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Planting a Tree

Experience the Route 66 Car Museum

Updated: Dec 30, 2023

Route 66, built in the 1920’s, was one of the very first highways in the US. This iconic roadway ran from Chicago, IL to Los Angeles, California.


Route 66 passes covers nearly 2,500 miles, passing through these 7 states:


  • Illinois

  • Missouri

  • Kansas

  • Oklahoma

  • Texas

  • New Mexico

  • Arizona

  • California


Did you know that Springfield, Missouri is called the official birthplace of Route 66? The city got that title when a telegram was received at Springfield's Colonial Hotel proposing "US-66" as the name for the new cross-county highway.


Kids in Vintage Car at Rt 66 Car Museum

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The city has plenty of attractions to commemorate this special designation including a Route 66 Springfield Visitor Center, car shows, an annual Route 66 Mother Road Festival, historic diners, and even a Route 66 Car Museum.


We recently visited the Route 66 Car Museum in Springfield, MO. Below, we share our experience.


The Experience

We drove to Springfield and easily found the Route 66 Car Museum, located on College Street, along a section of the original Route 66. The building style is a large warehouse with black and white checkered gables.


 
 

Parking

Parking here is free. There was ample room to park and they were not very busy at all! There were just a few other guests there during our visit, so we got a spot right up front.


Ticket Prices

Upon entering, we paid for our group of 5 which ended up costing around $52. Not bad! The prices during our visit were:


  • $15 per Adult (and Older Kids 11+)

  • $13 per Senior

  • $5 for Kids (10 & under) - I think the sign on the door might actually say 14 and under

  • FREE for Babies (2 & under)

The gentleman at the counter was very friendly and let us know that there was a special car in the back that the kids could sit in for a photo. Once we paid, we were off to see the cars.


 

▶▶▶ Shop Road Trip Essentials ▶▶▶

 

Cars

There are over 75 cars parked inside the Route 66 Car Museum, with a showing of a little bit from each decade in the past two centuries, with some extra special rides sprinkled in (like the Batmobile and Ghostbuster wagon). During our visit, we had all the time in the world to peruse the museum, and since it wasn’t busy, we didn’t feel rushed at all. We ended up walking around for about 45 minutes to an hour.


Each car has a small sign that gives a little bit of history about what kind of car it is, where it came from, and what its use was.


Here’s a sample of a few of the interesting cars we saw inside the Route 66 Car Museum:


  • 1907 REO Model G

  • 1925 Model T Station Wagon

  • 1932 Ford M-1

  • 1936 Buick Century

  • 1948 Chrysler Woodie

  • 1979 Rolls Royce

  • 1983 DMC Delorean

  • Jaguar Coupes (multiple years)

  • Packard Safari Tour Wagon

  • Classic Sports Cars (multiple styles & years)



Photo-Op for the Kids

As promised, when we finished looking at all the neat cars, we asked the gentlemen at the front which car the kids could climb aboard. He escorted us to the back to a sweet ride. See their excitement in the cover photo (well, at least one of them is showing his excitement)!


Gift Shop

Before we left, we checked out the gift shop. We found out quickly that it was not your usual gift shop shopping experience. It included some typical souvenirs like t-shirts, hats, and shot glasses, signs, and Route 66 gear—but the rest of this area was filled with antiques and memorabilia like old oil cans, used snow globes, and old kitchen canisters from the 80s. This truly made for a one-of-a-kind shopping experience where you might find something unique.


What our youngest loved about the gift shop was that it included a big selection of $1 used Hotwheels! The gift shop also had a huge selection of used license plates, which the guys in our group were thrilled to look through.



Is the Route 66 Car Museum worth it?

The Route 66 Car Museum was a neat thing to see. And compared to other attractions in Springfield, this attraction is affordably priced. If someone in your family is really into cars and history, they would really enjoy this treasure. For these folks, yes it’s worth it!

The Route 66 Car Museum is a good place to go when you're looking for something to do indoors in Springfield, Missouri. It doesn't take too long to see everything, and the atmosphere is pleasant and uncrowded. One thing to keep in mind is that this is mostly a hands-off museum, and they don't want you touching the cars. So, it was a little bit of a struggle to keep our 5-year-old from touching these cool rides!


More Road Trip Stops to Check Out

Some tourist traps are worth stopping for! Meramec Caverns was the gateway tourist stop that led me to start checking out some of these billboard attractions along the interstate.

I had gone on a camping trip with a friend and he suggested we stop in at Meramec Caverns on our way back home—and we figured, why not check it out?


Located just a few miles off I-44 near Sullivan, Missouri, this detour was well worth it.


I was impressed with the cave, the tour, the staff, and the facility. Plus, I found out that it’s much more than just a cave.


They have a climbing wall, ropes course, camping, floating, boat tour, ice cream, & more.


Check out what else they have to offer in our Meramec Caverns Experience. 👈


Another favorite roadtrip stop of ours is Uranus Fudge Factory.


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