Route 66 Centennial Festival at the Missouri History Museum

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of Route 66 at the Missouri History Museum during this four-day festival exploring the Mother Road’s stunning natural scenery, quirky roadside attractions, its complex history, and its impacts on communities across the St. Louis region. Enjoy live music, classic car displays, film screenings, a Route 66 neon sign and memorabilia display, family activities, and more!

Bring your whole family to celebrate. All activities free and include:

Thursday, April 30

6–8 p.m. | Sweetie and the Toothaches Concert (Imo Family Plaza)

Enjoy an outdoor concert with Sweetie and the Toothaches playing hits of the 1940s–1960s that travelers would have listened to on their drive along the Main Street of America. Pack your picnic basket and check out some of the area’s best food trucks. Grab your blankets and lawn chairs and listen to music underneath a beautiful Forest Park sunset.

Friday, May 1

10 a.m. – 3 p.m. | Car Display (Imo Family Plaza)

A classic drive deserves a classic car! Check out some popular wheels from Route 66’s heyday on display, courtesy of St. Louis car clubs.

11 am–3 pm  | Food Trucks (Imo Family Plaza)

10 am–4 pm | Route 66 Neon Display (Lower Level, AT&T Multipurpose Room)

Light up your weekend with a pop-up display of colorful neon, glowing with the charm of classic diners, watering holes, gas stations, and shops that once lit the way along St. Louis’s stretch of the Mother Road!

10 am–5 pm | Route 66: Main Street Through St. Louis Snapshot (Main Level, Hallway)

Check out the small hallway exhibit that explores St. Louis’s stretch along the famous roadway.

10 am–1 pm | Open Playroom: On the Road (Main Level, Schnucks Classroom)

Through hands-on activities and thought-provoking questions, families will work together to plan a trip on Route 66 the old-fashioned way—with paper maps and brochures! Make destination and dining decisions, calculate your expenses, and plan your route through historic sites and attractions across Missouri.

10 am–1 pm | Crafts (Lower Level, Atrium and Karen M. Goering Classroom)

Get your creative kicks on Route 66 with crafts! Make your own “neon” sign, create an air freshener for your car, and decorate a paper hat for your shift at a roadside diner.

10:30–11 am | Storytelling in the Museum: Road Trips (Main Level, History Clubhouse)

Families are invited to join us for a story time packed with songs and storybooks about road trips! Local author Beth Bacon will read her new book, Route 66: Faces and Places.

11 am | Author Talk: Aprons Away: Women’s Work on Route 66 with Cheryl Eichar Jett (Lower Level, Lee Auditorium)

When you think about stopping at a Route 66 diner, you might picture an aproned waitress with coffee pot in hand. But did you ever wonder about all the other women who worked along the 2,448-mile length of the most famous highway in the world? Author Cheryl Eichar Jett takes a look at women behind the scenes who worked at a variety of jobs and businesses. From Chicago to Los Angeles, women pumped gas, ran for office, painted murals, joined the military, reported news, designed buildings, themes parks, rockets, and toys.

6–9 pm | Movie Night: Cars (Imo Family Plaza, MacDermott Grand Hall, Lee Auditorium)

Step back in time to a night at the movies! Enjoy classic drive-in snacks and diner fare from the area’s best food trucks. Stop by the family zone where kids can make their own cardboard cars and “neon” signs. The film begins at 7 p.m. inside the Museum! Food trucks will be available outdoors on the Imo Family Plaza from 5:30–7:30.

Saturday, May 2

10 am–3 pm | Car Display (Imo Family Plaza)

A classic drive deserves a classic car! Check out some popular wheels from Route 66’s heyday on display, courtesy of local St. Louis car clubs.

11 am–3 pm | Food Trucks (Imo Family Plaza)

10 am–4 pm | Route 66 Neon Display (Lower Level, AT&T Multipurpose Room)

Light up your weekend with a pop-up display of colorful neon, glowing with the charm of classic diners, watering holes, gas stations, and shops that once lit the way long St. Louis’s stretch of the Mother Road!

10 am–5 pm | Route 66: Main Street Through St. Louis Snapshot (Main Level, Hallway)

Check out the small hallway exhibit that explores St. Louis’s stretch along the famous roadway.

10 am–4 pm | Open Playroom: On the Road (Main Level, Schnucks Classroom)

Through hands-on activities and thought-provoking questions, families will work together to plan a trip on Route 66 the old-fashioned way—with paper maps and brochures! Make destination and dining decisions, calculate your expenses, and plan your route through historic sites and attractions across Missouri.

