Road Trip Route 66 Highlights
If you are planning a road trip in the near future, you should certainly consider driving Route 66. In the summer of 1926, Congress declared that a road should be built between Chicago and Los Angeles. It was to be one of the most important vehicular arteries in our nation. Road planners always intended Route 66 to connect rural communities to a major thoroughfare. With the Great Depression, families and single wanderers of all types kept the route well traveled as they headed to other towns in search of a better life. Tourists began to join the ranks of travelers, and Route 66 was immortalized in books, movies, and music. The Federal Government finally decommissioned it in 1985. If you would like to soak up some of the history that was such a cultural icon for so many years, there are still many sites to see along the old road.
One of the most important attractions along Route 66 is the Wigwam Motel in Rialto, California. This lodging facility was originally located in San Bernadino, but due to zoning changes in later years, it was classified as a Rialto address. Frank Redford, who grew up under the influence of Native American culture, built the motel in 1949. His business began when he build a teepee in Kentucky to display some Native American artifacts. A year later, he added teepee shaped cabins to the premises to offer visitors a place to stay during their trip. In 1937, he got a patent for the design. There were originally supposed to be seven Wigwam motels throughout the United States, and while the others were present for a short time, only two of them have been as well preserved as this one. When all seven villages were operational, each had the sets of teepee cabins around a large office teepee.
The exterior of the cabins and the office were designed to reflect Native American art. In Wigwam Motel, there are ninteen teepees made of both wood and concrete structures that serve as lodging facilities for guests. Each teepee is thirty foot in height, and they all are equipped to meet the needs of even modern travelers. Each one has two windows. There is a partition at the back of the unit for a bathroom. The inside of the cabins are also decorated to reflect Native American art. This motel includes an outdoor swimming facility and a barbecue grill for guests to use.
There are many Route 66 museums you should visit during your trip. The Route 66 Auto Museum in Santa Rosa, New Mexico is certainly a must see event. They have more than thirty vehicles on display. Each vehicle is representative of the kinds of cars you might have seen if you had driven Route 66 during it’s heyday. From street rods to vintage automobiles, to cars decked out with the level of chrome you might expect, you can glean a lot of knowledge from this stop.
The California Route 66 Museum in Victorville should also be on your top list of stops. This is a great collection of Route 66 memorabilia that you simply cannot miss on your vacation. They have many different displays. Their automotive history display will help you get some idea of the kinds of vehicles that drove along the traditional Route 66. The cultural display will help you to understand how Route 66 grew over time, and how it eventually passed into something children read about in history books. The economic display will help you to understand the financial profitability of Route 66 during the high times. The exhibits change on a regular basis, and there are many photographs and various artifacts that you cannot miss if you plan to drive Route 66.
One final museum you must see on your tour of Route 66 is the McDonald’s Route 66 museum. Since McDonald’s is a staple of road trips in general, it makes sense that there should be some commemoration of this fast food giant on your trip to historic Route 66. The McDonald’s Route 66 museum is in San Bernadino. As the original restaurant was located near Route 66, and many of the early Route 66 drivers may have stopped to try a McDonald’s hamburger, this is the perfect cap to your museum tour of Route 66.
There are a number of great things to see on your Route 66 vacation.
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Santa Fe Serenity The Top Just Gotta Visit Places
Planning a vacation this year? If so, you should seriously consider Santa Fe on your list of places to visit. Santa Fe, New Mexico, is rich in history as well as in current culture. It is one of the oldest capital cities on the continent. Moreover, it is home to the Palace of Governors, the oldest public building on the continent. They even have one of the oldest celebrations in the country, the Santa Fe Fiesta. It was established in 1712 to celebrate the Spanish conquest of the town. When you’re in Santa Fe, there are several attractions that you must visit.
One of the places you must see is the Chapel of San Miguel. It is the most historic church in the Santa Fe area. It rests two blocks from the state capitol, and is located at the corner of Old Santa Fe Trail and De Vargas. This chapel was first built in 1626. However, as there were several Native American revolts in the area, there is nothing lefts of the first chapel. It was burned on a number of occasions. The statue of the church patron, San Miguel, was carved in 1709. It was carefully crafted in Mexico. The chapel was eventually rebuilt completely, and in 1859, it was incorporated as a part of Saint Michael’s College when Archbishop Lamy and the Christian Brothers of Santa Fe purchased it.
Other chapels should also be added to your list. The Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe, on Agua Fria Street, should certainly make your list of chapels to visit. Built in 1795, the Chapel of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the oldest memorial to the Virgin in the United States. In 1880, as the railroad arrived in Santa Fe, the chapel was dedicated to non-Spanish speaking believers by Archbishop Lamy of the Catholic Church.
St. Francis Cathedral should also make your list of churches you should see on your visit to Santa Fe. This church, built in 1869, lies just north of the La Fonda Hotel. It was designed to mimic French Romanesque buildings, which makes it stand out in the traditional Spanish style buildings of Santa Fe. St. Francis Cathedral wasn’t the first church built on this site. There was another that was destroyed in Native American revolts. That church was rebuilt in adobe and called La Parroquia. When St. Francis Cathedral was built, portions of La Parroquia were incorporated into the new structure. Stone from quarries in and around Santa Fe were used in the construction of St. Francis Cathedral.
Churches aren’t the only things you should see in Santa Fe. While you are there, you should also try to visit the Museum of International Folk Art. This amazing attraction contains more than one hundred and thirty five thousand pieces. It opened in 1953, and currently has four distinct wings that house hundreds of exhibits. The Girard Wing opened in 1982 when Alexander Girard donated a large collection to the museum, which includes popular art, toys, textile material, and multi-national folk art. The Hispanic Heritage Wing primarily contains exhibits that are culturally significant to New Mexico. Artifacts included in this exhibit span four centuries. The Bartlett Wing houses rotating exhibits. There are two galleries in this wing (which was named for the founder of the museum) that have included exhibits ranging from Turkish culture to Tibetan tradition. The Neutrogena Wing is primarily a textile display encompassing the collection donated by the Neutrogena Corporation.
If you enjoy museums, be sure to check out the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture. This is part of the Museums of New Mexico system. This museum was founded in 1909. It is constantly under expansion to hold its contents. Its exhibits contain Native art and cultural artifacts. The material ranges from contemporary times to pre-recorded history. They have rotating educational programs on a constant basis. Try to catch one while you’re in town.
The Santa Fe Children’s Museum is the perfect place to take your family while you’re on vacation in the Santa Fe area. The cost is fairly minimal, and while the exhibits change on a regular basis, all of them encourage your kids to think creatively. They even have great places for your toddler to play.
The next time you’re in Santa Fe, be sure to catch one of these great locations.
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