Route 66 Adventure Handbook is your personal guide to the vanishing American roadside, with all of its exuberance, splendor, and absurdity. For this updated and expanded fourth edition, Drew Knowles has included it all: magnificent architecture, natural wonders, Art Deco masterpieces, vintage motels and cafes, unique museums, offbeat attractions, fascinating artifacts and icons, and kitschy tourist traps. The addition of city maps, showing the multiple paths of Route 66 and displaying the exact locations of points of interest, is a major improvement over the already critically acclaimed third edition of the book. The fourth edition also includes hundreds of beautiful new photographs and the addition of dozens of new attractions. Filled with wonderfully quirky side trips and fun bits of trivia, Route 66 Adventure Handbook is the most authoritative resource for anyone looking to explore the Mother Road. Fasten your seatbelts!

Through the stories of one of Canada's most enthusiastic travellers explore the famous American highway that inspired the likes of Al Capone, Salvador Dali, Mickey Mantle, and the countless fans of this iconic American landmark.

A guide to all the exuberance, splendor, and absurdity of Route 66, this reference includes details on the magnificent architecture, natural wonders, vintage motels and cafes, unique museums, offbeat attractions, fascinating artifacts and icons, and kitschy tourist traps that dot this famous stretch of road.

Begun in 1926 to connect Chicago to Los Angeles, Route 66 was the country's first major east-west thoroughfare. By 1930 it was an important route for both truckers and travellers alike, and in 1939 it became known as 'The Mother Road' thanks to John Steinbeck's classic The Grapes of Wrath. Over the years, hundreds of thousands of Americans travelled this great road from those heading west during the Great Depression to postwar families taking road trips across the country – but by the 1970s four-lane highways, expressways, and tollways had largely supplanted it, and Route 66 fell into disrepair. In this book, authority David Knudson traces the fascinating story of The Mother Road from origins to decline, including the roadside attractions and cottage industries it spawned and the efforts to save and restore it.

The author of the best-selling and critically acclaimed Route 66 Adventure Handbook returns with Route 66 Quick Reference Encyclopedia. In one handy volume, novices and seasoned roadies alike have fast and easy access to all of the essential information about America’s most famous, beloved, and culturally significant highway. Presenting a list of important terms accompanied by descriptive articles and illustrations, the guide details the route’s history—including the origins of the term "Mother Road" and the slogan "Get Your Kicks on Route 66"—as well as its commemorative festivals, quirkiest attractions, and useful highway terms. Fascinating trivia will allow road warriors to impress friends and fellow travelers with their knowledge of the route, while a supplemental list directs dedicated fans to more detailed information on one of the most historic and treasured drives in America. Finally, a set of maps provides both general orientation and points out significant attractions through the use of custom icons. Route 66 Quick Reference Encyclopedia is truly an A-to-Z guide to the absolute best of the Mother Road!

Ride shotgun with the author of Haunted Ozarks on this scary road trip across Missouri’s stretch of the “Main Street of America.” Alongside the nostalgic appeal of Route 66 lurk ghostly roadside hitchhikers, the Goatman of Rolla, amusement park spirits, the Civil War–dead, and the shadows thrown by the mighty Thunderbird. Spanning three hundred dangerously curving miles, the stretch of the Mother Road in Missouri earned the title of “Bloody 66,” and some of its stopping places are marked by equally grim history. The Lemp Mansion saw family members commit suicide one by one. Springfield’s Pythian Castle was an orphanage before becoming a military hospital and housing World War II prisoners of war. Follow Janice Tremeear as she takes a detour down Zombie Road, peers into the matter of the Joplin Spook Light and even stays overnight in Missouri’s most haunted locations to discover what makes the Show Me State such a lively place for the dead.

