The Ultimate Guide to Route 66: Texas

In the Texas town that inspired Disney’s Cars, one Route 66 icon reigns supreme. The Tower Station and U-Drop Inn Cafe, which inspired the gas station in the animated film, has been a road trip attraction in the town of Shamrock since 1936. Establishing itself as a Route 66 stopover by advertising food, gas, and lodging, the Art Deco landmark has been restored to its original glory, complete with neon lights and green paint, operating as a visitor center and the Shamrock Chamber of Commerce. The most striking feature is the Conoco obelisk rising over the building, topped with a metal tulip, while a shorter structure signifies the adjoining cafe. For a time, the cafe had a booming reputation among motorists (and famous customers, like Elvis), until I-40 triggered its decline. Now fully restored, travelers can once again dine at the U-Drop Inn Cafe, still serving retro Americana like pulled pork sandwiches, tuna melts, and homemade pies. 

Road-trippers traversing Route 66 through the Texas panhandle might do a double-take in the small town of Groom. A water tower tilted at a 10-degree angle, which is roughly six degrees more than its famed Italian counterpart, it’s a sight that looks more like Pisa than Texas, hence the name: the Leaning Tower of Texas. The leaning tower was dreamed up by savvy businessman Ralph Britten in the early ‘80s. When he was opening a restaurant on Route 66, he bought the water tower and lifted two of its legs with a bulldozer to create a tilt. With “Britten USA” painted on top, and just a small amount of water to keep things steady, the angled tower became an immediate sensation, prompting perplexed passersby to stop. The truck stop and restaurant are no more, but the Leaning Tower of Texas remains one of the ultimate oddities on Route 66.

If ever there was a restaurant that exemplified Texas, it’s a 480-person steakhouse known for its dinosaur-sized 72-oz. steaks. Oh, and in case you’re traveling with your horse, you can rent a horse stall while you eat. The Big Texan is the kind of super-sized spectacle that Texas is known for, perched on Route 66 in Amarillo. It’s been a fixture since 1960, when a 60-foot neon cowboy sign beckoned travelers to attempt a one-hour challenge: eat a 72-oz. steak (plus salad, shrimp cocktail, dinner roll, and baked potato) in under 60 minutes, and a free meal plus $60.

66 years and an expanded location change later, The Big Texan has become a Route 66 icon, still offering the same 72-oz. steak challenge, as well as a vibrant 54-room motel with the facade of a Wild West town, and Slug Bug Ranch, a series of half-buried Volkswagen Beetles, a la nearby Cadillac Ranch. More than 130,000 diners have attempted the steak-eating challenge, with over 9,000 victors. For those not looking to eat 72 ounces of steak on a stage in the middle of a bi-level dining room, the menu also includes more reasonable portion sizes, plus burgers, catfish, and quesadillas. And in case all that wasn’t enough, the theme park-like restaurant also has its own brewery. 

With a population around 200,000, making it the largest city on Texas’ portion of Route 66, Amarillo teems with roadside attractions and singular sights. In addition to previously mentioned Route 66 icons, Cadillac Ranch and The Big Texan, the city leans into the lore at the Route 66 Visitor Center, a former fried chicken restaurant stocked with all manner of automotive Americana and kitsch. Other Route 66 stops include Texas Ivy Antiques and Bill’s Backyard Classics, the latter of which touts 100-plus vintage cars dating back to before the Mother Road was established. Then there’s the Sixth Street Historic District, home to preserved Spanish Revival and Art Deco buildings along one mile of Route 66. Today, those buildings contain galleries and businesses like Alley Katz Unique Emporium, Blue Sage Pottery, and Chapterhouse Books. For the Centennial, Amarillo serves as the grand finale of the 10-day Texas Route 66 Festival, which includes events all along Texas’ portion of Route 66, with a classic car show and street fest on historic Sixth Street June 13.

Driving west in Amarillo, where Route 66 perfectly parallels I-40, it’s impossible to miss: 10 kaleidoscopic Cadillacs, hood-deep in the ground, at the same angle as the Pyramids of Giza. Since its inception in 1974, Cadillac Ranch has remained one of the foremost pit stops on Route 66, as a feat of artistic expression and an automotive homage to the Mother Road. It’s all thanks to a group of artists called The Ant Farm, which included a silent partner investor from Amarillo, Stanley Marsh 3. Looking for a roadside attraction that would grab attention, they buried 10 classic Cadillacs in the ground, from a 1949 Club Sedan to a 1963 Sedan de Ville, all in a perfect line at 60-degree angles. Over time, passersby were encouraged to paint and spray the cars, resulting in a kind of ever-changing, colorful automotive canvas. Free to visit, Cadillac Ranch is open 24/7/365. 

Towards the western edge of Texas’ panhandle, a sign reads “Los Angeles 1139 Miles” and “Chicago 1139 Miles.” In the quiet town of Adrian, you’ve reached the halfway point of Route 66, and the perfect way to celebrate is with a meal at one of the oldest continuously operating restaurants on the entire drive. The aptly named Midpoint Cafe was originally built in 1928, and initially operated as Zella’s Cafe, before changing hands — and names — multiple times. When I-40 bypassed Route 66, diverting traffic away from Adrian, the community got quieter, but the restaurant’s reputation endured. It wasn’t until the ‘90s that new owners realized the eatery was exactly at the midway point of Route 66, and opted to rename and add a gift shop, for nostalgia-fueled road-trippers still stopping in Adrian. The cafe replicates the vintage ambience of the original mid-century space, with a soda shoppe aesthetic and hamburgers, BLTs, and homemade pies to match. 

Back at the midway point of Route 66, in the town of Adrian, another must-visit destination is the whimsical wonderland known as Dream Maker Station Route 66 Souvenir & Gift Shop. Originally called Dub’s Enco-Humble Service Station, and later Sunflower Station, Dream Maker came to be in 2024. With Route 66 souvenirs and merchandise outfitting the original building from the ‘30s, the shop offers road trip requisites like hot coffee, cold drinks, and ice cream. Shoppers will find shirts, hats, pins, shot glasses, and more, while a pinball machine provides retro fun. In addition to its annual car show in May, Dream Maker Station has a slate of events planned for the Centennial, including a motorcycle show, barbecue tournament, scavenger hunt, and chili cook-off.