Historic museum inside Barstow's renowned Harvey House preserving the people, vehicles, businesses, and culture that made Route 66 America's most legendary highway.
Sunday: 12:00pm to 3:00pm
Donations are appreciated
How to Get There
From Downtown Barstow (1 mi): Follow Main Street (Historic Route 66) to First Avenue, head north across the historic railroad bridge, and enter the Harvey House complex where the museum is located.
Overview
The Route 66 Mother Road Museum is one of the premier historical attractions along California's portion of Route 66. Located within Barstow's landmark Casa del Desierto, better known as the Harvey House, the museum preserves the stories, artifacts, and personalities that shaped America's most famous highway. Originally opened in 2000 and reopened in 2025 after restoration efforts, the museum offers visitors an opportunity to explore the history of Route 66 while standing inside a building that played a vital role in western transportation history.
Exhibits trace the evolution of Route 66 from early pioneer trails and railroad routes to the golden age of automobile travel. Visitors can view vintage photographs, classic automobiles, historic memorabilia, and displays highlighting the businesses, roadside attractions, and communities that flourished along the Mother Road. Housed within a National Historic Landmark and sharing space with other cultural attractions inside the Harvey House complex, the museum offers an immersive look into the transportation history, roadside culture, and enduring legacy of Route 66 in the Mojave Desert and beyond.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia articles and official tourism pages for the Route 66 Mother Road Museum, which are released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.
