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    Historic Route 66 Begin Sign

    3.9 (9 reviews)

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    On the corner of Adams & Michigan Ave. across the street from the Art institute of Chicago.
    Tony H.

    A cool little sight to see while passing around through downtown Chicago. The sign is on Michigan Ave & Adams St. right across the street from the Art Institute of Chicago. Being from LA where the end of Route 66 sign is out on the pier in Santa Monica it was pretty cool to see the beginning of the trail.

    Sign
    Steve A.

    Curious to see where the famous road begins? If you like Route 66 stuff, this is a must visit for sure, but you won't be staying for long. There isn't much to it, so it's not that interesting though. Even though it's a significant place, it should only take a few moments to look at. Pretty much it's more interesting to read about it than it actually see it seems. Basically the history of Route 66 is more interesting than looking at this road sign in the middle of busy Chicago. It's located on Adams just west of Michigan. This is closest to the Adams and Wabash station. Certainly no one comes here just to see it. This is close to a few museums. Among these is the Art Institute. There's also a few restaurants such as the Berghoff among others. Check it out when you're seeing somewhere else around here. It only takes a few seconds to get a look at it and then you move on. This is close to a Loop station and many forms of public transportation.

    San Diego 66 sign

    Travelled backwards from San Diego to Chicago on Route 66. Come On Chicago, have some pride in your history. The dichotomy between the cleanliness of the sign and around the sign between San Diego and Chicago is amazing.

    Ariel W.

    Route 66 is so famous, it even inspired a song. "It winds from Chicago to LA More than two thousand miles all the way. Get your kicks on Route sixty six." When I was in Chicago I wanted to find the start to this historic road and it turns out it is right across the street from the Chicago Art Institute. In 1926, the U.S. federal highway system designated the number 66 to the route that ran from Chicago to Santa Monica. It was created in response to the rise in popularity of cars and the demand for safer and more direct roadways. Route 66 was made up of a series of pre-existing roads that followed the ancient trails made by the first people to reach North America 15,000 years ago. Indians used these foot trails and later they were traveled by fur trappers in the 1700's and pioneers in the 1800's. The roads were designated Route 66 so that it had consistent signs as it crossed state boundaries. By 1938, the road was fully paved. Route 66 travels over 2,400 miles, crossing 8 states, before ending at the Pacific Coast in Santa Monica, California. It runs through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. From 1926 to 1985, it was the most traveled route between the Midwest and the West In John Steinbeck's book The Grapes of Wrath, he referred to Route 66 as "the mother road, the road of flight" for those trying to escape the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression in the 1930's as they headed to California for a better life. WWII veterans used the route to hitchhike after they returned from war. In the 1950's and 60's, it was the route vacationing families in the Midwest took to the Grand Canyon and Disneyland. during this time a host of restaurants, motels, diners, gas stations, car repair shops, and tourist attractions popped up along the route. As the current federal interstate system was created to get people from point A to point B more quickly, many of the small towns on Route 66 were bypassed causing their death. Think Radiator Springs in the Disney movie Cars which was once a popular stop along U.S. Route 66 until it was bypassed with the construction of Interstate 40 and forgotten. Route 66 was decommissioned in 1985 and it is no longer officially designated or signed as Route 66 but if you have a Route 66 guidebook you can still travel 80 percent of this road today. Tourism and preservation groups along with its portrayal in movies like Cars, has renewed interest in the historic road. The 66 Corridor Preservation Program was created by an act of Congress in 1999 and it is administered by the National Parks Service. I hope to make the full Route 66 trip someday. Anyone want to come along? LOL. You can still visit many of the same tourists spots people visited in the 1950's. Other area are now ghost towns. "Won't you get hip to this timely tip. When you make that California trip. Get your kicks on Route sixty six."

