Opened September 2001, the Arizona Route 66 Museum is located in Kingman’s Historic Powerhouse and depicts the historical evolution of travel along the 35th parallel that became Route 66. Visit the Museum text page to see the signs text translated in other languages.
Brilliant murals, photos, and life-size dioramas capture each of the groups that have traveled what came to be known as the Mother Road. Follow the paths of the Native American trade routes and the U. S. Army led survey expeditions. Travel along with the settlers on their migration west over the nation’s first federally funded wagon roads. Feel the hardship and despair of the dust bowl refugees as they journeyed along the Mother Road to a better life. Visit Main Street America as the 50’s usher in fun and excitement for Route 66 travelers.
The Route 66 Museum is truly unique in that it is a museum of history, housed in a historical building that lighted the way for the earliest Route 66 travelers. The building, built in two phases between 1907 and 1911, was operated by the Desert Power & Light Company and powered early Kingman and area mines starting in July, 1909. It also supplied power for the construction of Hoover Dam, until the Dam began producing cheaper hydroelectric power in the late 1930’s. It was soon mothballed, not to be restored until 60 years later when it was opened as a Visitor Center in 1997.
New in 2014, the Route 66 Electric Vehicle Museum, the first of its kind anywhere, is now open and can be accessed only through the Arizona Route 66 Museum! This 3,600 square foot Museum includes twenty-nine (and counting) vehicles on loan from the Historic Electric Vehicle Foundation, with members world-wide. The Foundation’s purpose is to preserve the history of and examples of electric vehicles from the nineteenth to the twenty-first century for all the peoples of the world to enjoy and learn from. The exhibit has been open since December 2014.
“Superbly curated, …jewel in Kingman’s crown.”
Arizona Traveler (Arizona Highways Publication)
“…we are happy to report that it is first-class, something every Route 66 traveler in Arizona should see.”
Richard & Sherry Mangum, Route 66 Across Arizona
School Groups:
There is no admission fee to school groups in the local area. For school groups outside the area, we request a donation if the organization has a budget for such expenditures. Contact the Museum to schedule your class.
We can aid your group by providing a tour guide or we can allow your class to take its’ own journey back in time. We do insist that all young persons be escorted by a responsible adult.
As an educational enhancement, the staff has put together a list of questions in the form of Museum Hunt that is designed for the 4th – 6th grade level. The questions are designed to direct the student’s attention to the content on display. Individually, the list can engage a student for an hour. Within the span of time that most groups are allowed to stay, the hunt is best handled by collaborative groups of 3-5 students. Adult involvement helps considerably.
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