Route 66 was the first national highway to cross the midwestern part of the United States. The All-American Road stretches from Chicago to Santa Monica across eight states – Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Cyrus Avery, the first chairman of the State Highway Association nicknamed the highway “the Main Street of America.” John Steinbeck named it “the Mother Road” in his book The Grapes of Wrath.
With 432 miles, Oklahoma is believed to have the most drivable miles of the original road. We drove Route 66 from Oklahoma City to Tulsa.
Route 66 from OKC
Pops 66
Pops 66 was our first stop after leaving Oklahoma City. It has fueling stations, snacks, and souvenirs but is best known for its sodas. They have drinks in every color and flavor you could imagine. I bought three flavors – Dad’s Old Fashioned Red Cream Soda, Dang! That’s Good Root Beer, and Route 66 Sodas Orange Soda. The red cream soda was my favorite.
Arcadia Round Barn
Just down the road, the Arcadia Round Barn was next. This barn was built in 1898 by W.H. Odor and restored in 1992. To see its best feature, take the outside stairs up to the second level. What gorgeous craftsmanship! I can’t imagine the time and patience it took to bend all those wood pieces so they would form the rounded walls and roof.
According to Odor’s son, he figured if they had something round, a tornado “would hit it and go around it instead of through it.”
The 43-foot round barn is free to visit, and there is a small parking lot across the street. It reminded me of the Old Round Church in Vermont; however, this barn is much more circular where the church was a hexadecagon (16-sided) building.
Route 66 Near Tulsa
Many historical sites and fascinating attractions are located in and around Tulsa.
East Meets West Statue
This statue is in the Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza, which sits at the east end of the historic 11th Street Bridge. The first wagon bridge over the Arkansas River, built in 1904, crossed very near the current bridge. Its builders added placards at the tollgates, “You said we couldn’t do it, but we did.”
The East Meets West sculpture depicts the meeting of Cyrus Avery’s family riding west in a Model T car and an eastbound horse-drawn oil field waggoneer.
Meadow Gold Sign
Another tourist draw is the Meadow Gold sign, erected in the 1930s for the dairy company. It is the largest neon sign in Tulas’s landscape with each face measuring 30 feet by 30 feet.
In the same area is a mural featuring Avery in the Model T, the bridge builders’ quote, and the new bridge with the Route 66 shield.
Buck Atom's Cosmic Curios
One of my favorite finds was Buck Atom space cowboy! The 21-foot Muffler Man landed at the 1950s PEMCO gas station in 2019. He serves as an ambassador for the “revitalization of Route 66 in Oklahoma… and beyond!”
When we visited in October, we had the treat of seeing Buck in his Halloween mask. In 2023, he dressed up as “Buckwolf” for the occasion.
The store sells souvenirs, apparel, jewelry, art, and toys. Since I collect pins on my travels, I bought a couple of Route 66-themed ones, including one of Buck.
There is free street parking in the Meadow Gold District, so it is easy to visit the sign, Buck Atom’s, and all the murals along the road.
Golden Driller Statue
The Golden Driller is a 76-foot-tall oil worker and oil derrick. It has been in front of the Tulsa Expo Center since 1966. There is parking right in front of the statue, which makes it very easy to stop and enjoy.
He was originally built for the 1953 International Petroleum Exposition as a temporary feature and was so well-liked he was built again for the 1959 show. In 1979, Oklahoma adopted the Golden Driller as the state monument!
Blue Whale of Catoosa
This blue whale was originally built as an anniversary gift in the 1970s. You can’t help but smile looking at that large grin and tiny baseball cap. It is 20 feet tall and 80 feet long!
The whale and pond became a swim park for family and locals. In 1988, the attraction closed and fell into disrepair. Luckily, the Blue Whale has been restored.
Today, visitors can visit and walk through the whale, but swimming is not allowed. In its head, a ladder leads up to a compartment with windows; however, this was boarded up when we visited. Another ladder takes you up to the top of the tale.
Ed Galloway's Totem Pole Park
North of Tulsa is Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park, a must-see for art enthusiasts. Galloway created the sculptures between 1937 and 1962 as a monument to Native Americans. There are twelve structures including eleven totem poles and one building.
Learn more about Ed and his accomplishments in the totem pole park blog.
Places to Eat
There are many options for food along Route 66 including Rock Café, J’s Country Kitchen, Mother Road Market, and Wildflower Café.
We had lunch at J’s. I had the mushroom Swiss burger and mom had a patty melt. Both were delicious and fries topped off the meal.
Oklahoma’s Route 66 Museum
If you’d like to learn more about the history of Route 66, there are several museums on the topic. We visited the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Oklahoma.
Start your museum tour by walking through the ‘Get Your Kicks on Route 66’ doorway. We read about the history of its construction, saw historical photos, explored exhibits of attractions along the road, and learned its importance in pop culture.
The Highway Patrol was created to control increased traffic and enforce speed limits as people moved west to escape the dust bowl in the 1930s.
In the 1950s, restaurants, gas stations, hotels, and curio shops had developed to provide services and sell to travelers.
Although there are sections still open today, Route 66 ceased to exist as a continuous stretch of highway in the late 1970s as modern interstate highways were completed and Route 66 shields were removed.
This is just a taste of what Route 66 can offer! Each state has its own amazing places to visit. Will Rogers said, “We are here just for a spell and then pass on… so get a few laughs and do the best you can. Live your life so that whenever you lose, you are ahead.” Consider getting a few laughs at these other popular Route 66 stops I’ve seen.
Loved Oklahoma and Route 66! So much to see. I was pleased to see I had a few sugar-free choices at Pops 66. I chose ‘Dang’ Orange. The craftsmanship at Arcadia Round Barn is a must see and the murals, of course, always in my top favorites.