Curated · one person's picks, labeled as such

Route 66, The Hundredth Year

Independent motels on the historic alignment and manager-run homes whose listings name Route 66, for the road's hundredth year.

Adam Norko

Curator

Places to sleep on or beside the Mother Road during its centennial year, each booked direct with the operator. Not a ranking.

US Route 66 was commissioned on November 11, 1926. The Route 66 Centennial Commission and the eight state associations are running events all through 2026, ending with statewide celebrations on November 10 and 11. The motels that survived the interstates are mostly small, owner-run, and book on their own sites. This club collects the ones we could verify, plus a handful of professionally managed homes in Route 66 towns whose own listings name the road.

Sixteen stays from eleven operators across Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California. Each links to the operator; you book with them.

Browse here16 stays, 11 operators, one reason to be on the same page.

Book with the managerEvery link goes to the company's own booking site. Prices, photos, and availability live there.

Or send your dates"Check dates" forwards your dates and party size to the manager and opens their page.

The stays

Illinois

November 10 to 11, 2026Route 66 Motorheads, Springfield, ILEvent site

Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway statewide conference and centennial celebration on the centennial date itself.

Route 66 Hotel and Conference Center

Preview from Route 66 Hotel and Conference Center's listing

Route 66 Hotel and Conference Center

Springfield, IL · Route 66 Hotel and Conference Center

Hotel, 99 rooms, locally owned and operated

Site: locally owned and operated on the historic Route 66; the first Holiday Inn on Route 66, opened in the 1950s, now independent.

See the rooms

Found on Route 66 Hotel and Conference Center's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.

Evolve

Under a Mile to Route 66, Home with Large Yard

Lincoln, IL · Evolve

Sleeps 53 BR

Listing: under a mile to Route 66, large yard, 2 miles to the Mill Museum on Route 66.

See the home

Found on Evolve's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.

Missouri

September 17 to 20, 2026Statewide, Route 66 Association of MissouriEvent site

Missouri Route 66 Association Centennial Motor Tour.

Shamrock Court

Sullivan, MO · Shamrock Court

Motor court, nine restored rooms, built in the 1940s

Site: built in the 1940s and restored; for the first time in over 45 years it will once again welcome travelers along Route 66.

See the rooms

Found on Shamrock Court's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.

Wagon Wheel Motel

Preview from Wagon Wheel Motel's listing

Wagon Wheel Motel

Cuba, MO · Wagon Wheel Motel

Motel, 19 rooms, stone motor court

Site: the oldest continuously operated motel on Route 66; 19 individually styled rooms.

See the rooms

Found on Wagon Wheel Motel's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.

Boots Court Foundation

Boots Court

Carthage, MO · Boots Court Foundation

Motor court, 13 rooms, 1939, run by the Boots Court Foundation

Site: Streamline Moderne, built for the Route 66 tourist trade in 1939; one of the oldest operating motels on the road, preserved by the foundation since 2021.

See the rooms

Found on Boots Court Foundation's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.

Oklahoma

September 26, 2026Sapulpa, OKEvent site

Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Car Show; the Round Barn Round Up in Arcadia follows on October 17.

Skyliner Motel

Stroud, OK · Skyliner Motel

Motel, 10 rooms, owner-operated

Site: built in the late 1950s, right on the Mother Road; in 2026 Cody and Terra became the sole owners.

See the rooms

Found on Skyliner Motel's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.

Evolve

Themed Tulsa Escape, 2 Miles to Downtown

Tulsa, OK · Evolve

Sleeps 62 BR

Listing: located off of Route 66, between downtown, midtown, and the riverwalk.

See the home

Found on Evolve's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.

Texas

Old Route 66 Association of TexasEvent site

The Texas association is the one state group we found that publishes a lodging partner list.

Evolve

Amarillo Home, 28 Miles to Palo Duro Canyon

Amarillo, TX · Evolve

Sleeps 169 BR

Listing: a mile off Route 66, near Cadillac Ranch and The Big Texan, nine bedrooms.

See the home

Found on Evolve's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.

New Mexico

September 10 to 20, 2026New Mexico State Fair, AlbuquerqueEvent site

State fair themed to the highway's hundredth anniversary, per the national centennial calendar.

Blue Swallow Motel

Tucumcari, NM · Blue Swallow Motel

Motor court, 12 units, family owned and operated

Site: serving travelers along the Mother Road since 1939, family owned and operated, on the National Register since 1993; many rooms with a garage.

