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Illinois is where it all begins – the Mother Road and every glorious, uniquely quirky mile.
In 1926, Chicago was selected as the start of the route and you can stand right next to the sign marking where it all began on East Adams Street. Illinois embraces its Route 66 heritage and mile after mile you're transported to a time when the great American road trip was fresh and exciting. What's around the next corner? Let's have a little sneak peek......
Wilmington - offers a proper slice of Americana, your first Muffler Man – the Gemini Giant! Fiberglass sculptures, hovering up to thirty feet tall, popped up in the 1960s as advertising icons. Travelling on Route 66 you’ll spot a few including the Lauterbach Giant in Springfield. Gemini Giant is a nod to the space obsession the US had in the 1960s. The historic district of Wilmington is full of antique shops and Route 66 heritage.
Bloomington-Normal has links with one of America’s greatest presidents, Abraham Lincoln who considered Illinois home. Outside of Springfield, Lincoln spent more time in Bloomington than any other city. Cruisin With Lincoln on 66 celebrates the city’s connection to the man and the route that changed everything. The Visitors Center and Gift Shop offers a unique insight along with souvenirs crafted by local artists.
Collinsville is home to the iconic ketchup bottle towering 170 feet over the city! So, the story goes…in 1907, the Brooks brothers acquired a local canning and packing plant – it changed hands several times, but always retained the name Brooks Brother Catsup (an older spelling). Business boomed and in 1949 the World's Largest Catsup Bottle was completed atop their plant.
Chain of Rocks Bridge - one last stop before leaving the Illinois portion of Route 66 and it's a good one! Perched sixty feet over the Mississippi River, the mile-long bridge has a 30-degree turn in the middle - the only one in the world! Now that's what we call a photo op.