Historic Route 66

Welcome to Chicago! If you purchased airline tickets from YMT Vacations, a friendly YMT representative will greet you at the airport and transport you to your hotel. Take a seat and enjoy an included pizza welcome feast. Connect with your new travel companions over big slices of Chicago’s famous deep-dish pizza at one of the Windy City’s pizza parlors. (D)

This morning you will enjoy a panoramic city tour of Chicago and visit the intersection of E. Adams and S. Michigan in Downtown Chicago is the official starting point of Route 66—look for signs during your stop at the place where millions of people have set off down the Mother Road since 1926. Enjoy an educational architecture tour on the Chicago River. Expert docents will explain the history of more than 50 buildings, and how they played a part in Chicago’s thrilling story. (B)

Today you hit the open road. Travel west to Pontiac, home of the Route 66 Hall of Fame & Museum. Enjoy the nostalgic exhibits, then have lunch on your own. Next stop is Lincoln’s tomb, the resting place of the 16th President. Pull into St. Louis late this afternoon. (B)

This morning you will ride a tram 630 feet up to the top of the St. Louis’ Gateway Arch, located at Gateway Arch National Park, then set off for Branson, the “Live Music Capital of the Universe.” Relax on your own this evening or join us for an optional. (B)

Travel from Branson to Oklahoma City by way of Galena, Kansas. Route 66 goes right through Galena’s historic district. Oklahoma City, known locally as OKC, is renowned for its cowboy culture and excellent barbecue. Visit the Oklahoma City Memorial before checking into your hotel. (B)

Continue to Elk City, where you will see the National Route 66 & Transportation Museum. Enjoy lunch on your own in the charming town, then pull into Amarillo, TX for an included dinner at The Big Texan Steak Ranch. (B, D)

Stop by Cadillac Ranch, one of Route 66’s stranger art exhibits. Cadillac Ranch consists of ten graffiti-covered Cadillacs buried nose-deep in the hard dirt. After a short pit stop in Adrian, Route 66’s halfway point, enjoy lunch on your own in the town of Tucumcari, before heading to Albuquerque. (B)

Enjoy lunch on your own in Gallup, home to the flamboyant Hotel El Rancho that hosted many Golden Age movie stars while they shot classic westerns in the surrounding desert. Continue to the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park. The landscape is full of windswept buttes, barren mesas, and breathtaking vistas. (B)

Days Hotel or similar

BONUS: ALBUQUERQUE BALLOON FIESTA:
Oct 1, 2023 & Sep 29, 2024 departures will visit Albuquerque during the Balloon Fiesta. This morning, witness hundreds of balloons slowly rise to float into the clear blue New Mexico sky.

 

BONUS: ALBUQUERQUE BALLOON FIESTA SHAPES RODEO:

On Oct 5, 2023 & Oct 3, 2024 departures you will witness the Special Shapes Rodeo™ in the morning.

 

The beauty of the Grand Canyon is the complex and breathtaking result of billions of years of geographic tumult. It is a dramatic, dynamic display of earth’s power. Spend most of the day exploring the Grand Canyon on your own. Return to Flagstaff in the evening. (B)

Days Hotel or similar

OPTION: SIGNATURE GRAND CANYON HUMMER TOUR:Experience the Grand Canyon during mid-morning and see the majestic colors of the rocks aboard a Hummer! $115 p/p. Please add this option at time of booking.

 

 

Your first stop today is Seligman, the “historic birthplace of Route 66.” Kingman, Arizona, is full of murals dedicated to Route 66, and is a great place to grab lunch en route to Las Vegas. Arrive in Sin City this afternoon, and enjoy the evening at your leisure. (B)

This morning enjoy a photo op at the Las Vegas sign followed by a tour of the Las Vegas Strip. Then, enjoy an optional tour or spend the day at your leisure. Perhaps explore the reinvigorated downtown, or spend some time at the world-famous Strip. (B)

Golden Nugget Hotel & Casino or similar

OPTION: VEGAS! THE SHOW & DINNER:
Vegas! The Show tells the musical story about Las Vegas, featuring the greatest entertainers who took residence in the entertainment capital of the world. $159 p/p. Please add this option at time of booking. On select dates.

 

 

After lunch in Barstow, visit Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch—one of Route 66’s quirkiest roadside attractions. Elmer Long created over 200 trees and cacti—artful eye-catching when illuminated by the hot desert sun. (B)

Today we take a guided tour of Los Angeles and Hollywood, seeing many of the highlights of the City of Angels, including the Sunset Strip and Hollywood and Highland. Enjoy an included farewell lunch on the Santa Monica Pier, the end point of Route 66. Celebrate your trip by looking out at the ocean and up to the sign marked, “End of the Trail.” (B, L)