Traveling Kansas US Route 66; Road Trip Attractions

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Whether you live in Kansas or traveling through Kansas be sure to travels the roads on US Route 66 for three short stops full of history.

Fun Facts About Kansas

Kansas is the Sunflower State, home of the Western Meadowlark bird and Home on the Range is the State song. Maybe you’ve heard of Dorothy and Toto from the “Wizard of Oz”? They are from Kansas too. Other things that can be associated with Kansas are the wheat fields, Kansas is considered the Midway State, and if you are into basketball it is home of the Kansas Jayhawks! What about soccer? Kansas is home to Sporting Kansas City – MLS. Another fun fact is that Kansas is right in the middle of tornado alley. In my lifetime I have only experienced one tornado while living in Kansas. I was not affected but unfortunately many of my friends and co-workers were. No-one was hurt or killed. Thank goodness!

Kansas US Route 66

Route 66 is about a 2,400 mile stretch that runs through eight states. And twelve of those miles run through the southeastern corner of Kansas. Those counties include US-166 in Baxter Springs, US-500 in Riverton, and K-26 in Galena.

Route 66 actually starts in downtown Chicago and ends at the Santa Monica pier in California. So, Kansas is somewhere in-between. Maybe that is partially why Kansas got it’s name as the Midway State. LOL.

Baxter Springs, Kansas; Kansas US Route 66

Rainbow Curve Bridge; Kansas US Route 66

The Rainbow Bridge was built over Brush Creek in 1923. It is a well known bridge in Baxter Springs and is the only remaining Marsh Arch Bridge on Route 66. You can drive across this bridge but there is a weight limit of 10 tons so, if you have a camper or vehicle greater than 10 tons or 20 thousand pounds please do not attempt going across this bridge. It is marked with weight limitations, just giving you the heads up. There is another bridge next to it on the main road and it too has a 10 ton weight limit. Since we were in our camper we had to turn around and head to the round-a-bout for our next destination. No worries though, it was a piece of cake.

Other Tourist Attractions in Baxter Springs on Route 66

Although I did not get any pictures while cruising in downtown Baxter Springs (darn it!) I do want to mention some of the attractions though:

• Baxter Springs Kansas Route 66 Visitors Center
• Baxter Springs “Field of Dreams” baseball and softball complex
• Several ancient gas service stations. Some go back to as far as the 1920’s.
• Baxter Springs Heritage Center and Museum
• Fort Blair Civil War Tour
• Former Angels on the Route
• Decades of Wheels – old car’s
• Baxter Springs Veterans Memorial
• And much more

The next stop takes us to Riverton, Kansas.

Riverton, Kansas; Kansas US Route 66

As we were leaving Baxter Springs we entered the round-a-bout. We saw this awesome sculpture. My husband drove around the round-a-bout about 20 times just so I could get a picture. I finally had him stop and drop me off so I could actually walk up to the edge of the curb on the street and get this picture below. I was not leaving until I got the right shot!

It wasn’t until we looked at the picture that we noticed it was made out of automotive wheels. How creative is that?

Once we got on the main drag of Route 66 in Riverton I could see this beautiful area we were approaching on our left. This was probably my favorite stop. I was immediately attracted to the Food Market sign and all the flowers. I’m a sucker when it comes to food and flowers. After all I am a food blogger at jettskitchen.com. LOL

Anyway this is Nelson’s Old Riverton Store. You’ve got to take a stop here, stretch your legs, get an ice cold soda, maybe an authentic hand sliced deli sandwich and check out all the Route 66 souvenirs. Don’t forget to look down at the crack on the floor as you enter the building. I believe the owner told us that was a $750 dollar crack. A creative way of covering it up if I may say so myself. We purchased a Kansas US Route 66 refrigerator magnet for the camper and Nial bought a cool neon clock. Now, where we’ll put that clock I have not a clue! LOL

Other Tourist Attractions in Riverton, Kansas on Route 66

• Old Riverton Post B&B and Event Center
• Not that this is an attraction but we walked two doors down to the Dollar General

The next stop, Galena, Kansas.

Galena, Kansas; Kansas US Route 66

Welcome to Galena! This striking mural is located on the Southwest corner of Main and 7th Street. We loved the huge Greeting from Galena along with the tall clock in the courtyard.

Don’t blink when driving through Galena, Kansas. Or should I say slow down while driving in Galena and take in the sites.

“Cars on the Route” Gas Station

Cars on the Route is home to the famously known tow truck, Mater, from the animated movie “Cars”. This was such a nostalgic and fun pit stop for us. Unfortunately, the garage was closed as we stopped by on a Monday. Appears the garage is tended to by volunteers. So, please notice the hours of operation are from Wednesday through Saturdays from 10am to 3pm. For us that was ok because all the cool stuff was outside. It looked like inside had a small café and souvenirs. And then just cattywampus from Cars on the Route you’ll find Luigi’s Pit Stop, a suspended old sheriff’s car and a building that looks like a fun biker’s bar (but it was not opened). I’m thinking some of these places were not open due to Covid-19. We did our travels the first week of August 2021.

Other Tourist Attractions in Galena, Kansas on Route 66

• Galena Mining and Historical Museum
• Galena City Jail
• Howard “Pappy” Litch Park

Although The Herb Shop Health Food Store is not a historical attraction in Galena but we did stop there. They sell many types of natural herbs, supplements, detox products, essential oils, oil diffusers and much more. So, if you are a naturalist or just like shopping new things, I recommend taking a stretch and check out this store.

Well, that was our trip through Kansas US Route 66. I hope this has sparked your interest in traveling through Route 66 in Kansas as well. We will definitely visit again soon.

I AM EXCITED YOU STOPPED BY AND HOPE THIS ARTICLE HAS SPARKED YOUR INTEREST IN TRAVELING US ROUTE 66 IN KANSAS.

***Please come back and share your comments and tell my readers about your travels in Kansas***

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