
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Yes! Angel Delgadillo, the route's "Guardian Angel" is from Seligman, Arizona.
Whoa there! That's a great Route 66 stop, but doesn't make the cut for this question.
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Yes! Angel Delgadillo, the route's "Guardian Angel" is from Seligman, Arizona.
Whoa there! That's a great Route 66 stop, but doesn't make the cut for this question.
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Yes! Angel Delgadillo, the route's "Guardian Angel" is from Seligman, Arizona.
Whoa there! That's a great Route 66 stop, but doesn't make the cut for this question.
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In the Texas panhandle, what small business acts as a hub for Route 66 history and heritage?
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You bet your kicks on Route 66! The answer you're looking for is: The Western Motel.
Easy there, partner! You missed your stop in the Texas Panhandle - try again!
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You bet your kicks on Route 66! The answer you're looking for is: The Western Motel.
Easy there, partner! You missed your stop in the Texas Panhandle - try again!
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You bet your kicks on Route 66! The answer you're looking for is: The Western Motel.
Easy there, partner! You missed your stop in the Texas Panhandle - try again!
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You bet your kicks on Route 66! The answer you're looking for is: The Western Motel.
Easy there, partner! You missed your stop in the Texas Panhandle - try again!
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You bet your kicks on Route 66! The answer you're looking for is: The Western Motel.
Easy there, partner! You missed your stop in the Texas Panhandle - try again!
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Which state was home to the Threatt Filling Station, the only Black-owned and operated gas station along the Route during the Jim Crow era?
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Perfect stop! Right in the heart of "The Mother Road” – it's Oklahoma!
Hold your horses! This historic landmark is in a different state.
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Perfect stop! Right in the heart of "The Mother Road” – it's Oklahoma!
Hold your horses! This historic landmark is in a different state.
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Perfect stop! Right in the heart of "The Mother Road” – it's Oklahoma!
Hold your horses! This historic landmark is in a different state.
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Perfect stop! Right in the heart of "The Mother Road” – it's Oklahoma!
Hold your horses! This historic landmark is in a different state.
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Perfect stop! Right in the heart of "The Mother Road” – it's Oklahoma!
Hold your horses! This historic landmark is in a different state.
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What was a key component of the Americana-style architecture of Stony Dell, a 1930’s-era resort in Missouri built by stonemason Vernon Prewett?
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Green light! Smooth cruising – its Giraffe Rock architecture.
That's a flat tire! Try another mile marker.
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Green light! Smooth cruising – its Giraffe Rock architecture.
That's a flat tire! Try another mile marker.
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Green light! Smooth cruising – its Giraffe Rock architecture.
That's a flat tire! Try another mile marker.
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Green light! Smooth cruising – its Giraffe Rock architecture.
That's a flat tire! Try another mile marker.
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Green light! Smooth cruising – its Giraffe Rock architecture.
That's a flat tire! Try another mile marker.
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What is the architectural style of the iconic U-Drop Inn in Shamrock, Texas, one of the most photographed buildings on Route 66?
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Yes! The famous flash of architectural brilliance on Route 66 in Shamrock, Texas, is known as Art Deco.
Incorrect! But even "The Mother Road" had a few detours - try again!
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Yes! The famous flash of architectural brilliance on Route 66 in Shamrock, Texas, is known as Art Deco.
Incorrect! But even "The Mother Road" had a few detours - try again!
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Yes! The famous flash of architectural brilliance on Route 66 in Shamrock, Texas, is known as Art Deco.
Incorrect! But even "The Mother Road" had a few detours - try again!
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Yes! The famous flash of architectural brilliance on Route 66 in Shamrock, Texas, is known as Art Deco.
Incorrect! But even "The Mother Road" had a few detours - try again!
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Yes! The famous flash of architectural brilliance on Route 66 in Shamrock, Texas, is known as Art Deco.
Incorrect! But even "The Mother Road" had a few detours - try again!
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Who or what came to the rescue of the neglected Painted Desert Trading Post east of Holbrook, Arizona and restored it to its former glory?
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You bet your tail pipe! Grassroots preservationists.
Oops, we hit a dead end! That’s not quite right, but you're on the right road.
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You bet your tail pipe! Grassroots preservationists.
Oops, we hit a dead end! That’s not quite right, but you're on the right road.
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You bet your tail pipe! Grassroots preservationists.
Oops, we hit a dead end! That’s not quite right, but you're on the right road.
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You bet your tail pipe! Grassroots preservationists.
Oops, we hit a dead end! That’s not quite right, but you're on the right road.
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You bet your tail pipe! Grassroots preservationists.
Oops, we hit a dead end! That’s not quite right, but you're on the right road.
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Bingo! It was from the 13th to 17th centuries.
Nope! Looks like you missed that exit.
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Bingo! It was from the 13th to 17th centuries.
Nope! Looks like you missed that exit.
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Bingo! It was from the 13th to 17th centuries.
Nope! Looks like you missed that exit.
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Bingo! It was from the 13th to 17th centuries.
Nope! Looks like you missed that exit.
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Bingo! It was from the 13th to 17th centuries.
Nope! Looks like you missed that exit.
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