On day 74 of “The Ultimate USA Road Trip” we drive from Chicago Illinois to Lafayette, Indiana. We start at the original beginning of the famous "Route 66" or "US Route 66", also called the "Mother Road".

This historic highway begins in Chicago and ends on the western side of the United States in Santa Monica, Los Angeles. This road is on many people's "Bucket List" to drive with a car, motorcycle or camper.

Route 66 was built in 1926 and has long been one of the most important roads in the United States. The original route is 3945 kilometers long and starts in the state of Illinois, goes through the states of Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and ends in California.

The route has been modified several times in recent decades and large parts have been replaced by highways (Interstate Highways). Old Route 66 runs alongside the new route and is today used for local and regional traffic and mainly by tourists. The route is kept intact by the "Route 66 Association" who do everything possible to keep the historic route intact as much as possible. Today we drive part of the Route 66.

Along the route you can visit many restored historic buildings, mostly old gas stations, bars, restaurants, ice cream parlors, old times are revived here. The "Route 66 Association" also manages the road signs that read "Historic Route 66". On the way we pass a nice town where you can also visit beautiful museums.

Along the route are several Museums to visit that tell the story of Illinois' rich history, the first stop you can schedule in Lockport to visit the "Will County Historical Society", this historic building served as the headquarters of the Canal Commission of the Illinois and Michigan Canal from 1836 to 1871, when control of the canal was transferred to the state. It is a small museum run by volunteers. Admission is free and donations are welcome.

Those who have seen the movie “The Blues Brothers” can certainly remember the opening scene in which Elwood Blues picks up his brother (Joliet) Jake Blues at “Old Joliet Prison” at the east entrance in an old police car. The next stop is therefore planned in Joliet at the exit of this legendary prison where this scene was shot. For fans of this film a nice place to stop for a photo.

We plan a longer stop to visit “Old Joliet Prison”, officially the “Joliet Correctional Center”. This prison was in use from 1858 to 2002 and featured in the movie “The Blues Brothers”, the James Cagney movie “White Heat, as a location for the first season of the television show “”Prison Break” and in the movie “ Let's Go to Prison”. It has been open for tours since 2018.

In the town of Joliet you can also visit two other museums that are within walking distance of each other. The first is the "Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66," a non-profit public charitable organization that exists to preserve the history of musicians and bands with ties to Illinois and educate visitors about Illinois' rich music history, which other music artists have learned about. influenced the whole world. Musicians from Rockford to Chicago have been playing an integral part of the music scene for decades, creating music that transcends many genres.

Around the corner is the Joliet Area Historical Museum, which showcases the history of Joliet and surrounding Will County, located on one of the alternate roads of the old Historic U.S. Route 66. The museum's modern addition on the ground floor includes the Route 66 Welcome Center, which presents a permanent exhibit called the Route 66 Experience. Highly recommended.

We continue to the town of Wilmington on the Kankakee River where we stop for lunch in one of the many restaurants in the town or on the "Island Park", a small beautiful green island in the river.

The next town on the route is Dwight, this is a nice town to plan a short break. Visit Ambler's Texaco Gas Station, also known as Becker's Marathon Gas Station, a historic gas station located at the intersection of Old US Route 66 and Illinois Route 17. The station is the longest operating gas station along Route 66; it provided fuel for 66 years until 1999. So a good opportunity to refuel. Ambler's was restored from 2005-2007 and reopened as a visitor center on Route 66 in May 2007. It was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 2001.
On the other side of the intersection is “The Old Route 66 Family Restaurant”, this family business has been serving their community and many visitors for 20 years. It is a unique restaurant inside and out with lots of Route 66 memorabilia that will make you feel right at home, plan a short break for a drink.

The next stop is in the town of Pontiac at “The Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame and Museum”. This museum has a large collection of thousands of historical memorabilia from the glory days of the "Mother Road" and is well worth a visit.

In Chenoa we leave "Old Route 66" to drive east to Lafayette, Indiana, stopping briefly at Fort "Ouiatenon", the first European Fort built in 1717. It was used as a French trading post. The name “Ouiatenon” is a French rendering of the Wea language name, “waayaahtanonki”, meaning place of the vortex. It was one of three French fortresses built in the 18th century. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 2021.

We spend the night in Lafayette, a beautiful place with a rich history with beautiful architecture, good restaurants, cozy bars, beautiful museums and much more. Enjoy your stay in this lovely town on the Wabash River.