See the rooms

Found on Blue Swallow Motel's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.

Motel Safari

Tucumcari, NM · Motel Safari

Motel, opened 1959, owner-operated

Site: opened in 1959 on Historic Route 66; the owner-operator is a Route 66 enthusiast; mid-century Googie style, five room types.

See the rooms

Found on Motel Safari's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.

Arizona

All year 2026Historic Route 66 Association of ArizonaEvent site

Month by month program across Kingman, Seligman, Williams, Flagstaff and Winslow.

Wigwam Motel Holbrook

Wigwam Motel

Holbrook, AZ · Wigwam Motel Holbrook

Motel, wigwam units, operated by the founder's family

Site: Wigwam Village number six, built by Chester Evert Lewis and operated by his family; queen and double wigwams.

See the rooms

Found on Wigwam Motel Holbrook's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.

El Trovatore Motel

Kingman, AZ · El Trovatore Motel

Motel, 1939 tourist court, themed rooms

Site: built in 1937 as a service station with the tourist court added in 1939; one of the few pre-war Kingman motels still standing.

See the rooms

Found on El Trovatore Motel's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.

Evolve

Central Williams Studio with Fireplace, on Route 66

Williams, AZ · Evolve

Sleeps 41 BR

Listing: central Williams studio with a fireplace, right off Route 66.

See the home

Found on Evolve's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.

Evolve

Apartment on Route 66, Near Standin' on the Corner

Winslow, AZ · Evolve

Sleeps 21 BR

Listing: a Southwest retreat on Route 66, near Standin' on the Corner.

See the home

Found on Evolve's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.

Evolve

Kingman Home with Yard and Fire Pit

Kingman, AZ · Evolve

Sleeps 63 BR

Listing: discover the history of Route 66; 8 miles to the Arizona Route 66 Museum.

See the home

Found on Evolve's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.

California

Event site

Filter the national calendar by state.

Wigwam Motel San Bernardino

Preview from Wigwam Motel San Bernardino's listing

Wigwam Motel

San Bernardino, CA · Wigwam Motel San Bernardino

Motel, 19 wigwams, Patel family since 2003

Site: built in 1949 on the historic Route 66, nineteen wigwams 32 feet high, restored by the Patel family, on the National Register since 2012.

See the rooms

Found on Wigwam Motel San Bernardino's site. Facts per the listing, September 2026.

Checked and not used

Authorities and directories consulted, plus motels that only book through an OTA or by phone, closed properties, and verified stays held back for balance. Kansas has no stay: its 13 miles hold no verifiable owner-run motel with its own booking page.

Route 66 Centennial Commission. Runs the national calendar; publishes no lodging list. Booking.com is a founding sponsor., National: source, checked September 2026
Old Route 66 Association of Texas, partner list including lodging; the one state association found with a published lodging list., Texas: source, checked September 2026
National Historic Route 66 Federation (guides and maps, no lodging list)., Yucaipa, CA: source, checked September 2026
Munger Moss Motel. Sold October 2024 to an Arkansas company for restoration; shown closed., Lebanon, MO: source, checked September 2026
Roadrunner Lodge Motel (verified, rooms page and booking on its site; held back to keep Tucumcari to two) and Rockwood Motor Court, Springfield MO (1929 court, booking engine not visible)., Tucumcari, NM and Springfield, MO: source, checked September 2026
Sands Motel, Grants (Reserve Now goes to Booking.com); Boots Motel legacy site (Hotels.com); Cactus Inn, McLean TX (third-party booking only); Cindy Lyn Motel, Cicero IL (phone only); Supai Motel, Seligman and Route 66 Motel, Barstow (no own site found); Desert Hills, Tulsa (site would not load)., various: source, checked September 2026
El Rancho Hotel, Gallup and La Posada, Winslow. Historic hotels on the road, rooms pages load, ownership not stated on the sites., Gallup, NM and Winslow, AZ: source, checked September 2026
Big Texan Motel. Its own page places it on Interstate 40, not the alignment., Amarillo, TX: source, checked September 2026
Evolve, Riverfront Baxter Springs home (loads, but the listing does not name Route 66). Vacasa and Casago pages for Williams, Flagstaff and Albuquerque: no listing naming Route 66 on the pages that loaded., Kansas, Arizona, New Mexico: source, checked September 2026