Illinois Route 66

Pontiac Region Attractions Lincoln Region Attractions Springfield Region Attractions Carlinville Region Attractions Litchfield Region Attractions East St. Louis Region Attractions

Agriculture & Mining

The experience of cruising Illinois Route 66 is so much more relaxing and pleasant than the monotony of driving the interstate - and in some places along the way, 66 is is within view of Interstate 55. On 66, the prairie, farms and fences seem to roll pleasantly by. The sky seems more expansive and awe-inspiring. The rhythm of The Mother Road is interrupted only by an occasional bridge, stand of forest or advertising sign. Then, there on the horizon, the harbinger of civilization you’ve been looking for - a grain elevator or water tower. Why do those towns exist, you might wonder? Two common reasons are agriculture and mining. 80% of land in Illinois is devoted to farming. And, the coal underlying much of central and southern Illinois most definitely played a role in the development of towns along Route 66. Coal is still actively mined south of Springfield. So, when you’re on The Mother Road in Illinois, keep in mind; there’s commerce all around you, and in some cases, way down below your wheels.

Pontiac Region Attractions

K Mine Park
This large community recreation park is named for the mine that created the community of Godley.

Mazonia-Braidwood State Fish & Wildlife Area
An area of 1,017 acres dedicated to fish and wildlife management, with excellent fossil hunting.

Lincoln Region Attractions

J.H. Hawes Grain Elevator Museum
This wooden grain elevator is the only one of its kind in the State of Illinois and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Old Gillett Farm
An historic seventh generation farm on Elkhart Hill that offers tours of the family homestead and accomodations in the guest house.

Springfield Region Attractions

Flagg Farmstead B&B
This attractive Italianate home is on the National Register of Historic Places and serves as a Bed and Breakfast.

Carlinville Region Attractions

Virden Miner’s Riot Memorial/Central Park
A large granite and bronze three-dimensional memorial depicting the 1898 Virden Miner's Riot

Litchfield Region Attractions

Manske-Niemann Farm
Includes some of the region's most complete examples of 19th and early 20th-century farm architecture.

Union Miners Cemetery
Burial site of miners killed in the Virden Mine Riot on October 10, 1898, and of Mary Harris "Mother" Jones, a champion of the miners known as the "grandmother of agitators."

Mother Jones Monument
Memorial to the "grandmother of agitators."

East St. Louis Region Attractions

Willoughby Heritage Farm and Conservation Reserve
Visit to learn about the family farm of the 1920s-50s, as well as the region's natural history.

DELICIOUS STORY: PALMS GRILL REOPENS!ad spacead space
GrahamSpencer - Inspired Strategic CommunicationsAmerica's BywaysEnjoy Illinois