National Route 66 Museum

This is a great little museum that has some cool things in it, most notably really old cars. It provides a nice little summary of the route and its history. It is also reasonably priced and has a bathroom which, if you are driving route 66, you probably need. Worth a stop even to spend 15-20 min there and get your route 66 juices flowing.

This museum is actually one of several museums on one big property. But I'll just stick with this museum. So where do I start? The name is very misleading, for one. If you're gonna call it the "National" Route 66 Museum, then make it so it can represent all the bases of America's Main Street. I'll just go ahead and say it: the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum which is about 25-30 miles east of here is much better. But I'll just go ahead and review this....Best place to start is in the far left building in the parking lot and work your way around. The Nat'l Route 66 Museum has a decent gift shop, and they have a theater where you can watch a short Route 66 documentary (which I didn't do). In the first museum part in that building, there's really not much except for a few classic cars and signs plus a permanent Popeye toys exhibit in its own room (what in the world does Popeye have to do with Route 66 besides they are both retro? Anyway...). Then you go to the next building, which is a little bit bigger but it's just a walkthrough that shows a few interesting things like those Burma-Shave signs and replicas of "Grapes of Wrath" props. There are restrooms in this building plus a soda machine outside. Like I said there are a few other small museums on the property including one focused on Elk City, which I actually found more interesting than the Route 66 ones. There is a rodeo section plus one that has a room about Susan Powell. Who knew Miss America 1981 (the year I was born) was from Elk City?!If you're traveling the Mother Road, I'd probably still give this one a chance but don't get your hopes up on anything exciting. At least get a selfie with the big Route 66 sign outside.

The lady at the counter said about 1 hour. We were there over 2 hours and felt rushed through some of it. This is worth the stop if you want to see some Americans and some history of Route 66. There are 18 buildings including 4 museums. It's a pretty neat complex and fairly cheap to see all that is there. This would be great for anyone who wants to see some nostalgic Americana.

Not too big but concentrated on Route 66. Display of cars and pictures. Tells the story we're well.

Great stop on a recent road trip. Self guided tour with lots of information and displays.

It was a fun break on a long trip. A few really cool cars to see and a store for souvenirs. The price is only $5 for an adult.

It is amazing. We went it was kinda cold so we didn't get to really see the outside things as much. It's big so spend about a hour or so. Great for all ages. Sit and enjoy the movie of the month.

So glad we took advantage of touring the museum after our one night stay in Elk City. We are in a road trip from Kansas City to Sedona and chose a different route this time. With our late start from home and a stop in Bricktown in OKC we decided our stop for the night would be Elk City. I saw the museum advertised and my husband agreed to stopping in the museum. Definitely start your visit with the video. It was crazy to see how crowded Route 66 was in the hey day which prompted the interstate system to begin. So many communities impacted by the get day and demise of Route 66. The museum is well done. There are many touch & feel sections to try to get the feel of being on Route 66. Great artifacts gathered and displayed and good understanding of the route. There are additional buildings to tour, but we mostly stuck with the Route 66 items since we needed to get on the road. Plan for 1/2 hr to one hour to get the most out of it.

Stopped on a whim. It only cost $4 per senior or AAA member. You walk around the outdoor complex and window look at many of the buildings. There were several museums to look through. It was an enjoyable couple hour break from driving.

An absolute must do stop on Historic route 66!Although, this is the National Route 66 Museum, there are actually three museums located here. The facility grounds are perfectly groomed and the buildings, some new and some, restored are beautiful. The 66 museum is laid out to give you an end to end perspective of the road and has nice displays of artifacts and historical representations. The other museums, Old Town and the Farm and Ranch are also well worth your time. I would say plan on a minimum of one hour, but you could easily spend a couple of hours here. Elk City is a really nice town ad they have put a very noticeable effort in making this a first class tourist attraction.Note: This review and photos were originally posted on Tripadvisor by Spike S.