Centennial excitement, state money draws thousands to Oklahoma’s strip of Route 66

ARCADIA — Though she lives only four hours from the end of Route 66, Krista London found herself wishing she could attend the highway’s historic centennial celebrations in a state over a thousand miles away.

The California resident said her interest in Oklahoma’s 400-mile stretch of Route 66 was piqued after watching the state’s celebrations online. Festivities had already included a world record-breaking classic car parade, new art installations and exhibit openings.

“I’m like, ‘Oh man, I wish I could be here,’” London said.

So when she had the opportunity to travel to Oklahoma for a family reunion last month, she made a point of visiting some of the state’s most iconic Route 66 destinations, including the Arcadia Round Barn, during her free time.

She’s among an estimated million people who have visited Oklahoma’s section of Route 66 during the first six months of the year. That estimated 6.4% spike in tourism comes amid a multi-million dollar investment and years of planning by state leaders hoping to capitalize on the renewed buzz surrounding the Mother Road ahead of  Nov. 11, the official anniversary of when the highway was established.

State leaders and other supporters of the roadway, which spans over 2,400 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica, Calif., say they’re already seeing that renewed focus on Route 66 pay off through increased tourism and economic outcomes for businesses and museums along the historic route.

‘Pleasantly surprised’

Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell said he knew the road would be popular with tourists this year, but he has been “pleasantly surprised” with the number of people hitting Oklahoma’s stretch of the highway.

He credits the tourism bump in part to the foresight of Oklahoma’s Legislature, which several years ago launched a unique program that has resulted in nearly $24.6 million in investments along Route 66.

The Route 66 Revitalization Grant Program, Pinnell said, has awarded funding to cities and towns, government agencies and nonprofits with the goal of preserving locations along the route and promoting local economies.

Kerry Barrick, the state’s Route 66 director with Pinnell’s office, said the grants allowed towns along the route to “dream” about their centennial celebrations.

The city of Stroud, for instance, received $999,600 in 2024 to install 49 neon lights on businesses to encourage travel not just to the city’s well-known stop, the Rock Cafe, but also along its commercial corridor.

The grant has also funded over $858,000 of revitalization efforts at Luther’s Threatt Filling Station, a former haven for the highway’s Black travelers. Canute, a town in western Oklahoma, received $695,000 to restore a former diner to a hub for over 20 businesses. In northeast Oklahoma, the Chelsea Area Historical Society received $325,500 to convert an old bank into a history museum.

The state has not measured the centennial’s economic impact so far, but Barrick said many locations along the highway have reported record sales.

“We’re starting to see those wins along the way, which only fuels the fire of anticipation for us to see in 2027 what the overall impact is,” Barrick said.

‘Doing their part’

One location seeing a spike in visitors is the Arcadia Round Barn, a unique 43-foot tall circular structure adorned with a dome top. Built in 1898 by a local farmer who thought the shape could protect the building from tornadoes, the barn fell to ruin as it aged. A local carpenter refurbished it, and the barn opened to the public in 1992.

Route 66 made the barn famous, said Andrea Moon, the venue’s events coordinator. She estimates the barn has welcomed about 3,000 visitors a month from across the world, about a thousand of which she attributes to the centennial.

This year, the barn was awarded over $391,400 for renovations through the revitalization grant.

Though the state has awarded money through the grant and other efforts, Moon says towns still have to put in work to celebrate the centennial themselves.

“The towns have to do their part, and I think they are trying to be a part of it,” Moon said, noting Arcadia, a small town about a half hour north of Oklahoma City, made beautification efforts for the centennial.

Less than a mile from the Round Barn sits a 66-foot metal soda bottle, marking the entrance to Pops 66, a soda shop and burger joint. General manager Tyler Hall said there’s been a “huge shift” in the number of visitors to the Arcadia Route 66 destination.

“I’ve been here for 18 years and summertime always hits hard, but we’re getting tons and tons of tour groups,” he said last month. “Tour groups, car clubs, motorcycle clubs, a bunch of people from Europe who come to Chicago or Santa Monica and all ride motorcycles. … Just last week we had 45 German people.”

Stronger support

Rhys Martin, the president of the nonprofit Oklahoma Route 66 Association, led a caravan along the entire highway last month. After traveling through each state on the route, he said Oklahoma leaders are providing stronger support for the centennial than other states.

“Everybody understands that Route 66 is an important part of culture in Oklahoma and they invest in it,” Martin said. “Many of the other states struggle to get people to listen at higher levels, whether that means actual grant money or something, even just giving them a platform to talk about how important Route 66 is to their general story.”

Tourism on the state’s strip of the highway has trended up in recent years, but Martin said this has been the busiest year he’s seen since he became involved with the highway a decade ago.

He is hopeful the excitement the centennial has garnered will keep support for the highway going in years to come.

“I’m very optimistic about the road’s future from a tourism standpoint,” Martin said, “but even more optimistic about it from an economic development standpoint to show that it’s still main street in the communities that it goes through and you do something good for Route 66, you’re doing something good for the town.”

Reporter Emma Murphy contributed to this report.