10 am–4 pm | Crafts (Lower Level, Atrium and Karen M. Goering Classroom)

Get your creative kicks on Route 66 with crafts! Make your own “neon” sign, create an air freshener for your car, and decorate a paper hat for your shift at a roadside diner.

10:30 am–11:00 am | Storytelling in the Museum: Road Trips (Main Level, History Clubhouse)

Families are invited to join us for a story time with songs and storybooks about road trips! Local author Beth Bacon will read her new book, Route 66: Faces and Places.

11 am | Author Talk: Route 66: The First 100 Years with Jim Ross and Shellee Graham (Lower Level, Lee Auditorium)

Buckle up and take a generational journey with acclaimed Route 66 ambassadors Jim Ross and Shellee Graham as they time travel through the legendary highway’s life, demise, and renaissance. Explore the route from its birth in 1926 through its centennial and pay homage to all whose lives were shaped or changed by this woudrous road. As the world’s most famous highway, Route 66 conjures up images of dreamers, road-trippers, migrants, and nomads. On a deeper level, it is a story of escape, triumph, deliverance, and adventure during the best and worst of times. Discover ladies of legend, the influence of Indigenous America, neon-splashed boulevards, tourist traps, motor courts, trading posts, and heroes both remembered and forgotten.

1pm | Navigating the Road: The Green Book (Lower Level, Lee Auditorium)

MHS Public Historian Cicely Hunter journeys into the history of the Green Book, the essential guide that helped Black travelers find safe places to stay, dine, and refuel during the era of segregation. Hear firsthand stories from Irv Logan and Elizabeth Calvin, who worked at their grandmother’s Green Book-listed hotel in Springfield, Missouri; and connect history to experiences today with Anthony and Marlie Love of Traveling While Black, a podcast and YouTube series that explores the joy and challenges of safe and inclusive travel for the Black community and their allies.

3pm | Route 66 Through St. Louis Presentation (Lower Level, Lee Auditorium)

Author and collector Joe Sonderman shines a light on the paths of Route 66 took through the area, including crossing the greatest rivers on a bridge with a bend right in the middle. Discover the sights of St. Louis’s roadside, where flashing neon lit up classic diners, gas station attendants hurried to your car with friendly service, laughter spilled from amusement parks and drive-in theaters, and a man sold frozen custard from a building trimmed with wooden icicles.

Sunday, May 3

10 am–3 pm | Car Display (Imo Family Plaza)

A classic drive deserves a classic car! Check out some popular wheels from Route 66’s heyday on display, courtesy of local St. Louis car clubs.

11 am–3 pm | Food Trucks (Imo Family Plaza)

10 am–4 pm | Route 66 Neon Display (Lower Level, AT&T Multipurpose Room)

Light up your weekend with pop-up display of colorful neon, glowing with the charm of classic diners, watering holes, gas stations, and shops that once lit the way along St. Louis’s stretch of the Mother Road!

10 am–5 pm | Route 66: Main Street Through St. Louis Snapshot (Main Level, Hallway)

Check out the small hallway exhibit that explores St. Louis’s strength along the famous roadway.

12 pm–4 pm | Open Playroom: On the Road (Main Level, Schnucks Classroom)

Through hands-on activities and thought-provoking questions, families will work together to plan a trip on Route 66 the old-fashioned way—with paper maps and brochures! Make destination and dining decisions, calculate your expenses, and plan your route through historic sites and attractions across Missouri.

12 pm–4 pm | Crafts (Lower Level, Atrium and Karen M. Goering Classroom)

Get your creative kicks on Route 66 with crafts! Make your own “neon” sign, create an air freshener for your car, and decorate a paper hat for your shift at a roadside diner.

1 pm | The Art of Neon and Its Association with Route 66 (Lower Level, Lee Auditorium)

Join neon artist Jeff Dunn to learn about the intricate craft of working with neon, the history of the art form, and the way vibrant neon signs along Route 66 attracted customers to motels and eateries, becoming a vital part of the Mother Road’s culture.

3 pm | Film Screening and Discussion: Show Me 66: Main Street Through Missouri (Lower Level, Lee Auditorium)

Roll down the car windows, feel the air through your hair, and get your kicks on Route 66! Join filmmakers Andrew Wanko and Eric Wilkinson to watch and discuss the Emmy Award—winning 2016 MHS documentary Show Me 66: Main Street Through Missouri. Equal parts historical documentary and travelogue, the film features hundreds of historic images, archival footage, present-day road footage, and interview subjects ranging from transportation historians to neon sign restorationists.

Learn more at mohistory.org