Tour Illinois, a statewide destination marketing organization that promotes specifically to the group travel industry, has recently unveiled four new itineraries around the state.
Cruise Route 66 travels the historic road to small towns and quirky attractions. Start in Chicago for breakfast with Milk Duds at Lou Mitchell’s restaurant, then head east on Jackson Boulevard to Lake Shore Drive, the beginning of the iconic route. Dine at Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket in suburban Willowbrook, a 1940s roadside restaurant known for its fried chicken and Route 66 mementos.
Drive southwest to Joliet, home of the Route 66 Raceway/Chicagoland Speedway, site of NASCAR and drag races. The Route 66 Welcome Center in the Joliet Area Historical Museum contains Mother Road memorabilia. Joliet’s Jacob Henry Mansion was home to a railroad magnate and is considered the finest example of Renaissance Revival architecture in the state.
In Wilmington make a photo stop at the Gemini Giant, a 28-foot-tall spaceman in front of the Launching Pad Drive-In. The preserved Odell Station is a Standard-Sinclair gas station that’s been in Odell since 1932. Then have lunch at the Old Log Cabin in Pontiac, which has served Route 66 travelers since 1926. Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup in Shirley is a family-run business that taps its syrup the old-fashioned way.
By John Closter
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Courtesy of leisuregrouptravel.com
