Route 66 & Highway 1 by Motorhome

Depart the UK on your chosen scheduled flight to Chicago. Upon arrival, independently make your way to your hotel, where you spend the first night of your adventure.

Accommodation

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The Westin Michigan Avenue, Chicago

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The Westin Michigan Avenue, Chicago

The Westin Michigan Avenue offers sophisticated guestrooms and suites, each decorated in a bright, modern colour palette. Westin’s signature Heavenly Beds, featuring down blankets, plush pillows and a sumptuous pillow-top mattress, make sure every night is in complete comfort. Flat screen televisions, refrigerators and wireless internet are standard in every room. Some rooms offer Lake Michigan or Michigan Avenue views and there’s also a selection of spacious suites with upgraded amenities.

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After a night or 2 enjoying the windy city it’s time to make your way to the Cruise America rental location to collect your Motorhome! You are heading for the midwest of the USA – Springfield, Illinois. Welcome to Route 66 – enjoy the museum, shops and maybe dinner at a classic American diner! Visit: Lincoln’s tomb & the Salem State Historic site, a reconstruction of an 1830s village where Abraham Lincoln spent his early adulthood.

Today you are heading for the banks of the Mississippi River & St Louis! No visit to St Louis would be complete without a visit to the countries tallest monument at 630 feet, The Gateway Arch, with its iconic, awe-inspiring shape. The Gateway Arch commemorates Thomas Jefferson and St. Louis’ role in the westward expansion of the United States. Then travel onwards stopping off at Lone Elk Park to enjoy some wildlife viewing before a visit to Route 66 State Park! Visit: take a ride to the top of the iconic Gateway Arch. Enjoy some time viewing the wildlife at Lone Elk Park including bison, wild turkey, elk & deer. Finally, take time to visit Route 66 State Park and be sure to stop off at the visitor centre, which has displays showcasing the road.

Today you are heading through America’s heartland and to Tulsa. Make sure you stop off in Joplin, once a hide out town of that famous duo, Bonnie & Clyde! Vibrant Tulsa was once known as the ‘oil capital of the world’ and is now home to the world’s largest collection of art and artefacts of the American West, superb collections of European art and the fabulous Brady Arts District, where Tulsa’s reputation as a ‘live’ music powerhouse – for jazz, folk, blues, rock and much more – is growing ever-stronger. Visit: the Philbrook and Gilcrease Museums, the Woody Guthrie Center and the music bars and eating places of the Brady Arts District.

Today is a short but memorable drive as you head out along legendary Route 66 to Oklahoma City. Much of the Mother Road is still negotiable, and it’s a living museum of old motels, diners, iconic sights and atmospheric attractions. In Oklahoma City, there’s Western and Native American history and culture galore, the unique atmosphere of Stockyard City – the USA’s largest working cattle market, and the riveting nightlife of Bricktown – alive with music, entertainment and eating places. Visit: en route, visit the Sapulpa Historical Museum, the Lincoln Motel and Chandler’s memorable Route 66 Interpretive Center. In Oklahoma City, check out the Western apparel stores in Stockyard City, the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, the American Banjo Museum and lively Bricktown.

Another comfortable driving day out on Route 66 to Elk City, perhaps following a last drive around Oklahoma City and the pretty, bustling University town of Norman. This section of 66 is the beating heart of the Mother Road, littered with typical Oklahoma townships and unmissable delights – like the mouth-watering fried onion burgers in El Reno, historic Lucille’s Roadhouse and Diner in Weatherford and the two major Route 66 Museums in Clinton and Elk City. Also in Elk City is the vibrant, living history of preserved old buildings from the city’s early days. Visit: Historic Fort Reno, the Mohawk Lodge Indian Store – one of few remaining Indian Trading Posts, Jigg’s Smokehouse and Elk City’s Old Town Museum Complex.

Today is a long drive as you leave Oklahoma and head for Texas “on the way to Amarillo”! But it will be well worth it as there is a lot to see and do. Definitely take time to visit “Palo Duro” (which is Spanish for “hard wood”) Canyon State Park the 2nd largest in the USA, once inhabited by the Apache, Cheyenne & Comanche and consisting of more than 20,000 acres. Whilst in Amarillo visit the American Quarter Horse Heritage Centre, Cadillac Ranch & the Route 66 historic district featuring antiques, boutiques and eclectic dining. Visit: experience Palo Duro Canyon up close and personal, the way the cowboys did: On Horseback. The Old West Stables, located inside the canyon, offers guided tours. If you are heading to Cadillac Ranch be sure to grab some spray paint & enjoy creating your own piece of artwork!

Today you are heading for Americas Southwest and the gateway to New Mexico, Tucumcari. Get your picture taken in front of the Route 66 Roadside Attraction at the Convention Center or the world’s largest mural devoted to Route 66 in the United States. Tour the town during the day to see the other wonderful murals located all over the city and at night to see those famous Route 66 Neon signs. Maybe take a trip to nearby Ute Lake or Conchas Lake State Parks and go picnicking, hiking, boating or fishing. There are also numerous Scenic Byways to see the unique landscape and a variety of wildlife, including herds of antelope and deer, or maybe just relax at the poolside at your KOA campground. ✪ 160 miles ★ Be sure to take lots of pictures of the famous Route 66 neon signs for the photo album!

