Traveling Route 66, The Mother Road Celebrates 100 Years
Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

This course will celebrate the 100th birthday, on November 26, 2026, of Route 66. From its inception in Chicago to the Pier at Santa Monica, The Mother Road, as it was called, is not just a road, it is a mix of American history, culture, economics, migration, architecture, and pop culture. The class will start with Route 66 in 1926 and look at the early travel conditions, along with how Route 66 shaped American tourism, commerce, and pop culture. We will explore the post-war boom of 1950s car culture, historic motels, diners, neon signs, and roadside attractions that define its legacy. We will follow the Dust Bowl years and westward migration, the connection to the novel "The Grapes of Wrath," and subsequent designation as the Mother Road. We will check out the music, movies, and road trip culture of those days. We will discover what is left of Route 66 today and the effect the Interstate System brought . We will look at the roadside markers, ghost towns, and currently operating diners, together with all the Birthday Celebrations of Route 66 as we travel together from Chicago to the Pier at Santa Monica.