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When
Route 66
plowed through the burgeoning city of
Flagstaff, a number of
motor courts, auto services and diners sprouted up along the new highway. Today, the city still sports a number of vintage cafes and motor courts
along its historic downtown district. There are several that are
still open today such as the Wonderland Motel nestled up against the pine
covered hills at 2000 E
Route 66,
the Frontier Motel with its quiet yellow
lantern at 1700 E.
Route 66, the Red roof Inn with its flower
filled window boxes at 1526 E
Route 66, the Saga Budget Inn Motel at 820 W.
Route 66 complete with bright
blue neon sign, and many more.
A "must see” along
the old route is the
Museum
Club at 3404 E.
Route 66. The building
was first built by Dean Eldredge, a taxidermist, in 1931. Originally, the building housed Dean’s large collection of stuffed
animals, rifles and Indian artifacts. Some five years later, the
building was sold to Doc Williams in 1936, a
Flagstaff saddle
maker, who turned the museum into a nightclub. Continuing to
operate as one of
Arizona’s
premiere nightclubs, this structure that once sat on the outskirts of
town is now surrounded by the bustling city. Besides offering
some of the best live country western music and after hours
entertainment, the
Museum
Club is also said to provide ghostly entertainment from two
resident "spirits.” That’s a whole ‘nother story, but you can
read about it by clicking
here!
Still a relatively small town at just a little over
50,000 residents,
Flagstaff is a great
place to "park” yourself to see the surrounding wonders. Situated at the base of San Francisco Peaks,
Flagstaff is located
at the intersection of US Interstate 40 and US Interstate 17.
Coconino County, the largest in
Arizona, and the
second largest in the United States, encompasses the winter ski
resort,
Arizona Snow Bowl,
Meteor Crater, the Painted Desert and Oak Creek Canyon.
Flagstaff stands as
the gateway to many nearby national parks and monuments -- Sunset
Crater National Monument, Walnut Canyon National Monument, Wupatki
National Monument, Grand Canyon National Park, and Petrified Forest
National Park.
Flagstaff is also home
to the U.S. Naval Observatories and Lowell Observatory, and the Museum
of Northern
Arizona, one of the
best archeological museums on the Prehistoric Southwest in the world.
©
Kathy Weiser/Legends
of America, updated July, 2010.
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Route
66 Signs 
