Route 66 Centennial Celebrations in Flagstaff

Discover Flagstaff has mobilized with plans to support the city’s restaurants, accommodations and attractions for Route 66’s 100-year anniversary in 2026, which will celebrate the highway’s history, lore and nostalgia. There is a special day-long celebration scheduled for June 6, 2026 from 10am-5pm. It will be focused on Aspen Avenue near Heritage Square.

Route 66 continues to inspire people to visit the highway corridor where it once crossed northern Arizona on its 2,400-mile journey across eight states from Chicago to Santa Monica.

Flagstaff has about 14 miles of the historic road, along with buildings that date to the highway’s heyday that now welcome guests as hotels, restaurants, breweries and other amenities.

Flagstaff also boasts the most national parks and monuments for visitors to see on a side trip from the their Route 66 vacation, including Grand Canyon National Park. The city can expect people from around the world to visit during the more than year-long Centennial celebration.

Throughout the town, locals and visitors are likely to find Route 66 experiences on display during the Centennial. For example, the Museum of Northern Arizona will share stories about the hardships people faced during their early travels on the Mother Road. The Museum already hosted an exhibition called “Selling the Southwest” that focused on artwork used by Santa Fe Railway and Fred Harvey Co. to inspire people to buy train tickets on the route from Chicago to Los Angeles, and shop at Harvey Co. stores along the way. The Route 66 exhibition planned to open in May 2026 will offer a broader context of how each route through the region-wagon train, railroad and paved highway-changed the area.

That exhibition will be called “Route 66: Wagon Road to Mother Road” and will trace the progression of the road from the Beale Wagon Road and its effects on the landscape and cultures of northern Arizona. Based on research by Museum of Northern Arizona archaeologists, it will include hair-raising tales of littering, drinking and driving, car crashes, and suspect repair shops along the 'Bloody 66.'

Other historical sites around Flagstaff will have similar offerings. 

Riordan Mansion State Historic Park, where visitors can see the 1904 home built by the family that ran a lumber mill in Flagstaff, is planning a Route 66 exhibition that will include documents, maps, photos, and a special tour called “Riordan Roads and Travels in Northern Arizona.” The Riordan family was involved in the creation of Route 66. The lumber mill formerly sat near the site of the current High Country Motor Lodge, and the highway ran through the property.

Northern Arizona University’s Cline Library Special Collections and Archives is planning an on-site and virtual Route 66 exhibition for one year starting in fall 2026. The facility is open to the public and is the designated home to archival documents on Route 66.

The Flagstaff Visitor center will have special Route 66 merchandise available in addition to refurbishing the iconic mural where visitors can take photographs at the center. Already, the center offers a self-guided, audio walking tour introduced by actor Ted Danson, who grew up in Flagstaff. The tour is called “Walk this Talk” and highlights historical sites downtown.

The Visitor Center will have additional offerings for the Centennial, including a digital passport visitors can use to check off various Route 66 attractions around the city to earn prizes.

The celebration on June 6 ends at 5pm, but the fun doesn't end there. There will be more live music at Heritage Square until the annual Movies on the Square begins, featuring the Disney movie Cars.

For more information about the 66 Things To Do on Route 66, click here for a guide and map.

As the longest-running brokerage in Northern Arizona, Realty Executives of Northern Arizona is proud to have our office in historic downtown Flagstaff, and to be actively involved in local events, history, and knowledge of the region's real estate. When you are ready to find out more about the area from the Realtors® that have won the Best of Flagstaff Award for the past five years, call, click, or come by the office!

~Excerpts taken from Randazzo, Ryan. “Route 66 Centennial: Flagstaff gears up to celebrate the highway’s 100-year anniversary.” Progress Report 2024. Arizona Daily Sun. April 2024.

~Other information found at Discover Flagstaff