Riviera Roadhouse Restaurant
POSTED April 22, 2008 - 1:11pm | POSTED BY The Editor
Riviera Restaurant
Constructed in 1928 out of a church from Gardner and a mining office from Sourt Wilmington, the Riviera hosted many famous customers, including Gene Kelly, Tom Mix and Al Capone. A freezer in the basement with a heavy iron door was supposedly built to hide gambling operations and alcohol during Prohibition. The unique bar in the basement provided a cool environment in the days before air conditioning and is decorated like a cave. In its heyday, the Roadhouse featured a zoo, picnic area, swimming hole and gas station.
Today, the restaurant is closed but remains a fantastic piece of Route 66 history and a great photo spot.
Unfortunate Update: The Riviera Roadhouse was lost to a fire on June 8, 2010.
Location
Riviera Roadhouse Restaurant
5650 Route 53
Gardner, IL
60424
United States
41° 12' 19.8396" N, 88° 17' 5.028" W
See map: Google Maps
- 4913 reads
Got Content?
We welcome your Route 66 news, stories, photos and events for publication in our newsletter or on our web site!
Learning to use our calendar puts the fun and adventure of Route 66 at your fingertips. It's easy to discover the when, what and where of events along the road.
Watch Route 66 evolve into The Mother Road with maps and highway guides from 1917-1992 courtesty of the official 