Route 66 attractions in Oklahoma: These are the 10 best stops
Photo Credit: Griffin Media
From news9.com: Oklahoma’s stretch of Route 66, often called the “Heart of the Mother Road,” is packed with nostalgic charm, quirky roadside art, and historical gems. As the nation gears up for the 2026 centennial of Route 66, now is a perfect time to spotlight the Sooner State’s must-see stops.
Here are 10 top attractions along Route 66 in Oklahoma, each offering a unique peek into America’s past, and a reason to pull over and explore.
Art dispensers created from ‘retired cigarette vending machines’ increasing footprint
Photo: Art-o-mat via Kiosk Marketplace
From Vending Times: The movement to repurpose retired cigarette vending machines into dispensers of original artwork is gaining momentum nationwide, including a stop at the Moxy Marriott in Columbia, South Carolina.
The Art-o-mat network uses over 250 former cigarette machines, which now sell miniature, cigarette carton-sized works of art for $5 each. The products include paintings, photography and writings.
North Carolina artist Clark Whittington founded Art-o-mat in 1997 as states began banning cigarette machines from public spaces accessible to minors. The machine in Columbia is leased by the arts organization One Columbia, which has exhibited it since 2015, according to the Carolina Reporter.
8 Delicious and Historic Pit Stops Along Route 66
Hi-Way Cafe (Vinita, Oklahoma)
From artsandculture.google.com: When coasting down the most iconic highway in America, Route 66, you’ll want to plan your pit stops carefully. Here are a few historic diners along the route that should be on your list. They were all recent grantees of Backing Historic Small Restaurants, a grant program of the National Trust for Historic Preservation in partnership with American Express.
This Restored 1950s Diner Was Once On Indiana’s Most Endangered Buildings List
Oasis Diner/Facebook
From mashed.com: It’s not unusual for old restaurants in America to achieve local fame within their communities because of the food they serve. What’s less common is a restaurant that’s as notable and recognized for the building as it is for the meals on plates inside. However, that’s exactly the case for Oasis Diner in Plainfield, Indiana. The eatery was once named on the state’s endangered buildings list — a testament to both its influence and rough condition not so long ago.
Dixon residents hope new owners of Milk Farm property will save historic sign
From Fox40.com: Standing about five times taller than a standard freeway overpass, the iconic Milk Farm sign along Interstate 80 in Dixon once presided over a thriving business.
An exhibit inside the Dixon Historical Society museum features many relics from what was once a popular place to eat, shop, and fuel up on the journey between Sacramento and the Bay Area.
FOX40 spoke with two local historians at the museum: Bill Schroeder and Nelson Sparks.
“Dixon is still a small-town community,” Schroeder said.
“We are interested in recording and preserving what we can,” Sparks said.
Restaurant matchbooks strike again
Collection of matchboxes, some as old as 50 years (larigan – Patricia Hamilton / Getty Images)
From Salon: Maybe it’s nostalgia — maybe it’s trendy aesthetics — or perhaps just old-school marketing, but restaurants across the country are bringing back the beloved matchbook.
You know the ones. Sitting in a bowl on the edge of the host stand with the restaurant’s name artfully etched on the front. And while smoking in restaurants has been banned since the 2000s, diners aren’t using a matchbook to light up.
Instead, they’ve become much more.