The National Route 66 Museum, part of Oklahoma’s Old Town Museum Complex, is in Elk City.
The museum presents the history of the entire highway, not merely the Oklahoma section. Its displays interpret Route 66 across all eight states on the historic route: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. This makes it distinct from museums that focus mainly on one state or one local stretch.
Elk City’s museum complex contains several separate attractions devoted to regional history and transportation. Alongside the National Route 66 Museum are the Old Town Museum, Transportation Museum, Farm and Ranch Museum, and Blacksmith Museum. Together, they create a broader historical setting around the highway exhibits.
A common mix-up is Clinton, Oklahoma, which also has a well-known Oklahoma Route 66 Museum. Clinton’s museum explores the route’s history from Chicago to Santa Monica, while Elk City’s National Route 66 Museum is part of a larger multi-museum complex. Elk City lies in western Oklahoma, near the route’s historic alignment and present-day Interstate 40.