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Now You Too Can Get Your Kicks on Route 66! Route 66 found fame in the history books and hearts of the American population through its many appearances in songs, movies and television series. The road was immortalised in the film The Grapes of Wrath - leading impoverished Americans to the promised land via ‘the Mother Road’, and was brought up to date with the film Easy Rider which inspired a cult following of Harley Davidson and classic car drivers who still pilgrimage to travel this famous stretch of America. Its fame was further confirmed with the Rolling Stone’s classic version “Get Your Kicks on Route 66”. Route 66, probably the most famous highway in American history, was one of the first roads to span the continent. 2,400 miles in length, the original Route 66 began in Chicago at Michigan and Adams – near Buckingham Fountain and passed through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California, ending at the Pacific Ocean near Los Angeles. Visitors to Chicago and Illinois can still experience the 1920s promise of Route 66 by searching out traditional sites along the way: old gas stations, vintage signs, the Route 66 Museum at the Dixie Truck Stop or the Funks Grove Maple Syrup Farm. On route, they can stop off at one or two of over forty historic cafés and restaurants scattered along the freeway including the Old Log Cabin Restaurant in Pontiac. To celebrate two pieces of American history in one trip, increasingly tourists are travelling along Route 66 to visit the town where Abraham Lincoln was born – the fascinating state capital called Springfield. Just a few hours away from Chicago, Springfield offers a seamless blend of past and present: visit Lincoln’s 19th century firsthand and experience a recreated log-building village in New Salem, Lincoln’s home and the Old State Capital. The new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum and is scheduled to open in spring of 2005 where visitors will see hands on the drama and emotion of Lincoln’s remarkable journey. Apart from 1920s America, Route 66 passes by many other places of interest in Illinois. Stunning Frank Lloyd Wright architecture and Cahokia Mounds (remnants of an ancient city dating from 700-1400AD) are just a few reasons to add a few extra days onto a trip to Chicago.
For more information or to obtain a brochure, call the Chicago & Illinois Tourist Office’s Freephone Brochure Line on 08700 503410 or visit online www.gochicago.com For further information or photography, (media only) please contact Jackie Cooper PR:
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