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    Skydeck - NEVER FORGET (look closely)

    Skydeck

    3.5(955 reviews)
    0.6 miThe Loop

    Skydeck Chicago was amazing! I went for my scheduled 2 PM visit and was actually surprised that it…read morewasn't too crazy busy. Once you check in, you go through a museum-like walkthrough that covers Chicago's history as well as the history of the Sears/Willis Tower. There are also plenty of opportunities to stop and take pictures along the way. Once you reach the end of the walkthrough, you head up 103 floors to the Skydeck. As soon as I walked in, I was honestly blown away. Even though the building was once the tallest in the world, it's still such an incredible experience to see the entire city of Chicago from that high up. The skyline is absolutely breathtaking, and you can even see Lake Michigan from the top. It also wasn't too crowded when I went, which made the experience even better. I was able to do the Ledge as well, where you can step out onto the glass and take pictures and videos. You get up to 90 seconds when it's your turn, and you can get back in line if you want to go again. Everything was exactly as described, and I'm so glad I got to visit again for the second time as an adult. I also got my ticket through CityPASS Chicago, and the whole process was super smooth with no hiccups. Definitely one of the highlights of my Chicago trip and a place I'd recommend checking out, especially if it's your first time in the city!

    We started our Chicago adventures by visiting the sky deck and Willis Tower. We had a great time…read morelearning about the history of Chicago. We purchased city pass tickets since we were visiting for a couple of days and chose the sky deck as one of our activities. They recommend making a reservation through the app so you can book the time you'd like to visit. Once we were in we went through the experience where we got to see exhibits and take fun pictures throughout. From there we took the elevator to the 103 floor to see the sky deck. The views of the city are super beautiful and of course we have to get our fun photos from the ledge!

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    Skydeck - Use your phone flash!

    Use your phone flash!

    Skydeck - Read sign if it's not obvious.

    Read sign if it's not obvious.

    Skydeck - Our friend living his best life

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    Our friend living his best life

    Landmark Theatres - Inside theatre 5

    Landmark Theatres

    3.4(27 reviews)
    17.7 mi

    Can you turn the freaking air on? Maybe at least the fan to circulate air. If you want to watch a…read moremovie in great seats but hot stuffy air and warm and musty this is your place. I get times are tough but it makes for a miserable experience

    When we were looking for a local cinema to see Ne Zha 2 for the second time, this time with English…read moredubbing, we were happy to find Landmark at the Glen! It replaced Arclight which was in a decline. The cinema had been renovated 2 years ago. It was a Thursday afternoon, and the cinema was pretty quiet. There were big kiosks for ticket purchases, and the process was quick and easy. We got a small bag (which was not too small) for $10 plus tax, a little pricy for popcorn, but it was good. The popcorn guy was friendly, and he also doubled as the guy to collect our ticket stubs, and informed us which cinema room to go to. We were there for the preview of the movie, and we got the entire cinema #5 to the 3 of us! While the lobby and hallways of the cinema was nice and cool, this room was a little too warm. We totally understood that they would not cool down an entire room when there was no audience inside. I went to talk to the popcorn guy about the air temperature issue, and he promised to have it adjusted. As I went back to the cinema room. We could feel that cool air started to come out, and it was comfortable for the rest of the showing. The chairs were big, clean, and comfortable. Sound and picture were great. The movie itself was enjoyable just like the first time, and the English dubbing was perfect. The entire cinema was very clean. I was especially pleased with their restrooms being spotless clean. There is a bar in the lobby, and across from it was the biggest poster I've ever seen in a cinema lobby, it was a colorful digital poster of Ne Zha 2, very appropriate for such a spectacular movie. When we left the cinema after seeing the movie, there was another guy at the hallway collecting ticket stubs, and there was obviously more audience coming in. We enjoyed this cinema experience very much, and would definitely return to see other movies in the future.

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    Landmark Theatres - Kiosks in the lobby

    Kiosks in the lobby

    Landmark Theatres - Inside theatre 5

    Inside theatre 5

    Landmark Theatres - Front doors

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    Front doors

    Historic Route 66 Begin Sign - landmarks - Updated September 2026

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