Welcome to Roadside Wonderland

How lucky we were to arrive in St Louis and drive down Grand Boulevard just as the sun was setting, the vintage streetlamps were glowing, and the breathtaking Fox Theatre neon sign was all aglow. Our eyes were exploding with neon joy. The Fox Theatre, known locally as The Fabulous Fox, opened as a movie palace in 1929. It was, at the time, the second largest theatre in the United States, with 5060 seats. It was designed by C Howard Crane in a kind of regency Asian style known

How lucky we were to drive over McKinley Bridge at magic hour! Picturesque x 1 million. Bridge aficionados will recognize this as a steel truss bridge….. hmmm, yes, I thought so. It opened in 1910 in a blaze of glory as a combined rail and car bridge, and then slowly fell into disrepair. In 1978 it became a vehicle only bridge and then it was taken out of service and closed all together in 2001. It was finally given a major overhaul and was re-opened to traffic in 2007. The

The Luna Cafe, with its aged wooden siding, large verandah, and epic neon sign, has been going strong since it first opened in 1924 - yes - 1924!!! It pre-dates Route 66! It is steeped in local legend, including the rumor that Al Capone was a regular customer, and that there was a secret casino in the basement. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. It is said that when the ruby colored glass red cherry on the neon sign was lit up, a certain type of lady was in the house, ea

The Greenway Motel sign must have once been a shining beacon in the small town of Mitchell Illinois. It seems to have way oversold the nondescript mid century beige brick motor court style motel it proudly heralded. The neon is now gone, but the epic arrow style sign remains, complete with (non working) light box that once highlighted the Motels Route 66 pedigree. We also love the tiny tacked on sign advising there are now telephones in every room. It had the look of perm

This sweet little sign is all that remains of the circa 1940’s Apple Valley Motel. The adorable 11 room motor court was destroyed by fire in 2016. It was just one of hundreds of roadside motels that opened during the motor court boom of the post-war 40’s and 50’s as American families took to the roads for family road trips. The Apple Valley Motel had a little wooden front office and covered driveway that led to 11 first floor rooms, arranged in a U shape, with parking s

They’re modern, they’re retro, and their design even gives a passing nod to Mondrian. They’re the matching set of small-town murals that make up the Route 66 postcard trail. Often, they’re located near the 6 on 66 monuments, giant Route 66 shields, and this one is across the road. Each of the Route 66 postcard murals depict things that are unique to their location. In Hamel these include a cross from the circa 1931 St Paul Lutheran church, the Hamel water tower, a bicycle f

The Welcome to Hamel billboard is a double whammy - it’s painted on both sides! It stands in a pretty little garden and has the same classic car / retro license plate / road trippin’ theme that so many billboards along Route 66 have. Is it a rule or something? Anyhoo .. it is fun to see the same theme interpreted in so many different ways as you drive along. Standing right next to the billboard is a 6 on 66 monument. These are dotted along Route 66 and we love them, they ar

Wheezies???? ... as in the asthmatic penguin from Toy Story!??? No … Weezy’s, as in the historic roadhouse on Route 66 in Hamel Illinois. This Weezy’s opened in 1937 as a roadhouse named Tourist Haven. Over the decades it has had quite a few name changes, from Village Inn to Earnie’s Roadhouse, to Scotty’s Bar & Grill. Brilliantly, each time the roadhouse was re-christened and re-christened again, the new owner would keep all its predecessors' signage, and it is all displ

We love the Route 66 Postcard trail - a series of giant postcard style murals depicting local highlights. The Welcome to historic Livingston mural sits in the perfect spot on the wall of the former Livingstone High School building, now an antique mall…. and it’s the perfect spot because the local highlights depicted on the mural, a pink elephant and a Futuro house - are right there on the grounds of the antique mall. The mural also depicts classic cars, and an ice cream c

The Livingston Muffler Man stands alone in a field beside The Livingston Antique Mall (where you’ll find many other giant things, from a giant tricycle to a giant pink elephant) He is a Paul Bunyon style muffler man, standing at around 15 feet tall, but he is missing his axe, so his jazz hands look a little lonely. The Livingstone Antique Mall owners found this muffler man in Kentucky and shipped him to Illinois. He lived inside the antique mall before being moved into th

The Pink Elephant Antique Mall, along Route 66 in Livingstone Illinois, is one of the greatest stops we have ever made. It’s a roadside wonderland all by itself. Housed in the old circa 1929 Livingston High School Building, the antique mall hosts more than 50 dealers, a little diner, and a 1950’s themed ice cream shop. (if you get ice cream you can sit outside in a giant ice cream cone to eat it) Inside the antique mall, keep your eyes out for the two GIANT kit kat cloc

Ok, this is an iffy one … technically Henry’s Rabbit Ranch has now closed to the public after the death of its creator Rich Henry. However, part of it, including the vintage gas station and pumps can be seen from the street. (but the store and little museum are closed) Also sadly, the live bunnies (in its heyday there were more than 50 of them!) no longer reside here, and the collection of Volkswagen rabbits cannot be seen from the street. This is private property so we d

Here is something we have learned travelling across America - gas stations can be adorable - who knew!? They can be modern day Buc-ees style adorable, and they can be retro and vintage style adorable - who knew we would look forward to visiting a gas station!? The Soulsby Shell service Station in Mt Olive Illinois is a perfect example - ADORABLE!! This circa 1926 “house with canopy” style of service station was designed by the original owner, Henry Soulsby. He designed it

Any time’s a good time for pie…. so even though we weren't really hungry, and in the name of Roadside Wonderland research, (yes, we did it for YOU), we stopped at The Ariston Cafe - and if you’re passing by, you should too! We sat at the very vintage counter and had very modern baklava pie - recommended! The beautiful neon clad Ariston cafe is the oldest along Route 66. It began its life in 1924 in Carlinville Illinois but followed the mother road and moved to Litchfield

The Saga Motor Hotel, along old route 66 in Pasadena is a mid-century classic. It was designed in 1959 by Harold Zook in a beautiful mix of Moorish fonts and details and mid-century clean lines and breeze blocks. Its huge neon sign has been designated as a Pasadena Historic Sign. Our first retro delight upon checking in was to be given an actual key to access our room. There are adorable rooms around the pool, with tiny private terraces and breeze block privacy screens. We