In the middle of the end-to-end Route 66 journey, travelers pass through the Texas panhandle and for over 180 miles, travelers can experience historic motels, retro diners, and quirky roadside icons. Texas also includes the midpoint of Route 66 between Chicago, Illinois and Santa Monica, California in the town of Adrian where visitors can stop at the Midpoint Café, which was an inspiration for a character in the Pixar movie Cars. Outside of Amarillo, the Cadillac Ranch art installation features vintage automobiles from the 1940’s to the 1960’s rising up out the ground at an angle to resemble pyramids and decorated by graffiti from Route 66 enthusiasts so that every visit is unique.

Explore the stories of Route 66 in Texas and learn how you can celebrate and advocate for the route in 2026.

National Trust on Route 66 in Texas

For over 35 years, the National Trust has worked alongside our partners to preserve Route 66 as part of our ongoing Preserve Route 66 campaign that includes over $2.3 million in grantmaking across the eight Route 66 states, advocacy for federal legislation, traveling the route to document its rich history, and supporting Route 66 sites as part of other initiatives like the list of America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places and Backing Historic Small Restaurants.

In Texas, four Route 66 sites to-date have received over $69,000 in grants to support critical preservation work that helps enable small businesses and prized community landmarks to thrive and continue to tell their piece of the Route 66 story. Grantees in Texas include the U-Drop Inn in Shamrock to make needed improvements to windows, signage, and accessibility, along with the 1958 Cactus Inn and RV Parking in McLean for exterior upgrades to replace hail damage and upgrade site infrastructure.

Stay tuned for the next round of Preserving Route 66 grant opportunities for Route 66 Legacy Businesses and Route 66 Sites in Fall 2026.

Stories of Texas’s Route 66 on Google Arts and Culture

In 2026, the National Trust for Historic Preservation partnered with Google Arts & Culture to launch a new theme page as part of its work to preserve the Mother Road. This project—an Official Route 66 Centennial Project recommended by the U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission—was developed in collaboration with over 20 additional partner organizations resulting in over 130 stories that take you across all eight states on the Mother Road, including Texas.

• A Grant for the U-Drop Inn Helps a Town Feel Lucky
• Memories and Murals on Texas Route 66
• Rolling Through Time in the Texas Panhandle
• Motoring Ahead at the Western Motel

Advocate for Route 66

What better 100th birthday present for Route 66 than a National Historic Trail designation? We need your help to make that happen!

Your elected officials in the House and Senate need to hear from you about why Route 66 matters to you and the importance of preserving its rich history. This Centennial year is a pivotal moment to designate Route 66 as a national historic trail and help preserve Route 66 for the next 100 years and beyond.