Attractions

There isn't much to do right in Kingman, but while you're in town, you can learn more about local history at the Mohave Museum of History and Arts, 400 W. Beale St. (tel. 928/753-3195; www.mohavemuseum.org). There's also plenty of Andy Devine memorabilia on display. The museum is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm, Saturday from 1 to 5pm. Admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, free for children 12 and under. Afterward, take a drive or a stroll around downtown Kingman to view the town's many historic buildings. (You can pick up a map at the museum.)

If you're interested in historic homes, you can tour the Bonelli House, 430 E. Spring St. (tel. 928/753-3175), a two-story stone home built in 1915 and furnished much as it may have been at that time. It's open Monday through Friday from 11am to 3pm, but before heading over, check at the Mohave Museum of History and Arts to see if a guide can show you around. Admission is by donation.

The Historic Route 66 Museum, 120 W. Andy Devine Ave. (tel. 928/753-9889; www.kingmantourism.org/route66museum), has exhibits on the history of not just Route 66, but also the roads, railroads, and trails that preceded it. There's a great collection of old photos taken during the Depression, and even an "Okie" truck on display. You'll also see a Studebaker Champion and mock-ups of a gas station, diner, hotel lobby, and barbershop. Hours are daily from 9am to 6pm (until 5pm Dec-Feb); admission is $4 for adults, $3 for seniors, and free for children 12 and under.

When you're tired of the heat and want to cool off, head southeast of Kingman to Hualapai Mountain Park, 6250 Hualapai Mountain Rd. (tel. 928/681-5700; www.mcparks.com), which is at an elevation of 7,000 feet and offers picnicking, hiking, mountain biking, camping, and rustic rental cabins built in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Daily admission to the park is $5.

Oatman

Located 30 miles southwest of Kingman on what was once Route 66 is the busy little mining camp of Oatman, a classic Wild West ghost town full of tourist shops selling tacky souvenirs. Founded in 1906 when gold was discovered here, Oatman quickly grew into a lively town of 12,000 people and was an important stop on Route 66 -- even Clark Gable and Carole Lombard stayed here (on their honeymoon, no less). In 1942, when the U.S. government closed down many of Arizona's gold-mining operations, Oatman's population plummeted. Today, there are fewer than 250 inhabitants, and the once-abandoned old buildings have been preserved as a ghost town. The historic look of Oatman has attracted numerous filmmakers over the years; How the West Was Won is just one of the movies that was shot here.

One of Oatman's biggest attractions is its population of feral burros. These animals, which roam the streets of town begging for handouts, are descendants of burros used by gold miners. Be careful -- they bite!

And, of course, the Wild West isn't the Wild West if you don't spend some time in the saddle. Oatman Stables (tel. 928/768-3257) offers 1-hour horseback rides for $30 per person and 2-hour rides for $55.

Annual events staged here are among the strangest in the state, including January bed races, a Fourth of July high-noon sidewalk egg fry, and a Labor Day burro biscuit toss. Saloons, restaurants, and a very basic hotel (where you can view the room Clark and Carole rented on their wedding night) provide food and lodging if you decide you'd like to soak up the Oatman atmosphere for a while. For more information, contact the Oatman-Gold Road Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 423, Oatman, AZ 86433 (tel. 928/768-6222; www.oatmangoldroad.com).

Get Your Kicks on Route 66

It was the Mother Road, the Main Street of America, and for thousands of Midwesterners devastated by the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s, the road to a better life. On the last leg of its journey from Chicago to California, Route 66 meandered across the vast empty landscape of northern Arizona, and today, much of this road is still visible.

Officially dedicated in 1926, Route 66 was the first highway in America to be uniformly signed from one state to the next. Less than half of the highway's 2,200-mile route was paved, and in those days, the stretch between Winslow and Ash Fork was so muddy in winter that drivers had their cars shipped by railroad between the two points. By the 1930s, however, the entire length of Route 66 had been paved, and the westward migration was underway.

The years following World War II saw Americans take to Route 66 in unprecedented numbers for a different reason. A new prosperity and reliable cars made travel a pleasure, and Americans set out to discover the West. Motor courts, cafes, and tourist traps sprang up along the highway's length, and these businesses increasingly turned to eye-catching signs and billboards to lure passing motorists. Neon lit up the once-lonely stretches of highway.

