Texas's Sleepy Town On Route 66 Is A Panhandle Gem With Charming Old-School Vibes

Route 66, the iconic road that stretches from Chicago to California, has become an enduring landmark of American culture. A portion of the historic route, often called the Mother Road, slices across the Texas Panhandle in the northern tip of the state, offering road-trippers the opportunity to alight at quaint hamlets that have been all but forgotten. Not far from Amarillo is Groom, a tiny Texas town best known for its eclectic roadside attractions, while just 30 minutes by car directly east is a similarly tiny town called McLean. Lined with kitschy motels and quirky museums, a visit to McLean feels like a nostalgic journey back to the golden age of Route 66 adventures.

Clustered in a tight grid of streets along the grassy plains of the Texas Panhandle, this sleepy town was once a booming hub for agriculture, livestock, and oil, and its ideal location on Route 66 led to a flourish in local businesses. Founded in the early 1900s by an Englishman (who ended up sinking with the Titanic), McLean was a postcard of an industrial boomtown in the Old West — streets crowded with wagon yards and livery stables, not to mention a windmill pumping water. By the middle of the century, McLean boasted at least 16 service stations and a handful of motels and cafes.

Take a gander through McLean's streets today and the echoes of this history are all around, from the red bricks paving the road to the charming storefronts. From the delightfully petite restored Route 66 gas station standing on the corner to the saguaro-shaped welcome sign for the Cactus Inn Motel, an atmosphere of old-school Americana permeates every corner of town. If you're planning a Route 66 road trip through Texas, make sure to add McLean to the itinerary.

Head out for a walk around town, where quaint brick façades will transport you to a bygone era. Snap photos in front of the fantastic wall mural, featuring cowboys on a backdrop of the Texas flag and a Route 66 icon, then head to the restored Route 66 gas station for more memorable trip photos. Dating to the 1920s, the service station was in use by the Phillips Petroleum Company until it closed in the 1970s, and was one of the first Phillips service stations to be built in Texas. Three bright red gas pumps stand side by side in front of a red-brick cottage and flanked by a vintage tow truck, forming a nostalgic scene of mid-century Americana.

To learn about the town's history and Route 66's heritage, head to the McLean-Alanreed Area Museum, situated just down the alley from the wall murals. The façade of the museum, with its windows and shingle awnings, evokes a feeling of Old West nostalgia, and inside you'll find entire rooms recreated to appear as the assortment of local businesses from days of yore. Explore the old-school newspaper office, barbershop, and dentist's office, alongside items of historic clothing, artifacts from the German prisoner-of-war camp that once operated beyond McLean's borders, and dozens more fascinating memorabilia.

Hungry after all that sightseeing? Just a short walk down the road, you can find the Red River Steakhouse, whose rustic wooden exterior invites you in for a good meal. Diners have enjoyed the generous portions and "old time atmosphere," saying it's a "must do" while in town. There's also the Cactus Rose Taphouse across the street from the museum, where you can grab beers, play pool, and soak up the friendly atmosphere.

Extend your stay in McLean with a night at the Cactus Inn Motel. This will give you plenty more time to enjoy the excitement McLean has to offer. For all things Wild West, spend the day wandering through the Devil's Rope Museum and the Route 66 Museum, which combines exhibits dedicated to the history of barbed wire with an abundance of Route 66 relics. Whether it was fencing in wayward cattle on an Old West ranch or lining trenches in a combat zone, the "devil's rope" has been a surprising witness to decades of American history. Get lost exploring the museum's fascinating displays of barbed wire sculptures and research material for barbed wire patents, not to mention over 2,000 fragments of barbed wire amassed by various collectors.

When you're done with barbed wire, head on into the Route 66 portion of the museum, where hundreds of Mother Road memorabilia are on display. You'll find original Dust Bowl-era artifacts, snakes pickled in formaldehyde, a life-sized diorama of an old diner, and more than 700 items of Route 66 road signs and advertisements. A previous visitor commented they could "spend hours just looking at everything."

The fun doesn't have to end in McLean. Continue your Route 66 road trip with a 20-minute drive eastwards to Shamrock, a charming city with one-of-a-kind attractions. From there, a short drive further east brings you to the charming brick Welcome to Texas monument along the state line, a great photo opportunity. Then, just five minutes across the border into Oklahoma, the Route 66 adventures continue in Texola, an almost abandoned outpost with curious historical sites. Whether you're embarking on a sojourn along the historic Route 66 or just looking for a small-town getaway, McLean will be an unforgettable stop.