Route 66 Experience at the Illinois State Fairgrounds

Experience the lights, sites, history, and energy of Illinois Route 66 in one convenient stroll. The Route 66 Experience at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Illinois takes you through a Mother Road crash course with neon signs, photography exhibits, replicas, and more.

The Route 66 Experience at the Illinois State Fairgrounds takes visitors on a walkthrough of the highlights of all 421 miles and 92 communities on Illinois Route 66. This condensed version of The Mother Road starts at the Route 66 Begins sign in Chicago and ends at the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in Madison, with photos, neon signs, informative displays, and replica roadside attractions in between.

Explore vintage billboards, a drive-in movie theatre, Burma Shave signs, and pipe-art vehicles. Barns that once were used for agricultural exhibits now showcase a photographic history of the best Route 66 attractions (past and present) in the state.

Legends Neon Sign Park features a menagerie of faithfully recreated neon signs from defunct Illinois businesses that once graced The Mother Road. Find signs for the A. Lincoln Motel (Springfield), Coliseum Ballroom (Benld), Chain of Rocks Motel (Granite City), Bel-Air Drive-In Theater (Mitchell), and Route 66 itself. The signs were crafted by Ace Sign Company in town.

For the best experience, arrive after dark to see all of the signs and exhibits lit up in a neon glow. I unfortunately couldn’t make that work with my travel itinerary so I saw it in the height of sunlight, which was still cool, but I can’t wait to get back at a better time of day.

A Muffler Man exhibit pays homage to all the best Route 66 Muffler Men in Illinois. The spotlight of the display is a giant futuristic muffler man made of bent-metal tubes (not fiberglass) and carrying a light-up American flag, which was also designed by Ace Sign.

In front of the muffler man are plaques devoted to all the muffler men on and near Illinois Route 66:

• Harley Man in Livingston, Illinois
• Left Field Louis in Joliet, Illinois
• The Bunyon Giant in Atlanta, Illinois
• Gemini Giant in Wilmington, Illinois
• Southeast Spartan in Springfield, Illinois
• The Guardian in Evergreen Park, Illinois
• Lauterbach Man in Springfield, Illinois
• Frankenmuffler Man in Burbank, Illinois
• Uniroyal Gal in Livingston, Illinois
• Carl’s Soda Jerk in Normal, Illinois
• The Brave of Pulaski Rd in Chicago, Illinois

You don’t have to wait until the annual Illinois State Fair to enjoy the Springfield Route 66 exhibit. It is open year-round, 24-hours a day. Find this attraction inside Gate 2 of the Illinois State Fairgrounds on the corner of Route 66 and Sangamon Ave.

The exhibit premiered in 2023 in anticipation of the Route 66 Centennial in 2026. It was made possible by the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway in coordination with Visit Springfield, Ace Sign Company, the Illinois Department of Agriculture, and Enjoy Illinois. Funding was provided by two DCEO tourism grants.

Photos of the Route 66 Experience at the Illinois State Fairgrounds in Springfield, Illinois

Plan Your Illinois Road Trip

Planning an Illinois road trip to see the Route 66 Experience at the Illinois State Fairgrounds and all the roadside attractions in the state? Plan your road trip with these road trip resources, road trip planning articles, and Route 66 road trip planners.

Roadside Attractions Near the Route 66 Experience at the Illinois State Fairground