Route 66 Continues

Romeoville has a Route 66 Plaza that is primarily deserted...but has a great Route 66 wall mural on the side of one of the empty stores. Well worth stopping to see at 625 Spangler. This is right on the Hwy 53 (old Route 66) as you go through town.

You meander into Joliet via Ottawa where you'll find the Rich & Creamy Ice Cream Stand at 920 N. Broadway Street...right in the Route 66 park. Most of the time the Blues Brothers...Jake and Elwood...are dancing on the rooftop. Unfortunately, they were on the verge of tumbling so the owners laid them on the roof instead. The little park features info about what to see and do on the Mother Road in Joliet...and there's a lookout point where you can see the old Joliet Prison in the distance.

Joliet has a great Route 66 visitors center in the Joliet Museum at 214 N. Ottawa. The center has a gift shop, a mural along the ceiling showing key sights of Route 66, a video to watch and lots of info on what to see in this area for Route 66. There is a rug in the visitors center once used in the prison...one that each prisoner crossed over as they entered...saying it's never to late to mend your ways. If you are a fan of the "Blues Brothers" movie, this town has many of the locations used in the film.

As a side trip, I was pretty excited to see the Muffler Man known as the Joliet Jackhammer's mascot in the Silver Cross Field ballpark at 111 E Jefferson Street. Unfortunately, you have to just take pictures from outside the left field chain link fence (which is actually on Clinton Street), so we couldn't have quality time with the particular Muffler Man.

Other key highlights in Joliet include the Rialto Square Theatre built in 1926 located at 102 N. Chicago. There are several vintage gas pumps in Joliet...including a Sinclair one in the Will County Court House parking lot (14 West Jefferson), Shell at the Route 66 Park (near the Rich & Creamy Ice Cream Stand), Standard at the corner of Chicago and Cass Street, Mobil at 204 N. Ottawa, Texaco at 102 N. Chicago (by the Rialto Theatre) and a Red Crown in the Route 66 visitors center.

In front of the Route 66 Raceway there is a stone marker which is supposedly an original alignment marker for old Route 66. The address is 3200 South Chicago.