By Debbie Stone

Route 66 is celebrating its 100^th anniversary this year with numerous events along the legendary highway. Established in 1926, this well-known road, one of the most influential in American history, stretched 2,448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica. By 1960, however, it had shortened to 2,238 miles.

Known as the “Mother Road,” Route 66 functioned as the main artery of western migration and tourism. Over the years, the road guided millions of travelers through memorable landscapes and was viewed as a gateway to adventure for those Americans eager to explore its many wonders.

As people made their way westward, they discovered a vibrant roadside culture boasting such creations as ginormous fiberglass animals, hand-painted signs, neon on steroids, nostalgic mom and pop gas stations and motels, gift shops galore, vintage car graveyards and a slew of architectural marvels to catch the eye. Curiosity prompted folks to stop and investigate these landmarks, and to take plenty of photos to capture and immortalize their journey.

In New Mexico, Route 66 carves a path across the Land of Enchantment. Originally, the road headed north to the town of Las Vegas, then west to Santa Fe through Tecolote, San Jose, Pecos and Glorieta Pass, then back south to Albuquerque. In Santa Fe, it actually traveled along the Old Santa Fe Trail, another historical byway. This alignment though was replaced in 1937 with a more direct path into Albuquerque and beyond to Gallup.

To mark the centennial of the highway, the New Mexico Museum of Art is presenting a new exhibition. “Roadside Attractions” (now through October 4, 2026) is a visual feast of photographs of some of the landmarks of this storied road through the lenses of photographers who opted to stray beyond the primary routes.

“Route 66 has always been more than a road. It is a mirror of American dreams, detours and desires,” said Laura J. Mueller, Interim Executive Director of the New Mexico Museum of Art. “The photographers in ‘Roadside Attractions’ document the spaces where imagination meets asphalt, revealing how these roadside icons shaped a shared visual language of travel, freedom, and discovery.”

Featuring works by Nathan Benn, Steve Fitch, Miguel Gandert, Phyllis Jennings, Joan Myers, Joel Meyerowitz and others, the exhibit highlights some of the whimsical and quirky sights along this legendary highway. And it does a notable job of capturing both the idealized, romanticized view of life in the West along with its often gritty reality.

Of the twenty or so photographs that are from the museum’s permanent collection, at least nine are of roadside attractions or scenes from New Mexico. The others were taken in different states.

“Chief Yellowhorse Trading Post, New Mexico,” by Joan Myers, for example, depicts a landscape with a trading post in the background and a large painted sign shaped like a bison in the foreground. Here the commercialization of the Old West contrasts with its myths.

In Greg Mac Gregor’s “Approaching Storm, Highway 41, New Mexico,” a woman in a cowboy hat, cut-off shorts and cowboy boots poses atop a red motorcycle parked on the side of the road. She is looking backwards over her shoulder towards the camera with an inscrutable expression. She is surrounded by a flat desert landscape against a stormy and dark sky in the distance.

Phyllis Jennings Kennedy’s “World Court Motel, Albuquerque,” Steve Fitch’s “Capri Motel, Raton, New Mexico” and another of his photos, “The Blue Swallow Motel, Tucumcari, New Mexico” all feature vintage roadside motels. They are all also nighttime shots, giving each an eerie cast.

“World Court Motel” has a red neon sign that is reflected onto the snow in the foreground, with accompanying neon signs that say “Office/Vacancy.” “Capri Motel” offers a receding view of the motel office and rooms with porches that are illuminated with pink hued neon light. There’s also a star in the night sky that’s illuminated in white lights. These two photos have a lonely quality to them.

“The Blue Swallow Motel” has a number of neon lit signs in various colors advertising the place and its amenities, with such “perks” as “100% Refrigerated Air,” “TV,” and “Truck + UHAUL Parking.” The signs’ messages occupy the photo and though there’s a frenetic/overkill quality to them, the general mood still evokes loneliness.

“Las Vegas, New Mexico, 1982” by Alex Harris shares a similar vibe with the above motel photos. In this scene, a waitress stands in the back against a door, arms crossed, while viewing an empty diner, much of which is in the dark.

Another Las Vegas based photo, “A & W, Las Vegas, New Mexico,” by Allen E. Carter, echoes nostalgia with its long, 1970s car in the parking lot of an A & W Root Beer drive-in. The roof of the building has cartoonish sculptures of men and women holding mugs of root beer and giant hamburgers.

On the quirky side, there’s Steve Fitch’s “Dinosaur, Highway 40, Vernal, Utah.” A ginormous Tyrannosaurus-type dinosaur model with its teeth bared stands with one foot extended as if it’s going to start walking. In the background are signs for a motel and service station, along with other buildings. It, too, is a nighttime scene.

Of note, Vernal, Utah is the site of Dinosaur National Monument, which gives credence to the dinosaur sculpture as a form of advertising.

Similar in nature is Deborah S. Brouwer’s “Untitled (Roadside Advertising for Renault Winery, California).” An oversized sculpture of a bottle of champagne stands on a concrete block against a bucolic landscape of field and hills. Clearly this is another attempt at getting the traveler’s attention, while promoting a place and product.

You might find “Snakepit Operator, Highway 66, Sayre, Oklahoma” by Steve Fitch to be a tad creepy, especially if snakes aren’t your thing. Most of the photo is filled with a large sign advertising a reptile ranch with over 100 live snakes of various kinds. There’s a man at the center, standing on the ground wearing a sports coat with overalls and a hat. He’s reaching out to show the long snake in his hands. Such attractions were actually common along the Mother Road.

Just steps from the New Mexico Museum of Art is the New Mexico History Museum. It’s worth a stop, as inside the museum is a newly installed mural, “Mother Road Coming into Color” by Molly Mendenhall. Mendenhall’s work was selected from 190 applications received by the museum in an open nationwide call for artists to interpret Route 66’s cultural and historical significance.

The mural, which is on view through 2026, “celebrates not only the legacy of the highway but also landscapes, communities, artists and travelers whose stories helped define New Mexico’s identity.”

While at the museum, check out “Telling New Mexico,” an excellent permanent exhibit that provides a comprehensive overview of the last 500 years of regional and state history.


PLAN YOUR VISIT
www.nmartmuseum.org
www.nmhistorymuseum.org

Debbie Stone is an established travel writer and columnist, and regular contributor for Big Blend Radio and Big Blend Magazines, who crosses the globe in search of unique destinations and experiences to share with her readers and listeners. She’s an avid explorer who welcomes new opportunities to increase awareness and enthusiasm for places, culture, food, history, nature, outdoor adventure, wellness, and more. Her travels have taken her to nearly 100 countries and all seven continents.

Subscribe to Debbie’s “Global Adventures” Podcast and enjoy articles & episodes in the digital “Global Adventures” Magazine!