July 6 2024

What to See on Route 66 – Illinois – Part 2 (Lexington to Williamsville)

Jen Illinois, National Parks, Route 66, Travel By State

THE JOURNEY CONTINUES

Welcome to part 2 of the Illinois Route 66 adventure! The first part covered from Chicago to Pontiac and this part picks up in the next town of Lexington and takes you through Williamsville. So, let’s hope right in and get to it…there is a lot to see!

LEXINGTON, IL

Getting on the road after enjoying the beauty and artistry of the murals in Pontiac, and celebrating the long awaited Pontiac mural photo op with Smurf-vette, we are back on the road again. Lexington was our next stop. Lexington has a “Memory Lane” which is a preserved stretch of the original Route 66 dating back to 1926. This stretch is not open to drive on but is a short walk to reminisce with 1940’s era vintage billboards and Burma Shave signs. We saw Uncle Vait’s Pizza, which was formerly Kelly’s on 66 until 2021, and it had some neat decor on the outside, including a stunt motorcyclist above the patio area. Across the street was a giant metal elephant sculpture made of bumpers, hubcaps, and a bunch of other items. I love all things elephants, so of course I made time to snap a pic here too.

: Lexington sign

: Uncle Vait's Pizza

: Metal elephant sculpture

TOWANDA, IL

Towanda had some fascinating historical information for Route 66 through here. Some sites we saw:

Approaching Towanda is the Towanda Speedway display of race cars and other memorabilia. The front side of the property has Joe’s Garage on Route 66 which is said to have a unique personal collection of memorabilia (closed when we went thru).
For those with FOMO, Towanda also has an original section of 1926 Route 66. The sign indicates the width of the original hard road was only 16 feet wide and constructed from Portland cement. The road immediately in front of you (which you drove in on) is the upgraded Route 66 known as the 1954 alignment. 3.5 miles of the original southbound lanes of this alignment have been preserved and converted into the Linear Parkway.
Dead Man’s Curve is a sharp, 90 degree curve on historic Route 4 that became Route 66 in the 1940’s during a realignment. This was the location of many accidents from 1926 to 1959 due to drivers misjudging the curve. At only 18 feet wide, the roadway had to handle two-way traffic. There were so many accidents at this curve that the Illinois State Police dubbed it “Dead Man’s Curve.” This curve was bypassed after WWII and currently (and ironically?) the Towanda Fire Department is located on this curve.

: Towanda Speedway display of race cars

: Towanda Speedway race cars

: Towanda Speedway race cars

: Welcome to Towanda sign

: Historic Route 66 sign as seen on the original roads

: Direction to the original stretch of road

: Original road from 1926-1947 preserved next to the newer roadway so it can still be seen

: Smurf-vette on the original section of road

: Informational sign about the original Route 66

: Dead Man's Curve

: Smurf-vette at the beginning of Dead Man's Curve

: Dead Man's Curve Info sign

BLOOMINGTON-NORMAL, IL

Sprague’s Super Service Station is a 2 story, Tudor Revival style building that housed a cafe, gas station and garage for the traveling public while the upper floor served as housing for the owner and station attendant. The building has been updated inside and restored outside and now contains a gift shop (closed when we were there).

: Bloomington Route 66 sign

: Sprague's Super Service Station

: Sprague's Super Service Station

McLEAN, IL

Illinois’ oldest truck stop, the Dixie Trucker’s Home, opened in 1928 and is still serving Route 66 and Interstate 55 travelers. This Dixie started as a mechanic’s garage and the cafe was later added as a single counter with 6 stools. Today it is a modern Road Ranger truck stop but it still reflects its roots as a Route 66 icon. The McLean Depot served as the halfway point between St. Louis and Chicago on a bustling railroad route. The depot was built in 1853 and is the oldest building in town and is also a rare wooden depot. Another rarity for the depot, it is one of only 2 stations still standing in Illinois that witnessed the 1965 funeral train carrying President Abraham Lincoln’s coffin to Springfield. On site are some interesting and unique tiny rail cars plus a photo op for Smurf-vette.

: Smurf-vette at the McLean sign

: Shadow sculpture of gas attendant and pump

: Dixie's Truck Stop

: Information about Dixie's

ATLANTA, IL

Atlanta was a super cute little town with a walk-able downtown area that beckons travelers to check out the little shops if you have time. It proved to be a great place to work on my FOMO for driving the “old road” plus it was a Muffler Man “giants” mecca.

