Click here to subscribe FREE to Ray Hanania's Columns
New book released, “100 Things to do on Route 66 before You Die”
Local author Jim Hinckley published a new book “100 Things to do on Route 66 Before You Die.” The book offers a variety of exciting and entertaining springtime activities for the family and road-trippers
Do you live along the Mother Road and are looking for new ways to enjoy that ribbon of highway? Or perhaps you are planning a trip along its path from Chicago to Santa Monica? Look no further than 100 Things to Do on Route 66 Before You Die, a guidebook that locals and tourists alike find invaluable! Below are some suggested spring activities straight from the book itself:
- Set your sights on Cuba, Missouri, check three places off the 100 Things to Do on Route 66 Before You Die bucket list and discover a magical place. The Four Way Restaurant (try the lamb burger), Belmont Winery, and Wagon Wheel Motel (ask for room 1) all made my list but there is so much more to see and do in Cuba, a living Norman Rockwell print.
- The book, 100 Things to Do on Route 66 Before You Die, is my bucket list of must see stops and places on Route 66. Sitgreaves Pass in the Black Mountains of western Arizona rates high on my list. If the lens cap is off the camera you are assured a great photograph.
- Grand Canyon Caverns is a living, breathing time capsule, a throwback to the era of I Like Ike buttons, tail fins, and station wagons. Great pie served above or below ground, a quirky miniature golf course, and a giant prehistoric sloth are just a few of the surprises found here.
- Vintage motels are a rarity on Route 66. One family owned vintage motels are even scarcer. If you want an authentic lodging experience don’t overlook the delightful Sunset Motel in Moriarty, New Mexico.
- The Roadrunner Lodge Motel in Tucumcari is more than a place to lay the weary head after a day on the road. It is time travel and a smiling proprietor, it is a roadside oasis and time capsule. It is a treat!
- One family owned since opening in 1924, the Ariston Café in Litchfield, Illinois is more than just a gastronomical delight. It is a wonderous place where it seems that time has stood still. Excellent food, fair prices, and an ambiance that transports you into the 1930s is just a few of the reasons this wonderful restaurant made it on to my bucket list.
- A museum dedicated to barbed wire? Yes! And it is a delightful surprise filled with unexpected discoveries. Did you know that there is a direct link between McLean, Texas and the wreck of the Titanic?
Jim Hinckley is an internationally acclaimed author, lecturer, historian, tour guide, and tour development consultant with three primary areas of expertise; Route 66, the American southwest, and the American automobile industry between 1885 and 1980. His portfolio of published work includes fifteen books, and more than five hundred feature articles for a wide array of publications including True West, Old Cars Weekly, Hemmings Classic Car, Route 66, Antique Power, and Cars & Parts magazine. His blog, Jim Hinckley’s America – Route 66 Chronicles, as well as Jim Hinckley’s America podcast, YouTube channel, and Facebook live program has developed a loyal international following.
Jim would be happy to discuss the springtime activities mentioned in the book. Please contact Don Korte at [email protected] to arrange an appearance or interview.
Click here to subscribe FREE to Ray Hanania's Columns
His award winning columns can be found at www.HANANIA.COM Subscribe FREE today
Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.
Email Ray Hanania at [email protected].
Follow RayHanania at Twitter
- Illinois Tollway awards nearly $19.8 million in Construction Contracts in May 2026 - May 21, 2026
- Treasurer Maria Pappas Honors AANHPI Heritage Month by Recognizing Community Leaders with Live Music and Dance Celebration - May 21, 2026
- Hastings school safety measure “Alyssa’s Law” passes Senate - May 21, 2026
I have traveld up and down, or maybe that is side to side of most of Route 66, for some 78 years, having born and reared 6 blocks from it, gone to school, overlooking the mother road, having mother and grandmother working in restaurants, and owning two next to it also. It was my bike route back and forth to grade school, and went straight down as the main road through town, and had the one any only stop light within 20 miles. The town had more than a dozen service stations, and almost the same amount of restaurants, plus a hotel and 3 motels. There were around 1500 people there in the 40s and 50s, and was the first town along the line where the city father ran out and put up Interstate 40 signs on the road, right through town. Because of that, they saved our little down for a couple of decades, because it was the very last town to have the new Interstate built around it, which was death of a town we knew. Today, a couple of restaurants remain (at the edge of town and not the old building we had them in back then. One motel sits up in the location where our old grade school had been, overlooking what is left of US 66 as we knew it. Still its a great stop over. Go in and visit, you wont see its likes again.