Route 66 Road Trip Planner for Discovering Cars Movie Landmarks
Would you love to take a trip along the iconic Route 66 with stops at many of the places that inspired places and characters in the well-loved Disney Cars movies? Our guest, Kylie Neuhaus joins us to shares her experience driving along Route 66 and discovering many of the Cars movie inspiration sites. She breaks down the drive, lets you know where to stop, and what to look for at different stops. Listen in and let us help you plan your next road trip!
“Enjoy time together discovering fun places along historic Route 66.”
There are many real-life places along Route 66 that inspired the Disney Cars Movie. Although you won’t find Radiator Springs on the map, you will find lots of pieces of the fictional city along the route.
Here’s a look at the places that Kylie shares in our podcast episode. For even more information and photos of these locations, be sure to check out Kylie’s post Real Route 66 Life Cars Movie Inspiration.
Missouri
The 66 Drive-in is a great place to see a drive-in movie plus it’s shown in the outtakes at the end of the Cars Movie.
Kansas
Tow Mater is one of the favorite characters in the Cars movies and his creative inspiration can be found in Galena, Kansas. An old, rusty mining truck names Tow Tater is parked in a former gas station parking lot. The gas station is now a gift shop. You can find out even more in this Cars on the Route article.
Texas
The U-Drop Inn and Tower Cafe is the inspiration for Ramone’s Body Shop. The shape of the two buildings is nearly identical.
The character, Tex, in Cars 3 took inspiration from the limo service cars at The Big Texan in Amarillo, Texas. The cars have bullhorns on their hoods. It’s so fun to see a small detail like that inspire a new character.
In the Cars Movies, the landscape of Cadillac Range was inspired by the real-life Cadillac Ranch. This is an art installation near Armarillo, Texas. There is a series of old Cadillacs standing hood down in a row. Tourists can spray paint them which makes it an ongoing art project.
A real-life woman, Fran Houser, was the inspiration for the character Flo in the Cars Movie. Fran used to own the Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas. You can stop by the cafe for some of their famous Ugly Crust Pie and a photo op in front of a cool sign.
Arizona
Sitegraves Pass is an inspiration for some of the roads and vista where LIghtening McQueen and Sally go for a drive.
The Wigwam Motel can be found in Holbrook, AZ, and there is also a second Wigwam Motel site in San Bernadino, CA. These cone-shaped motels were the inspiration for the Cozy Cone Motel. If you want to stay in one of these motels along your route, be sure to book it ahead of time.
Filmore’s Dome in the Cars movies was inspired by the shape of the Meteor CIty Trading Post. It Is currently closed but you could stop by for a photo op with the building.
The inspiration for Radiator Spring Curios came from a similar place called Hackberry General Store in Hackberry, AZ.
The Wild Burros in Oatman, AZ are said to have inspired the tractor characters. The burros roam free in town so be sure to keep an eye out while in Oatman.
Road Trip Inspiration
We hope that sharing all of these Cars Movie sites along Route 66 will inspire an upcoming road trip for your family. There is so much to discover along the historic Route 66 and adding Cars Movie sites and characters to the discoveries will make the trip even more special and memorable.
A huge thank you to Kylie Neuhaus for sharing all that she discovered while taking this trip.
You can connect with Kylie on her website or on Instagram.