On the edge of town is the drivable Route 66 exhibit where you can drive a quarter-mile stretch of original roadway replicating a 1920-30s experience which still maintains the 18 foot width and 9 foot lanes. Along the road you’ll see a yellow era-specific stop sign (discontinued due to being hard to see after dark), speed limit and Atlanta population signs and a classic black and white Route 66 shield.
A restored Texaco station houses the American Giants Museum and tells the story of International Fiberglass, the creators of the Muffler Man and other iconic roadside figures. By 2026, this property will have 6 giants and it currently has 2: The “Snerd” Giant was installed in June 2023 and the Texaco Big Friend Giant was just installed in May 2024. This muffler man giant was 1 of 300 created in the 60s exclusively for Texaco. After problems with them falling over, Texaco recalled all of them and they were destroyed. Fortunately, 6 station owners kept their giants and one can be seen here. Although small inside there were quite a few displays on a variety of giant fiberglass figurines.
Paul Bunyan Giant. This 19-foot tall muffler man giant was originally located in Cicero, IL at a hot dog stand named Bunyon’s. This customized giant originally held an axe but now holds its famous hot dog and was moved from the roof of the hot dog stand to the ground so patrons could walk through the legs to enter the business. The hot dog stand closed in 2003 and the giant was restored and moved to Atlanta.
Atlanta Public Library and Clock Tower. The library was built in 1908 and is a historic, octagon-shaped building. The clock tower is 40 feet tall and is of newer construction but the clock movement is a historic 1909 Seth Thomas that is hand cranked by local volunteers who are on a schedule year round. Once cranked, the clock can run for 8 days.
Route 66 Park is a modern park with a mural depicting Atlanta as the midway point on the Illinois Mother Road. There is also a spring fed fountain that still runs (I drank some and lived to tell about it).
J.H. Hawes Elevator. This historic grain elevator was built in 1903 along the railroad and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Smiley Face Water Tower is one of seven smiley face water towers in Illinois but its the only one on Route 66. It’s hard not to smile after spending a little time in this fantastic, quaint town.

: Welcome to Atlanta billboard

: Smurf-vette on the old road

: Information about the old road

: Smurf-vette on the old road

: Restored Texaco and the Big Friend giant

: Texaco, Big Friend and Snerd giants

: The "Snerd" giant

: Inside the Texaco - Giants Museum

: Info about the "Traffic Stopper" giant

: Info about the International Fiberglass Company

: Info about the Big Friend giant

: Fate of the Big Friends

: Miss Uniroyal's Foot/Leg

: Mama Burger and Baby Burger

: Tomahawk

: Esso - Put a Tiger in your Tank

: Carved Eagle to commemorate 9/11

: Paul Bunyan giant

: Paul Bunyan giant information

: Strength meter and murals next to Paul Bunyan

: Historic building

: Judy & Sons Grocery mural

: Chubby's mural

: Information about businesses in Atlanta

: Octagon shaped library and hand cranked clock tower

: Route 66 Park - IL Midway Mural

: Midway IL mural info

: Spring fed fountain

: J.H. Hawes Grain Elevator

: Smiley Face Water Tower

LINCOLN, IL

Lincoln had a lot of road construction and detour routes when we went through it but we still found a few neat things along the way.

The Route 66 Corner Garage was an old Sinclair and still has the famous green dinosaur out front and a pair of pumps. It has been re-invented as an antiques and collectibles store.
The Mill on 66 opened in 1929 on the original alignment of Route 66. It became famous as a sandwich stand and then a bar/restaurant until it closed in 1996 when it sat empty for 10 years. The Mill spent a decade being renovated and is now open as a museum.
The Railsplitter Covered Wagon. This wagon is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the “World’s Largest Covered Wagon.” (You may notice Smurf-vette looks a little different in this picture – I actually took this pic several years ago when I was visiting Lincoln)

: The Route 66 Corner Garage

: The Mill on 66

: Info about the Mill

: Railsplitter Covered Wagon

: Railsplitter Covered Wagon

: Railsplitter Covered Wagon Info

ELKHART, IL

The Elkhart mural is 36 feet long and 8 feet tall and was created in 2017. The shadow sculpture of a little girl being served by a waitress tells the story of the time in 1938 when Shirley Temple stopped at The House by the Side of the Road Cafe for lunch after watching her “Little Miss Broadway” premiere in Springfield. The cafe owner put a cardboard likeness of Shirley and an autographed menu on the table and permanently roped it off.

: Elkhart Station Mural

: Elkhart mural

: Shadow figure of Shirley Temple

: Info regarding Shirley Temple's visit

WILLIAMSVILLE, IL

The Old Station looks like a restored Texaco station with old pumps out front where gas used to cost 31 cents per gallon!

: The Old Station

: Regular was 31 cents a gallon!

STAY TUNED

We are 2/3’s of the way done with Illinois. Join me on the next post where we pick back up in Springfield and make it all the way to the Missouri border.

Thanks for following along!