Historic Route 66: Seligman – Arizona

Take a nostalgic ride down one of the liveliest stretches of Historic Route 66 as we roll west through the town of Seligman, Arizona. This 1.5-mile jaunt may be short in distance, but it’s long on character—a vivid slice of Americana that has stubbornly refused to fade into history. Starting on the eastern edge of town where Historic Route 66 meets the I-40 Business Loop, we dive right into the quirky, colorful charm that makes Seligman a must-stop for roadtrippers tracing the path of the Mother Road.

From the very first block, Seligman sets the tone with an almost theatrical devotion to its Route 66 heritage. Neon signs, retro gas stations, and classic diners line the street, including well-known landmarks like Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In, a kitschy, humorous hamburger joint built in 1953 that still draws crowds today. The town itself credits much of its Route 66 revival to Juan Delgadillo, who championed the preservation of the highway’s legacy after it was bypassed by I-40 in the late 1970s. Driving past the Snow Cap, we’re met with wave after wave of hand-painted murals, vintage cars parked permanently as art installations, and storefronts with mannequins, cow skulls, and all manner of desert oddities.

Continuing west, the road gently curves past souvenir shops like Route 66 RoadRunner and historic motels whose names sound like postcards come to life—Romney Motel, Historic Route 66 Motel, and Supai Motel, all echoing a time when this town served as a rest stop for weary cross-country travelers. As we roll by the Copper Cart, once a beloved restaurant and now a gift shop and Route 66 museum, the buildings begin to spread out, and the density of attractions gives way to a quieter stretch of asphalt framed by the wide skies of the Arizona desert.

We end our drive on the western fringe of Seligman, just past the airport, where the town slowly fades into the surrounding sagebrush and the road beckons us forward into more wide-open country. Here, Route 66 feels less like a museum and more like a living memory—part myth, part motion. Though brief, the drive through Seligman reminds us of how a small town with a big heart can preserve a whole era of American travel culture, right down to the chrome bumpers and root beer floats.