Route 66 turns 100 in 2026. Commissioned on November 11, 1926, the highway stretches 2,448 miles from Chicago, Illinois, to Santa Monica, California, crossing eight states along the way. All year long, towns up and down the Mother Road are marking the milestone with festivals, classic car cruises, and cross-country caravans, giving road-trippers the perfect excuse to turn one drive into a string of home exchanges.

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- Route 66 turns 100 in 2026, commissioned on November 11, 1926
- The Mother Road runs 2,448 miles across 8 states, from Illinois to California
- Centennial events run all year, from Springfield, MO's April 30 kick-off to Tulsa's 3,000-car cruise
- Home exchange lets travelers swap houses several times along the route instead of booking hotels

A Century on the Mother Road

Route 66 was designated on April 30, 1926, and formally commissioned on November 11, 1926, becoming one of the first fully paved highways to link the Midwest with the West Coast. During the Dust Bowl years, it carried thousands of families west in search of new lives, earning the nickname "the Mother Road." In 2020, Congress signed the Route 66 Centennial Commission Act, and by December 2022 the Commission's members, representing all eight Route 66 states, were officially announced to help plan a full year of celebrations for 2026.

Eight States, One Yearlong Party

The centennial calendar touches every state the highway crosses: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Missouri hosts the official National Kick-Off in Springfield on April 30, 2026, with satellite events in Joliet, Illinois; St. Louis, Missouri; Amarillo, Texas; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Santa Monica, California. Arizona's Historic Route 66 Fun Run brings more than 800 vehicles across a 140-mile stretch near Seligman in early May, while Oklahoma's Route 66 Capital Cruise in Tulsa aims to gather 3,000 classic cars along a 5.5-mile stretch for what organizers hope will be the largest cruise on record. Texas throws its own Route 66 Festival in Amarillo in June, and Illinois closes out September with the 25th Annual International Route 66 Mother Road Festival in Springfield.

Why Stop at One Home When You Can Swap Several?

A 2,448-mile drive is a lot of highway to cover in a single hotel-hopping trip. Home exchange turns that same distance into a series of home bases: a house near Chicago to start, an apartment close to the Oklahoma or Texas festival routes, a place in New Mexico or Arizona for the desert stretch, and a home by the ocean once the road ends in Santa Monica. Each swap means more space than a hotel room, a working kitchen, and a neighborhood to explore instead of a strip of chain motels.

Building a Centennial Itinerary Around Home Exchanges

The 2026 event calendar practically maps out a road trip. Exchangers can time a swap in Missouri or Illinois around the April 30 kick-off, head toward Oklahoma or Texas for the late-May and June cruises and festivals, then finish in Arizona and California as the Main Street of America Centennial Caravan completes its full run of the route in June. Breaking the Mother Road into three or four legs, each anchored by a different home exchange, makes a hundred-year milestone easy to experience at a relaxed pace rather than rushed through in a single trip.

Experience the Authenticity of Route 66 with HomeExchange

With HomeExchange, you can live that rhythm like a local. Choose from a traditional house, a beachfront villa, or an urban apartment in the heart of a city. Each home offers a unique perspective.

HomeExchange lets you experience true belonging while saving on accommodation costs. Immerse yourself in the local community and enjoy the comforts of a home away from home.

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