Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo, Texas, has inspired a number of imitations in recent years. First, you have Bug Ranch in Conway, Texas. Then there was Combine City in rural Amarillo. Then there was Airstream Ranch in Dover, Fla. Now, according to The Land farming magazine, a fellow in Australia is using old utility vehicles, or … Continue reading Cadillac Ranch goes Down Under
Category: Attractions
Mural erected at Pig-Hip site
A new mural depicting the Pig-Hip restaurant and museum, which burned down last year, was erected at the site in Broadwell, Ill. According to the Lincoln (Ill.) Courier: The painting, by Arlene Waldmire of Rochester, shows both the restaurant and the nearby motel that sat on Route 66 at Broadwell during the heyday of the … Continue reading Mural erected at Pig-Hip site
Rose Bowl soon will open as an events center
It looks like the Rose Bowl along Route 66 in Tulsa soon will open as an events center -- three years after it closed as a bowling alley, reports the Tulsa World. "Our ultimate goal is to create the experience of being in a retro dining hall with food, alcohol and entertainment," said co-owner Sam … Continue reading Rose Bowl soon will open as an events center
Report from the racino hearing
Richard Talley, owner of the Motel Safari in Tucumcari, N.M., sent an e-mail report about the public hearing Thursday night on whether the town should be awarded a license for a horse-racing track and casino, which would be on Route 66 on the city's east side: The meeting went very well last night, with New … Continue reading Report from the racino hearing
New mural at Tucumcari motel
Richard Talley, owner of the Motel Safari on Route 66 in Tucumcari, N.M., sent along these photos of a new mural that's been painted on the motel's drive-up canopy. It was painted by local artist Doug Quarles, and it depicts a young Elvis Presley in a 1959 Cadillac, stopping for the night at the motel. … Continue reading New mural at Tucumcari motel
Better than a lava lamp
The folks at POPS in Arcadia, Okla., apparently have added quite a few colorful tricks to its 66-foot-tall pop bottle. The effect is, well, psychedelic.
Here, the bottles won’t let you down
The Victorville (Calif.) Daily Press published a good article about Elmer Long and his Bottletree Ranch on old Route 66 near Oro Grande, Calif. Be sure to read about his encounter with a Chinese motorcycle club. Long has a blog, although hasn't updated it in months. We met him a few years ago. He's one … Continue reading Here, the bottles won’t let you down
Illinois county sees rise in tourism
Logan County, Ill., reported a 5.8 percent increase in tourism revenues from June 2006 to June 2007, according to the Bloomington Pantagraph. It’s the second year in a row the numbers have increased for Logan County. “I think the key to the whole increase is the rise in traffic we have seen for the Route … Continue reading Illinois county sees rise in tourism
The Blue Dome’s Turkish connection
The Associated Press has a nice article about Tulsa's historic Art Deco architecture, which recently made the cover of Preservation magazine. But here's something I didn't know. The historic Blue Dome gas station, on an old alignment of Route 66 in downtown, was inspired by an ancient church in Turkey. Route 66 fans have architectural … Continue reading The Blue Dome’s Turkish connection
Signing project in Missouri proceeds
This story from the Carthage (Mo.) Press about a recent meeting of the Route 66 Association of Missouri had a few interesting news tidbits, including this one: In the association reports, President Tommy Pike told the group they were about three-quarters finished checking the locations for new signs marking Route 66 across the state. He … Continue reading Signing project in Missouri proceeds