Favorite Route 66 Guidebooks

There are tons of Route 66 guidebooks on the market, but we found 3 of them indispensible on the road. In no particular order, we liked:

Route 66 Traveler’s Guide & Roadside Companion by Tom Snyder: This book is basically divided into two sections- Traveler’s Guide and Roadside Companion. The Traveler’s Guide has turn-by-turn directions and sightseeing info. The Roadside Companion section has excellent background lore, which is great for road reading and trivia sessions. There is also a resource section and mileage guide in the back which are useful as well. There are lots of charming drawn-to-scale maps throughout, and a handful of black and white photos.

Lonely Planet Road Trip: Route 66 : This is a nice slim guide organized by state and covering all the travel guide basics– lodging, food, gas, attractions and shopping. It’s organized in turn-by-turn directions that are really helpful. It’s got fold-out color maps and no photos.

Route 66 Dining & Lodging Guide : Exactly what it says it is– a barebones listing of restaurants and places to stay along the road. This is must-have, especially if you’re winging it and making things up as you go.

Something to remember when purchasing and using a guidebook is that turn-by-turn directions for an old, winding multi-state route like 66 can be pretty subjective. You also have to keep in mind which direction you’re traveling. The best approach we found to navigation was to combine the turn-by-turn info from both of the above books with a little serendipity thrown in. You’ll be pleasantly surprised by the wonders you’ll find down the next wrong turn.