8 Unique Attractions on Route 66
An essential part of a road trip down Route 66 is visiting the various fascinating and kooky roadside attractions along it. But the Mother Road is long, and you likely won’t have time to stop at each and every thing begging for your attention.
So, where should you stop?
That’s a matter of personal experience, of course, but perhaps we can give you some pointers. The RoadRUNNER crew traversed Route 66 in the summer of 2024, and we made note of some of the most memorable stops along the way.
Here are eight unique attractions on Route 66 that you shouldn’t miss.
Uranus, MO
What would you expect to find in Uranus? The answer is lots of fudge, accompanied by a heaping helping of more or less crude humor.
Uranus, MO, is a delightfully juvenile tourist attraction just outside St. Robert. The star of the show is the Uranus Fudge Factory, where you can buy sweet brown treats to enjoy on the ride.
But that’s not all. You can also visit the Uranus Sideshow Museum to learn about various freakshow celebrities, smack some balls at the Putt Pirates mini golf track, or gawk at the world’s largest belt buckle.
Who knew Uranus is so much fun?
Paul Bunyan Muffler Man
Muffler Men are a celebrated icon of roadside Americana. This one is a bit different, though—instead of a muffler, he wields a giant hot dog.
This 19-foot-tall fiberglass fella originally advertised the Bunyan’s hot dog restaurant in Cicero, IL. Sadly, the restaurant closed in 2002, but Paul was so popular with the public that they saved him.
Today, he stands in Atlanta, IL, still brandishing his precious wiener. You should buy a hot dog on your way through the town and go eat it with Paul, for old times’ sake.
Golden Driller
The Golden Driller is a 76-foot-tall statue in Tulsa, OK, depicting an enormous oil worker. This shirtless giant pays tribute to the contribution the U.S. oil industry has made to the country’s development.
The statue was originally built for the 1952 International Petroleum Exposition by the Mid-Continent Supply Company. It was recreated for the 1959 show and, due to a positive reception, the Mid-Continent company donated the Golden Driller to Tulsa.
As a curiosity, the driller’s shoe size is 393DDD, and he wears a 112 hard hat-sized helmet. The buckle on his 48-foot-diameter belt was changed in 1979 to read “Tulsa” instead of “Mid-Continent.”
World’s Second-Largest Rocking Chair
This 42-foot-tall rocking chair, known unofficially as the Red Rocker, was built in 2008 with the express purpose of being the world’s largest rocking chair. That’s what it was—for a while.
Unfortunately, the Red Rocker was unseated from the #1 spot in 2015, when a 56-foot-tall chair was built in Casey, IL. Still, the red chair is an unusual sight in its own right, and it still remains at its home in Cuba, MO.
Fun fact: the chair did originally rock, but its owners got so worried that hapless tourists might kill themselves that they eventually welded the chair in place. If you stop by to see the chair on your Route 66 trip, make sure to also visit the adjoining Fanning 66 Outpost souvenir store.
Jack Rabbit Trading Post
The Jack Rabbit Trading Post, located outside Joseph City, AZ, is known for one thing. Can you guess what it is?
Yeah, it’s the huge fiberglass jackrabbit that sits in front of the store.
The statue originally topped the store’s van, but it proved so popular that the owners took it down so people could stop to take pictures of it. You’ll find more rabbits painted on the store’s walls and signs, one of which famously proclaims, “Here it is!”
The “it,” of course, being the jackrabbit.
Pops
Not every attraction on Route 66 dates back to the road’s early days. Pops didn’t open its doors until 2007, but the restaurant has nonetheless established itself as a mainstay on the Mother Road.
As the name states, this restaurant is dedicated to pop—that is, soda. In front of the place is a giant soda bottle-shaped neon sign that buzzes to life as the night falls.
You know, it really wouldn’t be out of place even in the ‘40s or ‘50s.
Inside, you’ll find a collection of more than 700 soda bottles lining the walls, arranged by color. Stop by for lunch or dinner, and get a bottle of a rare soda pop to go with your meal.
Arcadia Round Barn
In 1898, farmer William Harrison Odor (he wasn’t blessed with the finest last name) needed a barn, so he built one from native bur oak in Arcadia, OK. With the region’s frequent tornadoes, Odor made the barn round, since he figured the tornado would “would hit and go around it instead of through it,” as his son recalled.
As the years went on, the distinctive building became a popular sight along Route 66 as America’s only truly round barn. Sadly, after I-40 usurped the Mother Road, the barn fell into disrepair and its roof collapsed in 1988.
A dedicated team of volunteers restored the barn in 1992, and today it’s again open to the public. The Arcadia Round Barn houses a museum of local history and a gift shop.
Devils Rope Museum
If you’ve ever wanted to learn all there is to know about barbed wire, the Devils Rope Museum in McLean, TX, is the place to be. This strange establishment exhibits the history of barbed wire, razor wire, and all other manners of stabbing, slicing, and/or dicing string in exhaustive detail.
We mean it, too—the Devils Rope Museum is said to have the world’s largest collection of published materials concerning barbed wire. When you visit, that’s easy to believe.
It’s a little bit eerie but fascinating stop on the Mother Road.