The California Route 66 Museum in Victorville encompasses both the historic and the contemporary of the ever-popular U.S. Highway 66. Also known as the "Mother Road," Route 66 is a 2,400-mile scenic byway that runs through parts of California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois. Unfortunately, only 85 percent of it, which is made up of unpaved sidewalk roads and two- and four-lane arteries, is navigable today. The California Route 66 Museum is working to promote and preserve this highway, and focusing on educating the public about this highway's effect on architecture, arts, community development and commerce in the United States.
Best and worst time to go to California Route 66 Museum
The museum is open to the public Thursday through Monday, and by appointment on Tuesday and Wednesday. Because traffic can get pretty heavy on the nearby interstate on Friday as people head out to Las Vegas for the weekend, it's best to visit to the California Route 66 Museum on a weekday. Travelers who have a hard time with extreme heat may want to avoid this area of Southern California between June and September where it is common to see triple-digit temperatures.
Must see/do at California Route 66 Museum
The California Route 66 Museum has three amazing rooms to visit. "The Route 66 Room" has several pieces of memorabilia from companies that were located along U.S. Route 66 including a 1948 Mustang Model 2 and The Green Spot Motel Neon Sign. "The Transportation Room" is named such because of its transportation exhibits including a 1956 Murray Bike and 1917 Model T car. Finally, "The Victorville Room" contains items specific to this city such as photos and mementos from Victorville, local high school yearbooks and photos from various businesses from the city's early days.
Admission to California Route 66 Museum
Admission to the California Route 66 Museum is free; however, donations are accepted.
Parking and public transportation to California Route 66 Museum
There is plenty of automobile and RV parking on site. The museum is wheelchair accessible. The museum is on the Victor Valley Transit Authority Bus Route 41.
Insider tip for visitors to California Route 66 Museum
This is only one of several Route 66 museums in the United States. Each of the eight states through which the highway travels have at least one type of Route 66 museum. For those visiting Southern California, there are five other museums you may want to see as each one has its own flavor.
Author's bio: Mary Beth Adomaitis is a freelance writer from Southern California. She loves to visit exciting and new places with her family. In the summer of 2014, she drove cross-country from California to Ohio, visiting 14 states in two weeks.