Select a destination above to visit and tour the historic, picturesque towns and sites along Route 66 throughout the Prairie State.	Read about the history of the Mother Road in Illinois from its origins as older trails and a state highway to its abandonment into county roads and an occasionally crumbling relic.		Experience the landmarks of the Prairie State and see the service stations, motels and restaurants that aided and entertained travelers from Chicago to L-A.

The historic Ariston Cafe sits along the 1930 two-lane alignment of Route 66 in Litchfield, home of this year's national Route 66 Festival as well as the city's Fifth Annual Classic Car Show starting Thursday, June 19 and running through Saturday the 21st. Click to enlarge. Sept     5-7   Route 66 Assoc of Mo. Annual Motor Tour Collinsville to Lebanon       26-28   International Route 66 Mother Road Festival Springfield

Digital Route 66 serves to honor the Mother Road throughout Illinois as well as Eastern Missouri, spreading the beauty and history of the highway across the globe. Use the menu above to select a town to tour ("Towns on 66"), or to take a look at a historic Route 66 landmark. Each town's page features a history of US 66 in the community as well as a picture tour of the highway through the area. You can also read the history of the road through Illinois and learn how America's Main Street snaked its way through the Prairie State for almost seven decades. New additions are listed below, as are upcoming changes and new features. Feedback and corrections are welcome, as are any other comments. All content is protected under a Creative Commons license; photography is available for non-commercial use by permission.

June 6, 2008: Just in time for the 2008 Illinois Motor Tour, check out the new Blog that details our trips up and down the Mother Road!

June 2, 2008: A new town page for Staunton sports 28 pictures from Rich Henry's Rabbit Ranch on the 1930 Staunton Bypass. More images will pop up for the town - including the rest of the Bypass and Illinois 4's trek through the town proper - in the coming month. Also, six new pictures in Hamel of Scotty's Route 66 Bar & Grill, a highway landmark and Illinois Hall of Famer.

May 28, 2008: Another new town page, this time Braidwood and 12 pictures featuring the classic Polk-a-Dot Drive In restaurant. There are now 627 pictures from along Route 66 in Illinois and Saint Louis on the website, with just over 100 added in 2008.

May 25, 2008: A new town page for Chenoa featuring 19 pictures including the historic Chenoa Pharmacy and the classic downtown stretch. Also, 12 pictures added to Wilmington featuring the Eagle Hotel and Mar Theatre.

May 1, 2008: 24 new pictures from Litchfield including the old Route 66 Cafe and an old motel between the two alignments. Also several new pictures from around the Ariston Cafe and the classic "Vic" Suhling Gas For Less sign.

May 1, 2008: Brand-new history section featuring information about U.S. 66 in the Prairie State.
May 1, 2008: Coming Events and Picture of the Week features added to the front page.
May 1, 2008: The site re-launches! New resolution, larger pictures, more information. And a great new design.

• Brand new town pages for Gardner (with the Riviera, Streetcar and downtown), Lawndale, Lincoln and McLean.
• Additions to Broadwell, Dwight and Towanda.
• Coverage of the Carlinville Alignment (including Staunton) and the old brick pavement along the 1926-1930 corridor.

Throughout the last several years additions included...
• 19 earlier pictures from Farmersville, including Illinois Hall of Fame inductee Art's Motel and Restaurant and its
classic sign prior to restoration in the spring of 2007.
• ~20 pictures added to Mount Olive and Odell, particularly the Mother Jones Monument and the unearthed stairway, as well as updated pictures of Soulsby's Shell Station.
• 28 pictures from Litchfield, including the Ariston and Sky View Drive In.
• 38 pictures from Towanda
• 27 pictures from Lexington
• 20 pictures from rural Waggoner of the Our Lady of the Highways Shrine along west frontage I-55 (old 66.)
• New sections for Atlanta, Broadwell, Sherman and Wilmington, including the Pig-Hip, Launching Pad/Gemini Giant, classic two-lane in Sherman and all of wonderful downtown Atlanta (especially relocated Tall Paul.)
• 9 pictures from North St. Louis, specifically the Stanley Cour-Tel Motel on north Lindbergh Blvd. shortly before its demolition in early 2003 (plus one bonus pic of the Lin Air Motel just south of the Cour-Tel.
• 9 pictures from the Homestead rest area along I-55 south of Hamel. The Route 66-themed rest area houses a manned tourist info booth that welcomes travelers to the Mother Road in Illinois.

Check out several of the pictures from this site in William Simmonds' book Advertising Barns: Vanishing American Landmarks. The book is a fascinating tour of this historic and artistic form of advertising that touches not only on the obvious - like the Mother Road's Meramec Caverns displays - but also products ranging from Pepsi to potato chips hidden in the most picturesque corrners of the Midwest's winding roads. The photography is first rate, and the history of this form of advertising that has all but disappeared is a fascinating read. Pick up a copy and explore.