Oklahoma Route 66 Museum, Clinton

Anytime I roam out of Oklahoma City, I'm always on the lookout for a museum to make a stop. On a recent trip to Amarillo, I decided I was going to finally take the billboard's advice and stop in Clinton to see the Route 66 Museum. Long story short, it was awesome. Short story long, here's what I experienced.

As I pulled into my parking spot, I could see old posters from the bygone era of neon signs and diners that had names like Frank's Diner instead of today's trend of naming things like Butterbean And Dishrag: A Culinary Experience. What was in store for me inside was even better. I signed the book, paid the fee to the nice woman, attached the sticker to my shirt, and excitedly went through the double doors to the U-shaped gallery. As you can see in a few of my photos, it was chock full of memorabilia from the earliest inklings of a dirt path to the glistening highway it was to become. It also showed the decline of the road and its impact to businesses along the way. Fortunately, there is hope in the form of groups trying to revitalize the Mother Road.

This wonderful museum really grabbed my attention because of the variety of things on exhibit from big cars to tiny roadside souvenirs that dotted the landscape from Chicago to Los Angeles. You can even punch a button to hear music from the heyday of the road. It fully immersed me into the experience.

The Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton isn't an enormous warehouse you have to walk for miles to see fifty examples of the same thing. It's more like a Reader's Digest version of the history of this great road. It is thorough, but concise which means if you're travelling down I-40, you can make a quick pit stop at the museum and be back on the road in no time. And, you can get a 66 souvenir in the gift shop to prove you too were part of the history of Route 66.

2229 W Gary Blvd.

Clinton, Oklahoma

580-323-7866

Jonathan Elmore ©2025