The trip starts in Chicago with a slice of big city life. You'll hit the road downtown, wave goodbye to the dramatic skyscrapers and head out on the most famous road in the world.

The first photo opportunity comes in Wilmington, Illinois where the quirky Gemini Giant looms over the road.

A working maple syrup farm, truck stops that house Route 66 museums and home-stylediners dot the road south through Illinois.

In Springfield, Bill Shea's Route 66 Gas Station Museum beckons visitors to sit a while and contemplate the history of the Mother Road. His memorabilia spans the lifetime of the famous road and his anecdotes are shared with all.

Springfield also offers visitors a rare glimpse of America's most famous president, Abraham Lincoln. Visit the Great Emancipator's home, his law office and his final resting place. At the New Salem Hisitoric Village interpreters reenact young Lincoln's pioneer days.

The road also winds past the Dana Thomas House, designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright; the Illinois State Museum of Natural History; the Springfield Children's Museum; and the Illinois State Capitol Building.

Back out on the road, you can stop at Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, a World Heritage Site. Preserved here are the remains of an ancient city built on earthen burial and ceremonial mounds that flourished from 700-1400 A.D. and then mysteriously disappeared.

Heading into the state of Missouri, you'll visit the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge. The Mississippi River span has been turned into the world's longest pedestrian and biking bridge. Stunning views of the unspoiled river greet hikers and provide an excellent photo opportunity of the bold St. Louis skyline.

In the heart of St. Louis, ride to the top of the magnificent 630-foot-tall Gateway Arch for a panoramic view of the city and the river: The Museum of Westward Expansion, located under the Arch, explains how pioneers traveled the trails in covered wagons before the days of Route 66. Spend the evening listening to the sounds that made St. Louis famous -- the St. Louis blues. This is where Chuck Berry, Ike & Tina Turner, Miles Davis and many other American originals got their start.

Just outside St. Louis, the road takes you to Missouri's new Route 66 Visitor Center and on to Meramec Caverns, the oldest tourist attraction on the Mother Road. Outlaw Jesse James hid from the law in the famous cavern that still welcomes visitors from around the world into its cool,dark interior.

The Museum of Transportation displays an array of road machines sure to excite fams of the historic highway. You can see Bobby Darin's one-of-a-kind Dream Car along with carriages, trains and automobiles that blazed down America's rails and roads for generations. A stop at Ted Drewes frozen custard stand is a sweet way to end the St. Louis portion of Route 66.

Leaving St. Louis on a loop back to Chicago, the open road rambles along the Mississippi River north to Hannibal, Missouri, boyhood home of Mark Twain. The author's home and the Mark Twain Museum ar open for tours.

Take you car across the Mississippi and back into Illinois to charming Galesburg. Visit the birthplace of famous American poet Carl Sandburg, who immortalized Chicago as "The City of Big Shoulders."

Then it's back to Chicago and home. Your memories of Route 66 will last a lifetime.