The Glancy used to be next door to the Route 66 landmark Pop Hicks restaurant. Sadly, Pop Hicks burnt down in 1999. At the time, it was the oldest operating restaurant on Route 66.
Clinton has a tidy little downtown business district, just one block south of Gary — so you’ll need to make a couple of turns to drive through it.
If you continue on Gary Blvd. to the west side of town, you’ll see the retro-modern (and often photographed) Oklahoma Route 66 Museum. I’m not the type of person who spends a lot of time in museums — why look at displays about Route 66, when the actual Route 66 is nearby? But, I decided to invest a little time here, anyway. The price is right–just a couple of bucks for admission–and if you skip the less-than-impressive movie at the end of the museum tour, you won’t lose too much time here.
The museum focuses mostly on Oklahoma’s Route 66 history, but other states aren’t forgotten. Inside are several rooms, and each room focuses on one particular decade. For example:
The 1920’s room explains how the road was built, using mostly human and horse power, and very few machines. On display you’ll find a chunk of the original Portland cement road surface, complete with curb.
Other rooms are decorated with vintage cars from each time period…
… and some beautiful neon. It’s all explained here–the dust bowl, post-war vacations, the arrival of interstates and the decline of the old road. Old gas stations and roadside cafe’s are recreated, too.
But seriously, skip that movie at the end. I know you’re afraid you’ll miss something, but I swear, I could make a better movie if I drove around for a couple of weeks with a camcorder. Of course, I am a TV producer, so maybe I’m being a little too picky.
Note: This trip was first published in 2008.
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