And then it was time to embark on the actual road trip, from Chicago to Los Angeles along the legendary Historic Route 66!
We had rented a car in advance starting after our visit to Chicago, as we didn’t need it in downtown Chicago, where a car would have been more of a hassle than helpful. We picked up the car from the Avis counter at Chicago O’Hare International Airport and hit the road. Through Illinois, Historic Route 66 roughly follows Interstate 55, running parallel to it for much of the way. As we got further from the city, we started seeing Route 66 signs occasionally along the roadside, which always gave us a great feeling of excitement — We were really here!
Along the way, you can feel the spirit of Route 66, such as the old Standard Oil of Illinois Gas Station in Odell. You can also spot Route 66-themed murals and large road-painted Route 66 logos, exactly the kind of imagery that had formed in our minds from what we had seen and read before. And you definitely notice on the road that this route is truly famous. In the small town of Atlanta, you can spot the Paul Bunyan Statue, a really large statue of a man holding a hot dog 😂
The small towns in America are just like in the movies, they look exactly the same, and the people are really friendly and much more social than us Finns 😅
We always kept a small supply of snacks in the car so we always had a little something on hand, and it wasn’t necessary to stop at a store separately. One noteworthy aspect of grocery stores was that it was quite challenging to find food that wasn’t sugary, chocolate-coated, etc. For example, finding a plain rice cake without these coatings was difficult. In addition, one of us is gluten-free and finding gluten-free snacks was quite challenging, even restaurants rarely offered gluten-free options.
Springfield, Illinois – Abraham Lincoln’s Hometown
Upon arriving in Springfield, we stayed at the Northfield Inn Suites and Conference Center hotel. This was a really good and clean accommodation. The rooms were spacious, as things tend to be in the U.S.—everything is a bit larger.
Springfield, Illinois is known as the hometown of Abraham Lincoln, and here we walked the streets and soaked in the atmosphere. The city’s top attractions are related to its most famous resident, Abraham Lincoln. The city boasts the Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, as well as Lincoln’s old home and the surrounding blocks restored to 19th-century style as a historic area. You can find the Lincoln Home National Historic Site on the map here.
The grave of Abraham Lincoln
After exploring downtown, it was time to get back in the car and head towards Springfield’s other famous attraction related to Abraham Lincoln. This was Lincoln’s Tomb, and it’s not your typical tomb—it’s a large monument American-style, inside of which is the actual tomb. The cemetery is called Oak Ridge, and Lincoln’s wife and their three children are also buried there. Thanks to Lincoln’s tomb, the cemetery is the second most visited cemetery in the U.S. Admission to the memorial is free, and it’s a really neat experience—definitely worth a visit. The tomb is located on the north side of the city, and you can find it here.
Through the Brick Road towards Missouri
From Springfield, we continued onward, and our next destination was the Illinois Brick Road, a segment of the old Route 66 made of red brick stones. The brick road segment is about 2 km long and is located just before the town of Auburn. You can find it on the map here. Definitely worth seeing and driving on—a different and nostalgic road.
Although only a few places are mentioned in this post, there are plenty of themed attractions along the way—museums, statues, and quirky shops. It’s almost impossible to visit them all, especially on a month-long trip like ours.
From here, we rolled towards the next state, Missouri, and the city of St. Louis, which I’ll cover in the next post.
