Historic Route 66: Illinois

Discover where Abraham Lincoln's history overlaps with the Mother Road.

The Gemini Giant is a landmark statue on U.S. Route 66 at the eastern entrance to Wilmington, Will County, Illinois. Standing outside the Launching Pad drive-in restaurant, the 30 foot tall statue is one of many giant "Muffler Man" advertising props found throughout the US in the Sixties.

In the national lore surrounding Route 66, the roadway had a distinctly east-to-west directional movement. The eastern terminus of the the storied road was at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois, and from this starting point, Route 66 began its sweeping, arced path through numerous Illinois towns, eventually arriving in Missouri before continuing on its way to Santa Monica, California.

US Highway 66, popularly known as “Route 66,” is significant as the nation’s first all-weather highway linking Chicago to Los Angeles. Explore places along this historic roadway as it passes through Illinois.

If you’re looking for a unique destination in the Midwest chock-full of quaint attractions (think giant rabbits and hot dog-holding lumberjacks) and out-of-the-ordinary points of interest (do you like home-grown maple sirup or mural art?), diners (got a taste for “horseshoes” and pies?) Illinois’ Route 66 is where to want to travel!

Each wayside exhibit is placed in a location that has Route 66 significance and explains that importance through various media forms.

This unique 170 ft. tall water tower was built in 1949 by the W.E. Caldwell Company for the G.S. Suppiger catsup bottling plant - bottlers of Brooks old original rich & tangy catsup.