A literary history of America’s most storied highway, featuring work from Raymond Chandler, Joan Didion, John Steinback, Sylvia Plath, and more. Even before there was a road, there was a route. Buffalo trails, Indian paths, the old Santa Fe trace—all led across the Great Plains and the western mountains to the golden oasis of California. America’s insatiable westering urge culminated in Route 66, the highway that ran from Chicago to Los Angeles. Opened in 1926, Route 66 became the quintessential American road. It offered the chance for freedom and a better life, whether you were down-and-out Okies fleeing the Dust Bowl in the 1930s or cool guys cruising in a Corvette in the 1960s. Even though the interstates long ago turned Route 66 into a by lane, it still draws travelers from around the world who long to experience the freedom of the open road. A Route 66 Companion gathers fiction, poetry, memoir, and oral history to present a literary historical portrait of America’s most storied highway. From accounts of pioneering trips across the western plains to a sci-fi fantasy of traveling Route 66 in a rocket, here are stories that explore the mystique of the open road, told by master storytellers ranging from Washington Irving to Raymond Chandler, Joan Didion, Sylvia Plath, Leslie Marmon Silko, and John Steinbeck. Interspersed among them are reminiscences that, for the first time, honor the varied cultures—Native American, Mexican American, and African American, as well as Anglo—whose experiences run through the Route 66 story like the stripe down the highway. So put the top down, set the cruise control, and “make that California trip” with A Route 66 Companion. “Route 66 has a long and interesting history, and Dunaway . . . has done a fantastic job selecting works of literature about ‘America’s Main Street’ to tell its dynamic story, supplemented by the editor’s own invaluable commentary. . . . [An]all-around remarkable anthology.” —Publishers Weekly “A Route 66 Companion is a great read and should find its way to the hands of any armchair traveler or lover of the history of the American West.” —Oral History Review

In Slightly Slower 66, John Mulhern III writes about traveling a total of 6,094 miles in fifteen days, including eight wonderful days on Route 66 itself. The route goes through sixteen widely (and wildly!) different states including not only stops in the big cities of Chicago, Santa Fe, Los Angeles, and Denver, but also nights spent in the small cities and towns of Tucumcari, Holbrook, and Barstow. The expected adventures on the road yield to visits with friends old and new, encounters with various other Corvettes and other vehicles of interest, and more than a few great places to eat, sometimes in the most unexpected places.

Insight Guides: all you need to inspire every step of your journey. From deciding when to go, to choosing what to see when you arrive, this is all you need to plan your trip and experience the best of the USA on the Road, with in-depth insider information on must-see, top attractions like the Grand Canyon and New York City, and hidden cultural gems like Savannah and the Olympic Peninsula. · Insight Guides USA on the Road is ideal for travellers seeking immersive cultural experiences, from exploring San Francisco, to discovering Niagara Falls · In-depth on history and culture: enjoy special features on New Orleans and Baltimore, all written by local experts · Invaluable maps, travel tips and practical information ensure effortless planning and encourage venturing off the beaten track · Inspirational colour photography throughout - Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books · Inventive design makes for an engaging, easy reading experience About Insight Guides: Insight Guides is a pioneer of full-colour guide books, with almost 50 years' experience of publishing high-quality, visual travel guides with user-friendly, modern design. We produce around 400 full-colour print guide books and maps, as well as phrase books, picture-packed eBooks and apps to meet different travellers' needs. Insight Guides' unique combination of beautiful travel photography and focus on history and culture create a unique visual reference and planning tool to inspire your next adventure.

Route 66 Adventure Handbook is your personal guide to the vanishing American roadside, with all of its exuberance, splendor, and absurdity. For this updated and expanded sixth edition, Drew Knowles has included it all: magnificent architecture, natural wonders, Art Deco masterpieces, vintage motels and cafes, unique museums, offbeat attractions, fascinating artifacts and icons, and kitschy tourist traps. The addition of more city maps, showing the multiple paths of Route 66 and displaying the exact locations of points of interest, is a major improvement over the already critically acclaimed fifth edition of the book. The sixth edition also includes hundreds of beautiful new photographs and the addition of dozens of new attractions. Knowles has also added QR codes for certain locations that will enable the reader to access additional online material, such as more photos, video clips, and scans of vintage memorabilia. Additionally, GPS coordinates have been included for virtually all of the photos, so that travelers can plug the information into their smartphones and other navigation devices and instantly determine where each photo was taken and compare it to the condition of that particular site at the time of their visit. Filled with wonderfully quirky side trips and fun bits of trivia, Route 66 Adventure Handbook is the most authoritative resource for anyone looking to explore the Mother Road. Fasten your seat belts!