A block south of the fairgrounds on Peoria Road, D-Day veteran Bill Shea has converted his Marathon station into a museum of gasoline and oil memorabilia, Shea’s Gas Station Museum - Photo by David Hine

The Interstate Highway System may offer easier and faster ways to travel from A to Z, but The Mother Road can still provide an historic, quaint and charming weekend getaway or a breezy and fun day trip. As a main thoroughfare for dust bowl immigrants, Route 66 saw its heyday in the 1930s. It spans more than 2,450 miles between Chicago and Los Angeles. The route is still peppered today with diners, drive-ins and many other unbeatable roadside attractions.

Countless songs, movies, books and TV shows chronicle this special section of pavement, but the reality about this famous piece of history is that touring historic 66 can be a small-scale and affordable trip. You can spend the whole day on Route 66, using as much or as little time and money as you like. The journey costs only the price of gas, and even that cost can be omitted through use of bicycle or walking stick.

You’re bound to make a friend or two as you explore the simple and unexpected pleasures that dot the road’s expansive landscape. From the Sears Tower, to the mom-and-pop businesses, to the Meramec Caverns, the grand sights and the idiosyncratic places along the way make for an unforgettable experience. The joy and satisfaction of a simple tour come not from big events but from the accumulation of these smaller pleasures.

Nowhere is that principle truer than in the Land of Lincoln. Chicago’s Lake Shore Drive starts Route 66, which winds through the Loop before heading south towards Bloomington.

There, you’ll find the original Steak N Shake. From Bloomington, head south and continue on to Springfield, where you’ll end up at Sixth Street— home to the one and only Cozy Dog Drive-In (http://www.cozydogdrivein.com/). Although no longer offering drive-in service, the corn dog eatery is one of the tour’s can’t-miss attractions. The

Waldmire family started serving their famous Cozy Dogs in 1946 at the Springfield Beach House, and the original restaurant opened soon thereafter.

Stop by for a hot dog on a stick as you overlook the Route 66 path. The original 66 Drive-In, also located on South Sixth Street, has come to life anew in a new location: part of Knight’s Action Park, off old Route 4 (http://www.route66-drivein.com). The new and improved version offers a double bill of movies from April to September.

The area is also home to several 66-related events like the Route 66 Association of Illinois’ annual Motor Tour event from June 12-14, 2009 (http://il66assoc.org/activities). The Third Annual Logan County Route 66 Garage Sales (http://www.route66garagesale.com/

) will also take place over the same weekend in June, as the thirty-seven miles of Route 66 in Logan County will be covered with sales, vendors,

flea markets and food. Springfield’s own International Route 66 festival occurs every September with classic cars, live music and an arts fair on the city’s historic downtown streets (http://route66fest.com).

In its various alignments, Route 66 has wound around three sides of the State Fairgrounds in Springfield. Don’t wait until August to visit this piece of history. From Harleys to horses to home shows, there’s always something going on. A block south of the fairgrounds on Peoria Road, D-Day veteran Bill Shea has converted his Marathon station into a museum of gasoline and oil memorabilia, Shea’s Gas Station Museum. Not long ago he had to move another old station on grounds to create more display space. Travelers from more than 60 countries and all 50 states have signed his guestbook. He’ll make sure you do, too. Litchfield, 50 miles south of