Illinois’ Lincoln Highway
Conceived by an Indiana businessman, in 1913 the Lincoln Highway became the first road to connect the East and West coasts of the United States, stretching from Times Square in New York to Lincoln Park in San Francisco. Though the highway has been decommissioned and largely replaced by interstate routes, portions of it remain.
In Illinois, the Illinois Lincoln Highway Coalition has banded together to tell the story of this first road and its origins along the 179 miles of the highway that pass through its borders.
“We have a lot of one-of-a-kind exhibits,” said Sue Hronik, the coalition’s program director. “We have 35 murals in several different locations along the highway. We also have 16 gazebos placed along the highway that have interpretive panels with the stories of the early highway.”
The murals and historic exhibits depict the history of the Lincoln Highway from 1913, when it was first founded, to 1928, when more modern roadways began to make it obsolete.
Groups that travel Illinois’ Lincoln Highway, designated as a National Scenic Byway, can start in Linwood on the eastern border with Indiana and go west to Fulton, on the Mississippi River. Along the way, they’ll go through 43 communities and see the various murals and gazebos set up along the way.
“There are 35 different subjects that we cover in the murals,” Hronik said. “They’re all hand-painted and each is around 200 square feet give or take. We have a mural that is a tribute to Abraham Lincoln and one that shows a roadside service station. We also have one about the women of the highway because some of the women that were first to travel the highway by car set speed records.”
Route 66
Nicknamed the Mother Road and stretching from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, Route 66 might be the most celebrated road in American history. Though it is no longer a formal national highway, many of the towns, businesses and attractions that sprung up along Route 66 during its mid-20th-century heyday are still thriving and offer today’s travelers a chance to get their kicks along the historic corridor.
In Missouri, Route 66 passes St. Louis’ Gateway Arch and continues to Meramec Caverns, where Jesse James and his gang used to hide out. The route goes southwest through the state and includes a number of attractions, such as the Route 66 Museum in Lebanon.
Oklahoma is home to the longest portion of Route 66 still in existence and has numerous related attractions and memorabilia. Those include the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton, the Chandler Route 66 Interpretive Center in Chandler and the National Route 66 Transportation Museum in Elk City. There are also a number of quirky roadside stops, such as Catusa’s Blue Whale and Pops service station and cafe, near Oklahoma City.
After leaving Oklahoma, Route 66 cuts through the Texas panhandle and into New Mexico. Albuquerque is the state’s nexus of Route 66 activity, as well as the location of numerous authentic Southwestern homes, neighborhoods and trading posts.
The highway continues across Arizona and into California, where it crosses through Los Angeles and ends at the Santa Monica Pier.
California’s Pacific Coast Highway
Commonly known as the Pacific Coast Highway, California’s state Route 1 is among its most beloved treasures.
“The Pacific Coast Highway is one of the world’s best drives,” said Ryan Becker, vice president of communications for Visit California.” It stretches the entire length of California, all the way from Crescent City in the very north to San Diego on the southern border. It passes through some of the most iconic destinations and scenic landscapes that California has to offer.”
Because the highway covers more than 655 miles and connects most of the state’s largest cities, it would be difficult to traverse the entire distance in one trip. Becker breaks the highway into three segments — the northern, middle and southern sections — and suggests that groups choose one segment to focus on for their trips.
The northern segment of California 1 begins in Mendocino, which is in the heart of a redwood forest and is surrounded by artistic communities. From there, it extends south, crossing the Golden Gate Bridge into San Francisco.
The central segment of the highway starts south of San Francisco in Monterey, home of the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium, and extends south to Santa Barbara, passing through the beautiful Big Sur coastline.
“Big Sur is my personal favorite,” Becker said. “It’s sheer cliffs rising up from the ocean to 3,000-foot mountains right up against the water. Highway 1 threads the needle between the mountains. There are amazing panoramas and waterfalls that drop from the cliffs into the ocean.”
The southern segment of the Pacific Coast Highway goes from Santa Barbara through San Diego to the Mexican border. Groups that travel this stretch will find pristine beach towns, the Santa Monica pier and the laid-back SoCal attitude that has come to define this portion of the state.
