Taking a Route 66 road trip vacation is all about adventure. Sometimes the adventure is driving upon an older, rutty alignment. And other times, the adventure is getting out of the car to see an attraction that doesn’t quite look like an attraction. The Oklahoma County 66 Auto Trim and Mini Museum in Arcadia, OK is one of those kind of attractions.
Our family stopped by this quirky roadside attraction during a recent Route 66 vacation. From the road, the OK County 66 museum looks like a private residence with a body shop out in the back. Once you get out of the car and start wandering around, you’ll get a “howdy” from the owner who’ll invite you to explore the grounds first and then “come inside” to see the rest of the museum.
What to see
The owner of the Oklahoma County 66 Auto Trim and Mini Museum in Arcadia is a personable guy by the name John Hargrove. In addition to restoring old cars, John likes to make reproduction iconic Route 66 art. Visitors who wander around the grounds will find a replica Blue Whale with complete with pond, Route 66 signs (some with vultures), twin arrows, partially buried cars and planes, a gaily painted VW microbus, strange vehicles and lots of old signs.
Inside, it gets even better. Towards the back of his shop, John has build a replica Route 66 diner, a small indoor theater, a replica Meramac Caverns sign, Giant Kachinas, Wigwam motel room, a Bob’s Big Boy, a replica gas station and more.
What to know
The Oklahoma County 66 Auto Trim and Mini Museum is not your average museum. Instead of learning about Route 66, visitors get to experience the many iconic images found along the route. Adults will appreciate the skill that went into making these iconic images; kids will love the opportunity to sit in an old fashioned diner, crawl into the front seat of a suspended VW Beetle and yukking it up at the funny signs found around the site.
The OK County 66 museum can be a bit tricky to find. It’s located about 2 miles north of the Round Barn in Arcadia on Route 66 which means that for motorists traveling from east to west, it’s quite easy to pass the museum before you realize it. We recommend resetting the ODO to zero as you leave Luther and then keeping your eyes peeled to the right hand of the road once you hit the 5 1/2 mile mark.
Admission to the museum is free, though we noticed a coffee can on the diner counter for donations. There’s also a restroom on the site and a self-serve frig loaded with soda pops. As far as hours, there aren’t any set hours…. If the front gate is open, then that’s your cue that the Oklahoma County 66 Auto Trim and Mini Museum is open for business.
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