NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n AMARILLO, Texas \u2013 <\/span>As U.S. Route 66 turns 100 years old, travelers are searching for the brightest motels, most unique attractions and tastiest diners to celebrate its centennial.<\/p>\n The things Route 66 travelers<\/a> seek today are the same ones that drew people out during the road\u2019s heyday.<\/p>\n “[The] trucking industry increased like 700% between 1939 and 1964. In 1964, 80% of people vacationed by automobile,” Route 66 author, Jim Hinckley, told Fox News.\u00a0<\/p>\n Historic Route 66 runs through dozens of towns \u2014 some have grown into larger cities, while others are now the bones of what once was.<\/p>\n ROUTE 66: AN AMERICAN CELEBRATION, ALONG WITH AMERICA’S 250TH ANNIVERSARY<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n After Route 66 became decommissioned in the 1980s, many towns went ghost.\u00a0<\/span> (Chelsea Torres)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n “Think 1939, you\u2019ve got a million cars coming through your town in a year. And after the war, that increases, and all of a sudden it\u2019s like someone turned off the tap,” Hinckley said.<\/p>\n That vision becomes clear as travelers pass rundown businesses in dozens of small towns across the eight states.<\/p>\n During that stretch is the Texas<\/a> town of Adrian, which is coined as the “geographical midpoint” of Route 66, according to Gary Daggett, president of the Old Route 66 Association of Texas.<\/p>\n “It’s the nostalgia, ya know, there’s so much of American history here at Route 66,” Daggett said.<\/p>\n ROUTE 66 HIGHLIGHTS COSMIC SITES ACROSS ARIZONA<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Daggett is also the gift shop manager at Midpoint Caf\u00e9 in Adrian, which is hard to miss as it is marked by a sign that soars to the skies.<\/p>\n The owner, Brenda Hammit Bradley, bought the caf\u00e9 in 2018 and is still known for her endless pie flavors, like green Chile apple pie and Elvis, which is chocolate, peanut butter and banana.<\/p>\n “Don\u2019t get me wrong, it\u2019s not that it\u2019s not hard, because it\u2019s a job, but it\u2019s just fun, I get to meet awesome people,” Bradley told Fox News, adding that more than 70% of her customers come from overseas.<\/p>\n Business owners and Route 66 experts say the historic highway is still alive thanks to international travelers.<\/span> (Chelsea Torres)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Bradley said The Midpoint Caf\u00e9 inspired Flo’s V8 Restaurant in the Disney-Pixar movie Cars.<\/a><\/p>\n Just 15 minutes east, is Vega, Texas \u2013 a small country town with sprinkles of Route 66 memorabilia. One block off the historic route is Dot’s Mini Museum. \u00a0<\/p>\n “Our town was bypassed by I-40, but you know, there are a lot of people who travel, who love to go into the town, meet the people, see the places,” said Keila Bain, Dot’s granddaughter.<\/p>\n Bain said her grandmother’s small museum of antiques is free to enter, and the door is never locked.\u00a0<\/p>\n FOX’S STEVE DOOCY VISITS TULSA’S OUTSIDERS HOUSE MUSEUM<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n “The thing that’s mostly missing about Dot’s mini museum is Dot herself, because she was a lot of life and a lot of fun,” Bain said, adding that her grandmother inspired one of the characters in Cars, which allowed her to attend some movie events.<\/p>\n Small museum filled with antiques from the 20th Century along Route 66.<\/span> (Chelsea Torres)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n Although Dot is not around anymore, a guest book inside the small museum is filled with names from dozens of countries. These small books are in several Route 66 attractions<\/a> around the town, tallying the thousands of people who stop by.<\/p>\n![\"Closed](\"https:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/static.foxnews.com\/foxnews.com\/content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1200\/675\/dilapitated-building-in-new-mexico-on-route-66.jpg?ve=1&tl=1\")
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