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What’s New in America’s Crossroads

Route 66 Experience

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Many people dream of driving Route 66 from the shores of Lake Michigan in Chicago to the beaches of the Pacific Ocean in California. And Tulsa, Oklahoma, is where east meets west on the Mother Road where the Cyrus Avery Route 66 Memorial Bridge spans the Arkansas River.

That’s why the people behind the Route 66 Experience plan to build the attraction next to the bridge, said Ken Busby, executive director of the Route 66 Experience and founding chair of the Tulsa Route 66 Commission. Organizers have raised $13.5 million of the project’s estimated $23 million cost and hope to finish raising capital this year to break ground by early fall, he said. Although they were originally targeting a November 2019 opening, it will more likely be in 2020.

The Route 66 Experience will include an interpretive center, a drive-in movie theater and two restaurants, along with a visitor center and retail store. The interpretive center would not be a collecting museum. “We’re really focusing on virtual,” Busby said. Organizers are working on a virtual Route 66 road trip that would allow guests to select a section of the Mother Road and “drive” it in a Mustang convertible or on a Harley-Davidson.

“You’ll hear the engine and feel the rumble, and you’d get to see the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, the Blue Whale of Catoosa, Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo — things along the way that are real highlights,” he said.

A smartphone app will connect visitors and those driving Route 66 and allow them to share experiences in real-time, such as seeing drivers’ locations on a map or making recommendations for roadside stops.

At the open-air Route 66 Historical Village on the west side of the river, a new visitor center is under construction and will be complete this spring. Travelers can stop at the village to see historic train engines, passenger cars and automobiles.

www.rt66exp.com

Rachel Carter

Rachel Carter worked as a newspaper reporter for eight years and spent two years as an online news editor before launching her freelance career. She now writes for national meetings magazines and travel trade publications.