A Route 66 centennial adventure can be enhanced this year with a modicum of planning. Add an event or celebration, coordinate with friends for a meet up, or join a tour with like minded enthusiasts.

From Chicago to Santa Monica, all along Route 66 there is a palpable sense of excitement in communities large and small. A Route 66 road trip is always a memory making adventure. But in the year of the highway’s centennial a road trip on this storied old highway will be a once in a lifetime American experience.

The American story is made manifest in every mile of Route 66. Our past, our present, and our future are intertwined. The world’s first EV museum and 17th century villages, Civil War battlefields and neon lit motels. A Route 66 road trip blurs the line between past and present.

America’s Longest Small Town

A string of time capsules. A 2,000 mile museum. The Main Street of America. The Mother Road. There are lots of Route 66 descriptors and all are apt. But for me the best one is America’s longest small town.

That alone is reason enough to be planning a Route 66 centennial adventure. Spend a day on Route 66. Discover America.

You don’t need an RV to visit with Vickie Ashcraft at the Enchanted Trails Trading Post & RV Park near Albuquerque. This gem is one part modern RV park, one part Route 66 time capsule, and one part museum. But what really makes it a must stop location is Vickie, a passionate supporter of the Route 66 community and a founding member of the New Mexico Route 66 Alliance.

Slow the pace, talk to folks. Talk to passionate entrepreneurs like David Brenner of the delightful Roadrunner Lodge Motel in Tucumcari. Visit with waitresses and travelers, the people behind the counter at the gas station, and folks met on the street. This is where you find the magic that is the Route 66 experience.

Portal To Adventure: The Great American Road Trip

We are not myopic at Jim Hinckley’s America. Encouraging people to discover America through road trips is what we do. We deliver that encouragement with shared adventures in small towns along U.S. 6 or highway 395. And we share it from the Mojave Desert, the historic heart of Los Angeles or the courthouse square in Prescott, Arizona.

But when it comes to telling people where to go and sharing America’s story more often than not, we share adventures from Route 66. In 2026, an interest in a Route 66 centennial adventure has unleashed a tsunami of inquiries from international media, curious travelers, museums and event orgnaizers. At times it seems like the whole world is giving thought to a Route 66 road trip.

In just one day this week I gave Riccardo Stagliano, an Italian journalist, an abbreviated tour of historic Kingman and facilitated introductions to a few business owners. I also had an interview with the RV Atlas podcast and visited with a Czech Route 66 Association tour led by my friend Zdenek Jurasek.

Beyond the centennial

When speaking about the role of cultural, heritage, and experiential tourism related economic development in Route 66 communities, I strongly encourage people to look beyond the centennial. Even with the decline in international tourism, 2026 will be a banner year for travelers on Route 66. But it isn’t logical to think that a focus on the Route 66 bicentennial will be adequate to keep this level of excitment and enthusiasm going in 2027.

So, it is important to see 2026 as an opportunity to use Route 66 as the catalyst for development that makes a community more than a Mother Road destination. Taking my own advice, I am working to ensure that Jim Hinckley’s America remains a leader in the inspiring of road trips beyond the Route 66 centennial.

First, we are working to expand the scope of this website while evaluating options for relocating Coffee With Jim, our weekly podcast, from Podbean. And we are developing a presence on Substack with a thought this could be a hub for the entire network.

A New Chapter

So, 2027 will mark the dawn of a new era on Route 66. And if all goes as planned, it will be the opening of a new chapter in the Jim Hinckley’s America story.

And if it doean’t go as planned, we will still be sharing adventures. We hope that you and your friends will join us. Become a subscriber and follower of the website, social media, podcast and YouTube channel. Drop a note once and awhile and share your adventures.

This year lets plan a Route 66 centennial adventure and discover the real America. And while we are at it, lets ignite a passion for the adventure that is the great American road trip.