New Mexico Tourism

Socorro Historical District Scenic Byway

Route 66 National Scenic Byway

Immortalized as the "Mother Road" in John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath, when it was designated in 1926, this national highway was one of the first roads to connect the Midwest to the West Coast, and rural areas to urban ones. In New Mexico, Route 66 slices across the entire state, from border to border, and, before a 1937 realignment, it made a loop to Santa Fe, then rejoined the main highway at Albuquerque.

These days, this 2,448-mile-long highway that spawned songs and a TV show, has been replaced by I-40, but in some spots, the old highway parallels and is marked by brown Historic Route 66 road signs. In New Mexico, from Tucumcari to Gallup, the towns along the highway still hold vestiges of a day gone by. Tourist courts, illuminated by neon signs, welcome guests and a few movie theaters show films or live performances.

In Tucumcari, a teepee that marks the entrance of Tee Pee Curios and still beckons customers, as does the Blue Swallow Motel. In Albuquerque, the highway continues to run through the heart of the city, as Central Avenue. From its eastern entrance at Tramway Boulevard, the road passes by motels, New Mexico Expo, which hosts the New Mexico State Fair every fall, and the University of New Mexico. Downtown, the old storefronts remain, but they have been remodeled into trendy bars and restaurants. West of downtown, neon signs still glow from a few of the old tourist courts.

The road follows the contours of the terrain as it makes its way west. In Grants, the Uranium Café serves up food that hopefully doesn't glow in the dark and in Gallup, travelers will find more original tourist courts and trading posts that are still doing business, along with the El Morro Theater, which still shows movies.