Drive Ins, Diners and Muffler Men on Route 66 in Northern Illinois
Muffler men, diners and drive-ins in Northern Illinois on Route 66
We have more things to see and do along Route 66 in Northern Illinois. In fact Illinois is full of great things to see and do along Route 66. On this day’s adventure we saw some new things, revisited old favorites and had a new experience that’s a 10 out of 10. Maybe even better.
Sprague’s Super Service
William W. Sprague, a local building contractor, created this unusual service station during the early years of Route 66 travel. Rather than following the standardized designs favored by major petroleum companies, he built a distinctive two-story brick structure featuring steep red gables, decorative half-timbering and substantial masonry supports.
The building combined several businesses and living spaces under one roof:
Gas station: Travelers could fill their tanks while passing through Normal.
Restaurant: Hungry motorists could stop for a meal during their journey.
Automotive garage: Drivers could get their vehicles serviced and repaired.
Apartments: Sprague and a station attendant lived upstairs, making the building both a workplace and a home.
This combination made the station a practical roadside destination during the Great Depression, when motorists depended on businesses along the highway for fuel, food and mechanical assistance.
Sprague’s Super Service enjoyed its place along a busy stretch of Pine Street, but the construction of a four-lane Route 66 bypass in 1940 diverted much of the through-traffic away from the area.
In 2006, preservationist Terri Ryburn purchased the building and helped lead efforts to restore it. The station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2008, and the Town of Normal purchased it in 2016. After restoration, it reopened as Ryburn Place in 2017.
Why Route 66 travelers should visit
Sprague’s Super Service is worth seeing because it illustrates how creative roadside architecture once helped independent businesses compete with large petroleum companies. Its residential appearance also reflects an era when gas stations were designed to blend into their neighborhoods.
When visiting, take time to appreciate the brickwork, rooflines and former service-bay area. The building also makes a great photo stop for Route 66 enthusiasts and travelers exploring the Bloomington-Normal area.
The gift shop here has a lot of items and the prices are really fair. If you happen to spot our Rockwood Mini Lite out in the wild you’ll know it’s us based on the metal Route 66 sign we purchased here affixed to the back.
If you're traveling by RV, it is a worthwhile historic detour while exploring central Illinois. Check current visitor-center and gift-shop hours before making a special trip.
A couple of old favorites
One of the highlights of Route 66 in Northern Illinois is Atlanta, Illinois. This little town has truly embraced the Muffler Man. We’ve done a podcast episode about the Muffler Man Museum in Atlanta but a lot has happened there recently.
A historic organization used to own the museum but it has since been purchased by Lee Woods who’s a collector of all sorts of things including Muffler Men. Lee has also opened a shop right on Route 66 in Atlanta called Giants of 66. I was surprised to find Lee in the shop and it was a pleasure to actually make Lee’s acquaintance and, of course, patronize the shop.
Many more Giants have joined the ranks at the American Giants Museum including Bemidji’s Nanabozho Brave, an Astro Oil Space Man and a Phillips 66 Cowboy, all of which are quite prized among Giants collectors. The American Giants Museum’s website has more details on these acquisitions which stand tall at their picnic grounds.
Another favorite in Atlanta is the Country Aire in Atlanta
One of the reasons a search for Country Aire Restaurant in Atlanta will return this website is that it’s an absolute favorite of ours. This locally-owned restaurant has really top-notch food in a spotlessly clean environment served by friendly folk.
We’ve met the owner every time we’ve visited, and we’ve visited numerous times. The food is always good.
But the biggest reason to visit are Lumi’s award-winning desserts. And, this visit, we got to meet the real Lumi in person. While she is nothing like the 20 foot tall depiction of her outside the restaurant, she was a wonderful, quick-witted and friendly lady who kept bringing pie after pie from the back. And brother she can bake pies!
Apparently peach is the favorite but we found this out after already making sure our dessert order was in place. Yes, I did consider getting another slice of pie but my waistline has been challenging my pants of late and, rather than let my waist win over my pants in a socially unacceptable manner, I only had one dessert. Only.
See how good I am?
However on the subject of socially unacceptable the gravy on my meatloaf sandwich was so good I did lick the plate.
The Skyview drive-in theater
We continue to be huge fans of Harvest Hosts and our stay at the Skyview drive-in theater just made the year’s membership absolutely worth the entire annual membership.
We chose to spend two nights here for a variety of reasons but one of those was the fact that they were showing Casper and Ghostbusters the first night of our stay and Cars and Christine the second.
Unbeknownst to us there was also a car show at the theater the Saturday of our stay as well as a craft and local artisan’s fair.
The theater is nicely kept and the screen is clear. The folks are friendly and the snacks are fairly priced. You can’t go wrong.
How can you beat seeing Cars on Route 66 and having a car show roll right past your dinette window?
Luke Spanton - Author
One of the niftiest things about staying the night at the Skyview Drive-In Theater was meeting Luke Stanton and paging through his absolutely beautiful book Route 66 Road Trip Diary. Each two-page spread includes a beautiful photo of an iconic piece of Route 66 and then a description and map on the opposing page. I’ve not seen a book like this before and it’s so nicely done.
Yes, there are a ton of books about Route 66 but this one is one you’d want to put out on your coffee table and wow your friends - it’s that nicely done.
