India, Feb. 21 -- It's full steam ahead on Route 66 nostalgia this year, with the Mother Road celebrating its 100th anniversary. While the iconic thoroughfare was officially decommissioned in June 1985, its cultural and historical significance remains evident in many of the towns and cities it once connected. Retro photo ops, museums, and shops filled with memorabilia await visitors in the small, quirky, and often sleepy stops along the remains of the "Main Street of America."

Starting just east of Chicago and ending in Santa Monica, California, the 2,448-mile highway crosses eight states-Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California-so you can expect a range of landscapes and experiences along the way....