As Route 66 gears up to celebrate 100 years of kicks, Oklahoma’s stretch is streets ahead in terms of revitalization. A well-oiled campaign has restored mid-century landmarks, while welcoming a few plucky newcomers. These days, cruising the route feels much like time traveling—back to an era when the car was king and families piled into chrome-finned Cadillacs to marvel at roadside curiosities.

Nowhere is this revival more electric than in Tulsa, where the Meadow Gold District twinkles with spruced-up vintage signage. It’s here that the 66 Collective is set to launch: A marketplace housing five boutiques, including embroidered cowboy shirts from Elvis’ favorite Western clothing brand, HBarC Ranchwear. Out front, two new Muffler giants in dapper Western gear (shop the look inside) will add colossal charm to the chorus line of highway guardians. Nearby, Howard Park is set to debut a whimsical 66-foot fiberglass dinosaur amid its leafy grounds.

Northeast of Tulsa, the Blue Whale of Catoosa is making waves, too. This beloved, 80-foot-long concrete creature, lounging in a pond with its mouth perpetually agape, was originally built by a zoologist as a wedding anniversary gift to his wife. Today, with a visitor center and aquatic-themed playground in the works, the quirky icon is poised to evolve from a quick photo-op into a splashy day out. As the Blue Whale and other roadside wonders prepare for the spotlight, and a year-long schedule of 2026 events revs up across the state, it’s the perfect moment to heed the wistful siren call of Oklahoma’s Route 66.

(See all 25 destinations that made our list of the best places to visit in 2026.)

What to do

Nothing captures Route 66’s golden era quite like a movie under the stars at the Tee Pee Drive-In in Sapulpa, near Tulsa. Originally opened in 1950, the open-air cinema rose from the ashes in 2023 following fire and tornado damage. It now features state-of-the-art projection, fire pits, and overnight stays in atomic-age Spartan trailers.