This is why you're here. There's all the small towns and sharp curves and miles of open road, but the real attraction these days are the landmarks: the places and people that made Route 66 the legend it is today. Be it a restaurant, a place to fuel up or a makeshift advertisement, these stops have stood the test of time and today serve as historic reminders of twentieth century America on the road.

Listed below are categories of landmarks in Illinois; several are pictured, but to get a better view visit the page dedicated to each type. A few additional landmarks are featured on the Hall of Fame page covering the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame.

As Route 66 wound its way through the fertile farmlands of the Prairie State, an intrepid businessman from Missouri found a novel way to promote his attraction. Lester Dill, owner of Meramec Caverns in Stanton, Missouri offered to paint barns along the Mother Road (and other highways) with one catch: the paint job featured an ad for his business. Many farmers took him up on the offer, and the result was inexpensive maintenance for the family farm and cheap advertising for one of Route 66's most famous landmarks. Today two barns along Route 66 in Illinois still feature markings promoting the infamous caves, both having been restored in recent years by the Route 66 Association of Illinois. See and learn more about barns along Route 66 in Illinois.

The run of Route 66 through Illinois is flat fertile farmland, with the highway missing most of the major rivers the state has to offer. There are more than the fair share of small streams and creeks, though, in addition to the several rivers the road must cross - including the biggest in the country at the border with Missouri. There the Chain of Rocks Bridge carried traffic for three decades, its narrow width and unexpected curve making it not only a historic oddity but an architectural one as well. Pedestrians and cyclists can cross the bridge today, and occasionally during a motor tour Trailnet allows cars to pass for a small fee that helps maintain the property. Most of the small bridges in Illinois are nothing to take note of, but this one's a classic. See and learn more about bridges along Route 66 in Illinois.

Back before eighteen screen multiplexes dominated, residents along Route 66 could fire up the gas guzzler and cruise into the local drive-in to catch a piece of American culture. Today the drive-ins are practically part of that culture's past, a relic that's often hard to find across the Midwest. A few are left scattered across rural Illinois, including the only active theatre on Route 66 in the Prairie State: the SkyView Drive-In in Litchfield. The remnants of the Bel-Air Drive-In in Mitchell are also still visible; while the screen and buildings have been torn down, the 50's era sign remains, albeit missing a letter, and demonstrate to travelers what much of the highway used to look like. Another drive-in theatre also operates in Springfield close to Route 66 - just east of old Chatham Road. See and learn more about drive-ins along Route 66 in Illinois.

It's a little hard to drive Route 66 without gas. With the advent of the road and the explosion of the number of automobiles in America came an increasing number of gas stations across the country. Illinois residents saw a plethora of service stations pop up along Route 66 as residents opened mom-and-pop businesses that changed oil and dispensed petrol. Several of those small town stations have been recently restored and preserved so that today's tourists can be taken back in time by their classic designs and ridiculously low prices for a gallon of gas - too bad you can't actually purchase any for those teeny amounts. Amongst all the landmarks along the road in Illinois, clearly the service stations along the way are some of the most vibrant and attractive. See and learn more about gas and service stations along Route 66 in Illinois.

Sleeeeeep! The trip across America can be a long, dreary one if the driver is not well-rested. Luckily there has always been plenty of opportunity to catch some winks across Illinois. Before chain hotels moved in and locally owned sleep shops became just another unoriginal franchisee travelers would find a wide array of original hotels and motels begging for their business. Art's Motel and Restaurant in Farmersville still operates to this day, and the relics of other classic motor courts are visible along the frontage of the Mother Road as well. Many of them featured eye-catching art deco and googie-style signage, particularly a duo on the Chain of Rocks Road just several miles east of the Mississippi River. See and learn more about hotels and motels along Route 66 in Illinois.

One of the easiest and cheapest businesses for locals to open up along America's Main Street was a restaurant; all you needed was dining space (or, in some cases, a sidewalk for travelers to stand on), a kitchen and a flashy sign. Preferably neon. From the originator of the corn dog - the Cozy Dog in Springfield - to a business that moved to follow the highway...twice - the Ariston in Litchfield - to one of the most famous landmarks along the entire run of the road - Ted Drewes' Frozen Custard - Route 66 in Illinois and eastern Missouri was full of great places to satiate your hunger. And many of them - including all three mentioned here - still operate to this day. It's a crime to travel the highway and not sample the cuisine from these favorites. See and learn more about restaurants along Route 66 in Illinois.

All of the restaurants, motor courts, gas stations and other local mom and pop shops along Route 66 had one thing in common: they were unknown entities that had to attract your business in order to survive. The easiest way to do it was with a flash sign, and the art of the billboard matured along America's highways in the middle of the twentieth century. From bright neon to cartoonish food, the variety of the signs provided not only a way to get travelers to stop but also entertainment for those motorists as each business tried to top the next. The generic, sky high logos of today's omnipresent chains have nothing on these local businesses that made their living by drawing your attention. Many remain today and grab your eyeballs like little else along Historic Route 66. See and learn more about classic signs along Route 66 in Illinois.

You have friends as you travel Route 66 in Illinois. All across the US "Muffler Men" watch over various businesses, and in Wilmington the Gemini Giant - spacesuit and all - is no exception as he welcomes motorists to the historic Launching Pad restaurant on the north end of town. Tall Paul used to reside at a hot dog stand in Cicero, but today he's retired to the south - to Atlanta, Illinois where the downtown stretch is guarded by his presence. A statue of a different sort watches over Route 66 south of Waggoner, and here it truly is the Mother Road: the Shrine of Our Lady of the Highways has been located here since 1959 and the cararra marble statue has served as a spot for prayer for many travelers throughout the road's history.