THE CANARY-YELLOW 1930 Ford Model A Five-Window Coupe, perched high atop a pole in front of the Route 66 Auto Museum in Santa Rosa, seems ready to roll through the clouds. Instead, this eye-catching car advertises the museum’s collection of more than 30 vintage vehicles, gas pumps, and loads of memorabilia. “We’ve become good friends with people from all over the world who are making the Route 66 trip,” says Anna Cordova, who opened the museum more than 20 years ago with her husband, James “Bozo” Cordova, a passionate restorer of vintage cars. “We take the time to talk to people. People are so happy when they leave.”

Russell’s Car and Collectible Museum, in Glenrio, is jam-packed with nearly two dozen shiny classic cars, historic fuel pumps and service station signs, retro jukeboxes, Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley memorabilia, and loads of vintage items. Opened in 2010 by Emory Russell, who sold the business to TA Travel Centers in 2023, this museum is a Route 66 lover’s dream.

The New Mexico Route 66 Museum in Tucumcari features classic cars, vintage Americana, and the world’s largest Route 66 photo exhibition. Photograph by Gabriella Marks.

New Mexico Route 66 Museum, in Tucumcari, celebrates America’s love affair with the Mother Road, classic cars (including a stately 1937 Studebaker President), and vintage Americana like the Rock-Ola jukebox. Don’t miss the world’s largest Route 66 photo exhibition.

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