If you’re looking for classic roadside attractions, iconic diners, informative museums, and nostalgic nods to the past, a road trip on Route 66 in Texas offers everything you’re looking for. Pull over at any and all of the stops on this complete list of Texas Route 66 Attractions and start planning your road trip on the Mother Road today.
Historic U.S. Route 66 (AKA US 66, the Will Rogers Highway, Main Street of America, and the Mother Road) was established on November 11, 1926. It was the primary road that travelers took while moving west during the dust bowl. Covering around 2,448 miles from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California, Route 66 took travelers through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.
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Although Route 66 was removed from the United States Highway System in 1985, it is still a popular road trip route for travelers looking for a sense of nostalgia.
Around 180 miles of the road’s stretch runs through Texas. At every turn you’ll find something new and fun to see. Whether it’s a weird roadside attraction, a fun museum, a classic diner, or an all you can eat eating challenge, Texas Route 66 attractions abound on the Mother Road.
Explore below to find a complete list of Texas Route 66 attractions to add to your Route 66 in Texas itinerary. Want just the highlights? Find the Top 10 Texas Route 66 Attractions. Planning to drive the entire length of Route 66? Check out our list of Route 66 Must See Stops in every state of the route.
Route 66 in Texas: a complete list of Texas Route 66 Attractions
Conoco Tower Station and U-Drop Inn Café
1242 N Main St, Shamrock, TX 79079
The Cocono Tower Station and U-Drop Inn Café was built in 1936. Located along historic Route 66 in Shamrock, Texas, the art deco gas station and restaurant is sometimes referred to as “the Taj Mahal of Texas.” And it is easy to see why. It was even memorialized as “Ramone’s Body Shop” in the 2006 Pixar movie, Cars.
Shamrock Blarney Stone
210 N Main St, Shamrock, TX 79079
Blarney Castle, just outside of Cork, Ireland, is home to the famous Blarney Stone. Legend says if you kiss it, you’ll be blessed with the gift of gab. A fragment of the famed stone was brought to Shamrock in 1959 after it was “accidentally” knocked off of the original.
Fake Blarney Stone
308 N Main St, Shamrock, TX
The fake Blarney Stone in Shamrock is far from the original in both location and style. A shaped stone slab in a park reads: Top O’ the mornin to ya! from Shamrock, Texas. Kiss this Blarney Stone for everlasting good luck!
Big Red Cowboy Boot
200 E 12th St, Shamrock, TX 79079
Located in a former CITGO station, Big Vern’s Steakhouse was once a Shamrock institution. The restaurant has now closed but, for now, the giant red cowboy boot outside remains.
Pioneer West Museum
204 N Madden St, Shamrock, TX 79079
The Pioneer West Museum explores local history with artifacts, a space room with items on loan from the Houston Space Center, a Wheeler County Military-War Room, and more. Find it housed in the 1928 Reynolds hotel.
Devil’s Rope Museum
100 Kingsley St, McLean, TX 79057
The Devil’s Rope Museum celebrates all things barbed wire. Check out the giant balls of barbed wire that flank the name plaques outside, then come inside to explore a huge expanse dedicated to the fencing. Learn about the history of barbed wire and its impact on the development of the Old West while browsing displays of different types of the fence wire, artifacts and examples, salesman samples, fencing tools used to make and maintain fences, branding irons, historical documents, photographs, and wire art.
Phillips 66 Gas Station
212 First St, McLean, TX 79057
The vintage 1929 Phillips 66 Gas Station in McLean was one of the first of its kind in Texas. It’s built in a Tudor-Revival style and resembles a cottage in its design. WHile the business closed in 1977 it was remodeled in 1991, complete with vintage gas pumps, an oil pump, and an historic Phillips 66 sign.
Leaning Tower of Texas
Groom, TX 79039
The Leaning Tower of Texas, also known as the Leaning Tower of Britten, is a leaning water tower located in Groom, Texas. This Texas Route 66 attraction was once a normal, functioning water tower. It was slated for demolition and Ralph Britten bought it at an auction and moved it 34 miles away to its current location to serve as an oversized sign for his truck stop and information center.