By the 1950s, Route 66 just couldn't handle the traffic. After President Eisenhower initiated the National Interstate Highway System, Route 66 was slowly replaced by a four-lane divided highway. Many of the towns along the old highway were bypassed, and motorists stopped frequenting such roadside establishments as Pope's General Store and the Oatman Hotel. Many closed, while others were replaced by their more modern equivalents. Some, however, managed to survive, and they appear along the road like strange time capsules from another era, vestiges of Route 66's legendary past.

The Wigwam Motel in Holbrook is one of the most distinctive Route 66 landmarks. The wigwams (actually tepees) were built out of concrete around 1940 and still contain many of their original furnishings. Also in Holbrook are several rock shops with giant signs -- and life-size concrete dinosaurs -- that date from Route 66 days. Nighttime here comes alive with vintage neon.

Flagstaff, the largest town along the Arizona stretch of Route 66, became a major layover spot. Motor courts flourished on the road leading into town from the east. Today, this road has been officially renamed Route 66 by the city of Flagstaff, and a few of the old motor courts remain. Although you probably wouldn't want to stay in most of these old motels, their neon signs were once beacons in the night for tired drivers. Downtown Flagstaff has quite a few shops where you can pick up Route 66 memorabilia.

About 65 miles west of Flagstaff begins the longest remaining stretch of old Route 66. Extending for 160 miles from Ash Fork to Topock, this lonely blacktop passes through some of the most remote country in Arizona (and goes right through the town of Kingman). In Seligman, at the east end of this stretch of the highway, you'll find Delgadillo's Snow Cap, 301 E. Route 66 (tel. 928/422-3291), which serves up fast food amid outrageous decor. Next door at Angel & Vilma Delgadillo's Route 66 Gift Shop & Visitor's Center, 217 E. Route 66 (tel. 928/422-3352; www.route66giftshop.com), you'll be entertained by the owner Angel, one of Route 66's most famous residents and an avid fan of the old highway. The walls of Angel's old one-chair barbershop are covered with photos and business cards of happy customers. Today, Angel's place is a Route 66 information center and souvenir shop, and Angel is president emeritus of the Route 66 Association of Arizona.

After leaving Seligman, the highway passes through such waysides as Peach Springs, Truxton, Valentine, and Hackberry. Before reaching Peach Springs, you'll come to Grand Canyon Caverns, once a near-mandatory stop for families traveling Route 66. In Hackberry, be sure to stop at the Hackberry Store & Old Route 66 Visitor Center (tel. 928/769-2605), which is filled with Route 66 memorabilia as well as old stuff from the 1950s and 1960s. At Valle Vista, near Kingman, the highway goes into a 7-mile-long curve. Some claim it's the longest continuous curve on a U.S. highway.

After the drive through the wilderness west of Seligman, Kingman feels like a veritable metropolis; its bold neon signs once brought a sigh of relief to the tired and the hungry. Today, it boasts dozens of modern motels and is still primarily a resting spot for the road weary. Mr. D'z Route 66 Diner , a modern rendition of a 1950s diner (housed in an old gas station/cafe), serves burgers and blue-plate specials. Across the street at 120 W. Andy Devine Ave. is a restored powerhouse that dates from 1907 and is home to the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona (tel. 928/753-5001; www.azrt66.com), the Historic Route 66 Museum , and the Kingman Area Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center. Each year over the first weekend in May, Kingman is the site of the Route 66 Fun Run, which consists of a drive along 150 miles of old Route 66 between Topock and Seligman.

The last stretch of Route 66 in Arizona heads southwest out of Kingman through the rugged Sacramento Mountains. It passes through Oatman, which almost became a ghost town after the local gold-mining industry collapsed and the new interstate highway pulled money out of town. Today, mock gunfights and nosy wild burros entice motorists to stop, and shops playing up Route 66's heritage line the wooden sidewalks.

After dropping down out of the mountains, the road once crossed the Colorado River on a narrow metal bridge. Although the bridge is still there, it now carries a pipeline instead of traffic; cars must now return to the bland I-40 to continue their journey into the promised land of California.