Historic Route 66 Williams

The October 13, 1984 bypass of Williams is the date that effectively ended Route 66 as a continuous federal highway. The previous decades had seen Interstate 40 gradually replace Route 66 across Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, and Oklahoma — town by town, segment by segment — with each bypass generally completed when federal-state funding aligned and local opposition (if any) was resolved. By the early 1980s, Williams was the only remaining Route 66 town in the United States where the original alignment still served as the primary through-highway.

The Williams holdout was driven by several factors. Local business owners along Bill Williams Avenue, who depended on Route 66 traffic for their motels, restaurants, and gas stations, filed legal action against the federal and state highway authorities to delay the bypass construction. The legal challenges produced several years of delay through the late 1970s and early 1980s. Additionally, the surrounding geography — Williams sits at the base of Bill Williams Mountain in a basin formed by surrounding ponderosa pine forest — made the bypass construction more expensive and topographically complicated than typical Interstate 40 segments.

The bypass was eventually completed and opened on October 13, 1984. The exact moment is documented in local newspaper coverage and in the photographs that hang on the walls of several Williams restaurants and the visitor center. The official Route 66 designation through Williams was decommissioned that day, and the remaining stretch of Bill Williams Avenue technically became a state-numbered alternate route. But the cultural significance of being the last Route 66 town has defined Williams' tourism identity for the four decades since.

Bill Williams Avenue carries the original Route 66 alignment through the heart of downtown Williams for roughly eight or nine blocks. The strip is divided into two halves by the railway depot in the middle — the eastbound side carries traffic in one direction and the westbound side carries traffic in the other, a typical Route 66 one-way couplet configuration. Walking the entire strip takes about 20-30 minutes at a leisurely pace, with stops at the most photogenic neon signs, restored buildings, and shops extending the visit to 60-90 minutes for most visitors.

Notable buildings along the strip include the Sultana Bar (a 1912-era saloon with original wooden interior and Route 66-era neon), Twisters 50s Soda Fountain (a restored 1950s-era soda fountain and diner), the Red Garter Inn (a former 1897 brothel now operating as a bed-and-breakfast with restored Victorian interior), several restored motor courts including the El Rancho and the Canyon Motel, and Pete's Route 66 Gas Station Museum at 101 East Route 66 (a fully restored vintage Mobil filling station that operates as a small free museum).

The neon sign concentration along Bill Williams Avenue is one of the strongest authentic neon strips remaining anywhere on Route 66 — comparable to Tucumcari, New Mexico's better-known neon stretch but more compact and walkable. The Cruiser's Cafe 66 sign, the Westerner Motel sign, the Grand Canyon Hotel sign, and the various motor court neon are the most-photographed individual signs. The strip is best photographed at dusk during the brief blue-hour window when the sky still holds some light but the neon is fully illuminated.

Pete's Route 66 Gas Station Museum at 101 East Route 66 is the standard required stop for serious Route 66 enthusiasts visiting Williams. The building is a fully restored 1940s-era Mobil filling station — original glass-globe gas pumps out front, original interior fixtures, vintage signage, and a comprehensive collection of gas-station memorabilia from the Route 66 era. The museum is free to visit (donations appreciated) and is typically open from late morning through early evening, though hours vary seasonally and the operation is essentially run as a passion project by its volunteer staff.

The exterior of the building is one of the most-photographed Route 66 landmarks in Williams — the vintage Mobil signage, the period-correct gas pumps, and the restored architecture together produce one of the iconic Route 66 visual scenes that travelers come to Williams specifically to experience. The interior includes thousands of small items of gas-station memorabilia: vintage motor oil cans, period maps, original Route 66 signage, restored cash registers, period photographs of Williams during the Route 66 era, and various items donated by Williams families across the decades.

The museum's staff are typically eager to talk with visitors about Williams' Route 66 history and the broader Mother Road story. For travelers planning a multi-day Route 66 driving trip, Pete's is an excellent place to ask local questions, pick up driving tips for the road ahead, and orient yourself to the Williams strip. Allow 30-45 minutes for a full visit.

The Bill Williams Avenue strip works as two very different experiences depending on the time of day. Daytime visits — particularly mid-morning to mid-afternoon — emphasize the architectural details of the restored buildings, the historical signage on individual storefronts, and the photogenic vintage cars that several restaurants and shops park along the strip as decoration. Daytime walking is also the easier time to enter shops and museums (most have shorter or seasonal evening hours).

Night visits — specifically the half-hour starting at sunset and extending through full darkness — are the standard recommended Route 66 photography time. The neon signs along the strip fire up at sunset and produce roughly 90 minutes of strong photogenic light before the strip thins out for the evening. The cruise-night atmosphere is particularly strong on weekend evenings in summer when vintage car owners from Williams and the surrounding region park their cars along the strip in an informal cruise-in tradition.

Best photography spots include the corner of Bill Williams Avenue and Grand Canyon Boulevard (the visual center of the strip with multiple neon signs in frame), the front of Cruiser's Cafe 66 (the most-photographed individual restaurant), the Pete's Gas Station Museum exterior (best at golden hour just before sunset), and the western end of the strip where the Westerner Motel and several other neon-signed motor courts are concentrated.

The Bill Williams Avenue strip is the natural daytime activity that pairs with an evening Grand Canyon Railway trip or vice versa. The standard plan for a one-night Williams stay: arrive in town by mid-afternoon, walk the strip in late afternoon to capture the architectural details in good light, have dinner at Cruiser's Cafe 66 around 6pm, return to the strip at sunset for neon photography, overnight at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel or another downtown property, take the 9:30am train the next morning to the Grand Canyon, return to Williams at 5:45pm, and continue your drive.

For Route 66 road-trippers continuing west, Williams typically functions as the western anchor of the Arizona Route 66 experience before the long drive toward Seligman (75 miles west) and the longer surviving Route 66 alignments through northwestern Arizona. For travelers driving east, Williams is the natural overnight stop before continuing to Flagstaff (35 miles east), the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert (roughly 150 miles east), and eventually into New Mexico.

Beyond the strip itself, Williams has additional attractions worth time during a longer visit. Bearizona Wildlife Park, just east of town off I-40, is a drive-through wildlife park with bison, wolves, black bears, and other North American wildlife — popular with families and worth half a day. Sycamore Canyon Wilderness south of town is one of Arizona's deepest canyons and offers hiking and overlooks. Sliding Rock Falls northwest of town is a small waterfall and natural water slide on Forest Service land.