Family Route 66 Road Trip Vacation Adventure Historical Americana Travel Experience for Kids

Travel

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Editor's Note: Watch for next month's family vacation travel review about the original Hollywood Wax Museum, located on Hollywood Boulevard just blocks from the segment of Route 66 that runs through Hollywood, California.

Historic Route 66 is a nostalgic family fun road trip like none other. One that every modern American parent might consider taking your family on before the kids all graduate high school.  Constructed almost 90 years ago in 1926, Route 66 was the first highway to run continuously through eight states from the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago, Illinois to the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, California. In its hey day, buzzing with all kinds of small shops and businesses dotting both sides of the roadway, the highway was unbroken, extending for 2,448 miles.

Santa Monica Pier, MommyBlogExpert.com

Many parts of the old road have been displaced in the name of progress and by today's gigantic U.S. Interstate Highway System. Luckily, though, in 2013 it is still possible to take a family friendly vacation along part or all of the original Mother Road route to enjoy the ultimate in American kitsch and pop culture. 

As a child in the 1960s, my family of five and I traveled the whole way from Chicago to Los Angeles in the heat of the summer in my Dad's unairconditioned 2-door sedan without seatbelts. Yes, these were the days not only before seat belts and large coast-to-coast motel and hotel chains existed, it was also a time when posted highway speed limits usually were 80 or 85 miles per hour. For sure, multi-week road trips like this are among my most treasured childhood memories.

When I became a mother of four children within a year -- a big brother followed by girl, girl, boy triplets -- the spirit of Route 66 past beckoned me to return with my own family.

My kids at National Route 66 Museum, Elk City, OK, MommyBlogExpert.com

I've answered that familiar call more than once. In fact, over the years since my kids were small, we've driven Route 66's entire length as well as various segments of this most famous byway across middle America, both on trips where we were accompanied by my hubbie and on adventures when I drove alone with just our children. Along the way, we almost always stayed at vintage roadside mom and pop motels. We also used car seats when the kids were younger and have always worn seatbelts, I can assure you.

Classic Car along Route 66, Kingman, AZ, MommyBlogExpert.com

Along Route 66 there are still so many family friendly fun, historical and educational stops along the way. Whether you choose to make the whole trip or just do a small segment, much awaits you and your kids to enjoy.

My family & I at Meramec Caverns, Stanton, MO, MommyBlogExpert.com

Here are a few of my personal family favorite tourist attractions, some require an admission charge, others are free or in-expensive to visit.

• Santa Monica Pier, Santa Monica, California
• Petrified Forest National Park & Painted Desert, Arizona
• Wigwam Motel, New Mexico
• Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, Texas
• Blue Whale Water Park, Catoosa, Oklahoma
• 11-mile stretch of Route 66 runs through the corner of Kansas
• Meramec Caverns, Stanton, Missouri
• Route 66 Hall of Fame & Museum, Pontiac, Illinois

I reckon it won't be long before Route 66 is calling my name again. There's much, much more that I'd still like to see. So, perhaps I'll be seeing you and your family somewhere along Route 66, the Mainstreet of America real soon!

Culmination of Route 66, Santa Monica, California

Stay tuned: Coming in December is another MommyBlogExpert family friendly travel review about my visit to the Hollywood Wax Museum which is considered to be the U.S.'s longest-running wax museum.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

FTC Disclosure: I am being compensated for this blog post made possible by a partnership with Clever Girls Collective and Hollywood Wax Museum and opinions are mine. See complete FTC Disclosure information that appears at the bottom of MommyBlogExpert's main page and at the bottom of every individual post on this blog, including this one.