This Illinois Scenic Byway Is The Road Trip Of A Lifetime
The Bean throws back the Chicago skyline, a pink elephant guards a scrapyard menagerie in Braidwood, and a 70-foot ketchup bottle still towers over Collinsville. This is Illinois' 300-odd miles of Route 66, the Mother Road's first leg and arguably its most crowded with roadside legend. Famed and familiar landmarks abound, like the neon at Lexington's Memory Lane, Lincoln's fingerprints on his Springfield home and on the funeral train that rolled through Bloomington, and the maple syrup at Funk's Grove that has drawn drivers off the pavement for generations. What follows is a four-day run down the byway, from Chicago to East St. Louis, stringing those stops together the way they deserve to be driven. One note for winter travelers: watch road conditions and closures, since snow and ice can shut down stretches of this route in winter.
Day 1: The Two Cities
Begin your journey by seeing the best of Chicago, starting with the giant silver sculpture that is Cloud Gate, more commonly known as The Bean. Pose for a photo-op and walk through vast Millennium Park in the morning, looking out over the turquoise waters of Lake Michigan. Then have a slice of classic Chicago deep-dish pizza at local chain Giordano's across from Millennium Station, or eat it on the road while driving down to Joliet.
Your first afternoon stop in Joliet, after your hour-long drive from Chicago, should be the Old Joliet Prison, the city where cult classic The Blues Brothers was filmed. The historic prison offers both self-guided and 90-minute guided tours, educating visitors on its old-fashioned penitentiary roots from 1858, housing inmates until its closure in 2002. While in Joliet, fans of the Blues Brothers should check out Rich & Creamy, as well, and get an ice cream or a banana split there. If the prison is not your cup of tea, try the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66, presenting Illinois' musical history in visual and interactive formats.
Day 2: Animal Sculptures, Route 66 Attractions & Museums
After your day in Chicago and Joliet and a night of hard-earned rest post-sightseeing, drive half an hour south to the Braidwood Zoo, displaying sculptures of animals like giraffes and a pink elephant, crafted with plastic and metal scraps by artist Jack Barker. Drive another half an hour to Odell, and see the vintage Standard Oil of Illinois Gas Station, due to the state's important role in the empire of John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company. And the Pontiac Mural, just 10 minutes south, remains one of the most recognized Route 66 markers. Go even further to see the iconic Lexington Route 66 Memory Lane billboard and well-traveled strip. Get a milkshake at The Shake Shack while visiting Lexington, where former US President Abraham Lincoln's funeral train rode through.
Finish your day in Bloomington, another place significant to President Lincoln's legacy. There are plenty of museums to peruse for a couple of hours, like the McLean County Museum of History or the Prairie Aviation Museum. Or, perhaps the Miller Park Zoo, which has real animals, and not sculptures. Get a good night's sleep at a hotel along Route 66, like the comfortable DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Bloomington.
Day 3: En Route to Springfield & Beyond
Start your morning by driving southwest to Springfield, but first make a few stops in Funk's Grove and McLean. Satisfy that sweet tooth at Funk's Grove Pure Maple Syrup Farm, selling maple syrup through the spring and summer, perfect for a summer road trip. The antiquated McLean Town Park has a peaceful natural setting and yet another Historical Marker for the journey onward.
Arrive in the state's capital of Springfield by midday, and check out all the historical attractions. There is the educational factor of the Illinois State Museum, especially for those with kids, and the National Park Service's Lincoln Home National Historic Site, and famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright's Dana-Thomas House State Historic Site, to name a few. Spend the night at the Route 66 Hotel & Conference Center, a popular choice for travelers of this byway, especially because of their luxurious Jacuzzi suites, much-needed after all this travel.
Day 4: Head to East St. Louis
Begin the final leg of the journey at the Chatham Depot & Railroad Museum, a possible point of interest for history buffs and train lovers, and see the well-preserved interior of a train station attendant's desk, about 15 minutes south of Springfield. Choose one of two routes to finish up the trip, either through Auburn and Carlinville, or to the east through Farmersville and Litchfield. In Auburn, the Illinois Brick Road is still paved almost 100 years later. Carlinville has a Mother Road Antique Mall for interesting knick-knacks, as well as the Carlinville Historic District with architecture still standing from the 19th century.
Alternatively, Farmersville has Caddyshack Sports Bar & Grill for lunch, and Litchfield has its very own Litchfield Museum & Route 66 Welcome Center, honoring travelers who are making the journey, not to mention the old-fashioned Route 66 Drive Inn Sign. Both routes join up in Collinsville, where the World's Largest Catsup Bottle can be admired, and the journey will be almost complete, with East St Louis only less than 20 minutes away.
After the Illinois Segment
Continue on Route 66 past the Illinois state border into St. Louis, Missouri. Maybe even finish the whole of Route 66 at the official endpoint in Southern California's Santa Monica, although the historic endpoint was in Los Angeles. Keep those memories close to you with photos and keepsakes, like maybe some authentic maple syrup from Funk's Grove, or something from the Mother Road Antique Mall in Carlinville. Route 66 is always there and waiting for new adventurers to travel its roads, old and new.
