Cramming any destination into two hours is wholly unfair, but that’s all we could afford as we were trying to make it Sedona that afternoon. Flagstaff was on our list primarily because we have a 4 year old who has been obsessed with Disney’s Cars trilogy for the greater part of his life. The Cars soundtrack is also a popular choice while we’re on the road, of course, and John Mayer’s version of the song Route 66 mentions Flagstaff, Arizona. (It is worth noting the original is by Bobby Troup and has been covered by many artists since then.)
So we pulled into Flagstaff right around lunch – there is RV parking available in town, right by the Visitor’s Center. There’s good signage, so the parking is easy to find. Be warned – it is pull in, not pull through, so you will need to unhook. The lot is attended! Parking is currently free due to COVID and to support downtown businesses.
I had to hop on a call, so Charlie took the kids to grab some lunch from a drive through hot-dog place, Route 66 Dog Haus, where you literally drive through the building!
After lunch, we hopped over to the visitor’s center which is on Route 66 in a historic Amtrak building (every 4 year old’s dream, right?!). They had a suspended train display (operable for 25¢) that the kiddos loved, as well as some pretty cool paraphernalia. I convinced Charlie that we needed a wall clock for the RV (digital clock don’t work when you don’t always have power!) and we are stoked about our purchase.
There is some neat artwork – Route 66 painted on the ground in the lot outside the visitor’s center, and some murals along the actual route.
We grabbed coffee from Stronghold Coffee (yay eco-minded businesses and kind baristas) and walked along N. San Francisco Street to check out some of the Route 66 tribute murals and some of those funky old hotels before heading on our way again…
Leaving you with this special scene from Cars:
Tales of RVentures 