Travel Blog

Have you ever traveled Historic Route 66? We have traveled over a number of sections and most of it is pretty boring.  One part through the prairies was flat and very long. Yet if you take a minute and imagine what it would have been like to travel on what was then a gravel road for the most part from Chicago to Los Angeles, you would be very impressed. Remember there were not many towns to stop at in the western USA and before cars, there were only horses and wagons traveling this route. This was a tough trip to take by horse, wagon, or even car.

Route 66 – Hackberry General Store

Much of the route goes through mountainous areas and was very difficult to traverse.

We traveled from Kingman to Valentine on Route 66 in Arizona the other day. Most of it was flat top through low mountains. Quite scenic, but not too exciting until we stopped at two places. One was the Hackberry General store.

Talk about going back in time. You really have to look at the pictures and the short video to really appreciate this place.  During the ’50s, pinup girls were more popular in garages across the country. They had lots of pictures dating back to the 50s and 60s displayed on the walls in the washroom.

It has been in operation for over 100 years and today mainly sells Historic Route 66 memorabilia. It also doubles as a museum with many items that date back to the turn of the century.

What caught my eye was the 1957 corvette in front of the store, which is still driven every day by the owner. He says it is worth roughly $100k. If it was in mint condition, they apparently go for $140k.

This place is a must-see if you are in the area. It is less than an hour’s drive from Kingman and interstate 40. The store is also equipped with Wifi, so you can do a quick check of your email if needed.

Check out the pictures and the video. Click on the following link to see the video –   Route 66 Hackberry General Store

Our next post will be about the Route 66 Frontier Motel and Diner. This place has seen better days, and if locals were not going into this diner, I don’t think we would have either. Turns out the food was really great and we had our first taste of “Fried Bread” which is a local dessert that they sell in the Arizona area. For Canadians, it is similar to “beaver tails” but puffier.

Feel free to leave us comments about the Route 66 – Hackberry General Store.

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