Illinois State Museum to open Route 66 exhibit in Springfield May 23

FOX23 News at 9 p.m

ILLINOIS (KBSI) – The Illinois State Museum will open a new Route 66 exhibit May 23 in Springfield.

The exhibit, titled “Miles of Memories: Stories of Route 66,” explores the experience of living, working and traveling along U.S. Route 66 during its peak years.

The display features interviews from the museum’s Route 66 Oral History Project, which includes 100 firsthand accounts from people who experienced the highway when it served as a primary route between Chicago and Los Angeles.

Visitors will be able to listen to excerpts throughout the exhibit.

Artifacts on display include vintage souvenirs, neon signs, fiberglass advertising figures and Burma-Shave signs.

Officials said the exhibit offers new perspectives on the historic roadway, which was commissioned in 1926 and later became a major corridor to the West Coast before the development of the interstate system.

Route 66 has since become a popular travel destination and is marking its centennial this year.

The exhibit will be on display through April 4, 2027. Admission to the Illinois State Museum is free.