Today you are heading for Albuquerque the capital of New Mexico. En route take a scenic drive via Santa Fe national forest to Santa Fe which is a world class tourist destination and has long been a center for arts and culture. Due to sales, it now ranks as the USA’s third largest art market with nearly 300 galleries and dealers. American Indians inhabited New Mexico long before the Spanish and their timeless cultures, traditions, arts and beliefs continue to enrich the state today. There are 19 pueblos located around the state, including the Eight Northern Indian Pueblos north of Santa Fe. Take a tour, you’ll learn about Native America’s heritage as well as contemporary cultures in New Mexico. Visit: an Indian pueblo and Santa Fe’s world-famous art galleries & art markets, Santa Fe is famous for its unique shopping, particularly for authentic creations you just won’t find anywhere else!

It is a long drive today as you head for Williams KOA, the gateway to the Grand Canyon, where you are booked for two nights! En route be sure to stop off at Gallup, which some say is the ‘Indian capital of the world’ because of its location in the centre of Native American lands. Once you are at Williams KOA you have three choices for going to the Grand Canyon. Take the hour’s drive so you have all the home comforts; join KOA’s van tour or arrive by rail on the Grand Canyon Railway. Your KOA hosts will help with reservations and taxi to the railway. At the campground you can enjoy live Western music, hayrides, fun-bike rentals, mini-golf and horseback riding. Visit: if you get the chance book and take a helicopter tour of the Grand Canyon (definitely not to be missed!) or maybe a jeep or rafting tour!

Today there is no need to rush away from Williams – so do spend the morning enjoying some of those activities they provide. The drive is 125 miles – 82 more of them along world-famous ‘Route 66’ – where we hope you will continue to get some kicks!! Head for Kingman KOA and unwind in the huge pool, high in the desert surrounded by the Hualapai (Hu-al-a-pie) Mountains. Nearby you can see traces of the pioneer wagon ruts that still mark the Fort Beale Wagon Trail. Visit: a visit to the Route 66 Museum in Kingman is a must.

Enjoy the city that never sleeps – Las Vegas! The Koa next to Circus Circus is right on the Strip which is also home to New York and Paris! Visit: spend the day wandering the Strip and then enjoy one of the many world class acts or shows like Cirque du Soleil. If time permits a visit to the Fremont Street experience is a must with free live entertainment and the amazing light show! TIP!

NOTE: extend your stay for a few nights and head to Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon and some of Utah’s other National Parks.

Heading west, the first stop is another icon of the Colorado River – the world-famous Hoover Dam on the border of Arizona and Nevada. Stop a while and stare at this man-made wonder before heading into Boulder City, then go south and skirt the Providence Mountains before diverting to the Mojave National Preserve. Visit: make the Mojave National Preserve your penultimate stop today, a desert solitude in Southern California, singing sand dunes, volcanic cinder cones, Joshua tree forests, and carpets of wildflowers are all found at this 1.6 million acre park. A visit to its canyons, mountains and mesas will reveal long-abandoned mines, homesteads, and rockwalled military outposts.

If you fancy some shopping then visit one of the two outlet malls and their 100 stores before heading off to explore the city of Angels. Visit: Take a Beverly Hills Tour, experience Venice and Muscle Beach, head to Universal, Disneyland or Knott’s Berry Farm and check out the stars on Hollywood Boulevard!

NOTE: there is an option to end your itinerary here at Los Angeles should you not want to follow the California Coast along Highaway 1.

Leaving Los Angeles today head north on to Route 101 – you are on your way to stay at Santa Margarita Lake KOA. They call the area around Santa Barbara “America’s Riviera” so their beaches & restaurants might make it a natural break on the way. Visit: Chumash Painted Cave to see some of the very elaborate and colourful rock paintings that have survived for five hundred to a thousand years.

Ready to get going towards Santa Cruz today? Please, be sure to stop at that well-known ‘Folly’, Hearst Castle, as you drive through San Simeon – 65 miles into your journey. Take plenty of time to enjoy amazing coastal scenery through the Big Sur and Pebble Beach; enjoy a stop at Carmel or Monterey. Visit: Hearst Castle and stop at Carmel or Monterey, enjoy the Slolife of laid back southern California.

Today you cross the famous Golden Gate Bridge. You are heading for the Petaluma KOA, 34 miles north of that famous icon. A petting farm with cattle, sheep, donkeys, goats and peacocks enhances the ranch atmosphere at this campground. Summertime fun includes an inflatable water slide; bounce house and sunset hayrides – so plenty to do as well the option to take guided tours of San Francisco, which depart daily May through October. Enjoy a second night at Petaluma KOA. Visit: take some pictures of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and maybe even book one of the cycle ride tours over it! Ride the cable car and visit notorious Alcatraz. Spend time enjoying the fantastic, dining, shopping and nightlife of this vibrant city.

If you can, stay a little longer and head to Yosemite. If your time is limited, one of the full day excursions to
Yosemite is well worthwhile. Head back to the Cruise America rental location in Newark, near San Francisco to return your motorhome, make your way to the airport and check in for your flight back to the UK.