Scenic USA - Oklahoma Route 66 - Round Barn |
Photos by Donna Langley |
With beautiful weather in the forecast and the weekend just about here, you'll have to dream up a little road-trip like countless others with no particular place to go. And if you're close to Oklahoma, sightseers will find nearly 400 miles of marked Route 66 stretching all the way across the state from Miami to Texola.
Although Depression Era families looked to Route 66 as an avenue to the West and a new beginning, post World War II families began to enjoy an age of prosperity, a taste of the good life and a new family car. Eager to shake off the blues of the Great Depression, the 50s brought in a flurry of activity when businessmen and shop owners looked forward to the increased traffic on America's Main Street. For younger generations not familiar with the significance of Route 66, Clinton's Route 66 Museum was set up to chronicle the deep social and cultural changes of America. Opened in 1995, the state's official Route 66 Museum is operated by the Oklahoma Historical Society.
One of the most distinctive Route 66 landmarks, found in Arcadia, is this 100 year old Round Barn. Just a few minutes down the road, a sixty-six foot tall soda pop marquee replicating the distinctive neon glow of the 50s announces Pops Restaurant. The diner features some of the best chicken fried steak, burgers and fries in Acadia as well as hundreds of soda pop flavors. More museums, vintage gas stations, parks, cafes and landmarks dot the entire length of Oklahoma's National Road. Sections of the original highway are still intact, including two rare stretches of nine-foot wide curbed and paved highway between Miami and Afton.
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