Fill your gas tank with fuel, rev your engine and get ready to set out on America's highway with this Route 66 motorcycle itinerary. Begin your journey in Edmond and cruise on up to Tulsa stopping at a myriad of quirky destinations and roadside attractions along the way. Travelers motorcycling along Oklahoma's stretch of Route 66 will enjoy iconic Oklahoma diners, where locals and international visitors flock for homestyle cooking and a friendly exchange of tales about their adventures on the Mother Road, plus a variety of museums that celebrate the storied past of Route 66. Ditch the heavy city traffic and immerse yourself in true Americana culture while taking a leisurely adventure through small towns and curving expanses of serene highway on this stretch of Route 66 which seems made for motorcycles.
Morning
Edmond
Kick start your journey by heading to the Harley Davidson World store in Edmond. Pick up a Route 66 Harley Davidson t-shirt, memorabilia and other Harley attire for your trip along the Main Street of America. With the Harley Davidson logo emblazoned across your gear, start your day off right with a hearty breakfast. Grab a seat at Around The Corner Restaurant in the heart of downtown Edmond for blue plate specials, homemade biscuits and piping hot breakfast platters. After your appetite is satisfied, navigate to Second Street in Edmond, an alignment of Route 66, and head east towards Tulsa.
Arcadia
Within ten minutes of downtown Edmond, just outside the tiny town of Arcadia, Route 66 expands into the distance as the urban setting of Edmond melts away. Head east on Route 66 amidst sprawling farmland, endless skies and with a little luck, fellow motorcycle travelers on this peaceful stretch of central Oklahoma highway. Lake Arcadia will appear on your right and you might want to pull into the lake office area where you can walk out on a small promontory to a viewing area near the dam.
Just beyond Lake Arcadia, a 66-foot tall pop bottle complete with straw signals that POPs is near. A modern Route 66 icon that attracts international visitors and locals alike, POPs offers more than 650 flavors of soda pop plus a full-service diner and Route 66 themed gift shop. Stop in for a juicy burger or try one of POPs' wacky soda flavors, which include everything from watermelon and guava, to bubblegum and classic sarsaparilla. Stick around until after the sun goes down and witness as the giant pop bottle lights up and becomes an LED light show.
Climb back on your bike, travel a few miles down the road and discover the Round Barn, a time-honored Route 66 icon. Originally built in 1898, this unique piece of architecture fell into disrepair and was restored in the early 1990s. You are welcome to visit inside the barn during business hours for an eclectic collection of Route 66 memorabilia and quirkiness.
Chandler
From Arcadia to Chandler you'll enjoy a stretch of curvaceous, uncrowded road that leads you to the Chandler Route 66 Interpretive Center and the Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum. The Chandler Route 66 Interpretive Center is housed in an historic red rock armory building and features video clips of Route 66 for visitors to enjoy along with artwork, memorabilia and historical information about the Mother Road. Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum features more than 65 vintage motorcycles in an historic Seaba Filling Station building listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Afternoon
Stroud
A few short miles up the road from Chandler lies the friendly town of Stroud, home of popular Route 66 diner, the Rock Cafe. The Rock Cafe serves plenty of homestyle favorites as well as interesting, must-try dishes such as alligator and bison burgers. When you stop here for lunch, pick up one of the guest books and you'll be fascinated by the comments left by international guests from around the globe.
This humble little diner is in Route 66 guidebooks worldwide and draws nostalgia seekers trekking along America's Main Street as well as celebrities such as Led Zeppelin front man Robert Plant and Simpsons creator Matt Groenig. But the Rock Cafe can also lay claim to another great back story. When Pixar crews traveled Route 66 in preparation for creating the hit movie Cars, they stopped at the Rock Cafe and based the character Sally Carrera on the cafe's owner, Dawn Welch.
Stroud is also home to a local winery located off Route 66, which can make a wonderful roadside stop as long as you are careful with your tastings. Stable Ridge Winery sits right on Route 66 in the 1902 building that once housed Stroud's local Catholic church. Stableridge offers tours, tastings of their award-winning wines and a gift shop. Be sure to try Jeremiah's Red and pick up some of their wine-a-rita mix.
Sapulpa
Sapulpa is home to the Waite Phillips Filling Station Museum, just a block off Route 66, where you'll find a collection of 1920s antique automobiles housed in a restored 1922 filling station building. The filling station was originally built by Waite Phillips, the brother of Phillips Petroleum founder Frank Phillips. There's also a photo op with the enormous bronze bison statue that stands on a hill between Route 66 and the Turner Turnpike welcoming travelers to Sapulpa.
Evening
Tulsa
As Sapulpa gives way to the sprawling Tulsa metropolitan area, you'll find yourself with a myriad of decisions about what you want to do - venture into Tulsa and continue your Route 66 journey, sample the many other attractions in Tulsa or head back to the Oklahoma City area if you're traveling round trip. No matter what you decide, you'll want to visit the Route 66 Harley Davidson Roadhouse in Tulsa for a t-shirt, Harley Davidson gear or a specialty coffe drink in their cafe.
If you decide to stick to the Route 66 theme, be sure and see the gargantuan Golden Driller statue at the Tulsa State Fairgrounds and the Blue Whale in the Tulsa suburb of Catoosa. These two Route 66 icons are recognized worldwide due to their popularity in Route 66 guidebooks and folklore. If you're ready for more diverse activities, consider the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, the Gilcrease Museum of Art or some dinner and nightlife in the Blue Dome Entertainment District. If you decide to make the round trip in one day, you'll have plenty of time to make it back to Oklahoma City, but a stay in Tulsa or venturing further up Route 66 through Claremore, Chelsea, Vinita and Miami are also great options.