Groom Cross
I-40, Exit 112, Groom, TX 79039
The Groom Cross (officially The Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ) is a giant cross off of Interstate 40 and Route 66. You can’t miss this 190-foot-tall, 1,250-ton icon: it can be seen from 20 miles away!
VW Slug Bug Ranch
I-40 Frontage Rd, Panhandle, TX 79068
VW Slug Bug Ranch might not be as famous as its Cadillac counterpart over at Cadillac Ranch down the road, but it is just as fun to visit. The Texas roadside attraction consists of five Volkswagen Beetles buried front first into the ground.
Big Texan Steak Ranch
7701 I-40 East, Amarillo, TX 79118
Looking for a roadside attraction, Route 66 icon, motel, and restaurant all rolled into one? Look no further than Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo. Outside you’ll find a bright yellow building anchored by “Big Moo” (a giant steer), “Big Tex Rex” (a dinosaur in a cowboy hat), and a 15-foot-tall cowboy boot. Inside, you can grab a typical 16-ounce Texas steak dinner, but the big draw here is the Steak Challenge that’s been offered since the 1960s: eat a 72-ounce steak along with a shrimp cocktail, baked potato, salad, and buttered roll in one hour and the $72 meal is free.
Big Texan Motel
7701 Interstate 40 Access Rd, Amarillo, TX 79118
Whether you indulge in the 72-ounce steak or get a more modest cut for dinner at the Big Texan Steakhouse, mosey on over across the parking lot to extend your big visit at the Big Texan Motel. A sister to the world famous restaurant the Big Texan Motel in Amarillo, Texas features 54 units and a Western theme.
Route 66 Historic District in Amarillo
3511 6th Ave, Amarillo, TX 79106
Amarillo’s Route 66 Historic District is comprised of art galleries, antique stores, restaurants and bars housed in historic buildings.
Cadillac Ranch
13651 I-40 Frontage Rd, Amarillo, TX 79124
Cadillac Ranch might just be the most recognizable pit stop on Route 66. Installed by a group of San Francisco hippies dubbed “The Ant Farm” in 1974, this Texas roadside attraction has been attracting crowds ever since. In a field you’ll find ten Cadillac cars (1949-1963 models) buried nose-first in the ground and covered in colorful graffiti. Visitors are encouraged to leave their mark with a can of spray paint so no two views will ever be the same.
2nd Amendment Cowboy
2600 Hope Rd, Amarillo, TX 79124
The 2nd Amendment Cowboy muffler man is a roadside attraction in Amarillo, Texas. It’s hard to miss this giant man with a controversial message, located just down the road from the famed Cadillac Ranch on Route 66.
Ozymandias on the Plains
I-27, W Sundown Ln, Amarillo, TX 79119
In a Texas field off the road, a giant pair of 24-foot tall disembodied legs stand on a 4 foot by 10 foot by 20 foot base. A historical marker on the site would lead unknowing passersby to believe that these giant half legs are leftovers from an actual ancient artifact. But they were actually built in 1996
Magnolia Gas Station
105 S Main St, Vega, TX 79092
The Magnolia Gas Station in Vega, Texas was built in 1924 by Col J. T. Owen. For decades the stop fueled travelers on Route 66 and the Ozark Trail alongside locals. The two-story building allowed for the business to operate downstairs while the operator could live in an apartment upstairs.
Route 66 Midpoint
305 W Historic Rte 66, Adrian, TX 79001
It’s “more than two thousand miles all the way” to travel Route 66 from Chicago to California. 2,278 miles to be exact. So, it’s only fitting that at mile 1,139, there would be a place to celebrate. Visit Adrian, Texas, a town 1,139 from the starting point in Chicago and 1,139 miles from the end point in California.
The Midpoint Cafe
305 W Historic Rte 66, Adrian, TX 79001
The Midpoint Café is a restaurant on Route 66 located at the exact midpoint between Chicago and Los Angeles: 1,139 miles from the beginning and end points. Stop in for breakfast, burger, or a slice of ugly crust pie.
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