As part of a series on the influential, colorful, historic people, places and things along Illinois Route 66, we present The Palms Grill Cafe.

Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame Class of 2013

110 SW Arch St, Atlanta, Illinois

Here’s the story behind this historic landmark:

The Palms Grill was opened in 1934 and declared it was, “in the center of Atlanta on U.S. Route 66. Dancing Every Night. Special Chicken and Steak Dinners. We Specialize in Club Parties.”

The original owner, Robert Adams, was a native of Atlanta who had moved to Los Angeles, California. It was decorated to resemble an eatery near where Adams had lived in California. Ray Thompson of Atlanta had been hired to oversee the restaurant and hire and oversee managers for the absent owner.

In its early years, businessmen, tourists, and even celebrities frequented the Palms Grill Cafe. Beginning in 1940, it was also the designated Greyhound bus stop in Atlanta for many years. In the late 1940s and 1950s, the Grill continued to serve as a popular gathering spot, especially for the students of Atlanta High School. Many students held their first real job at the Palms Grill.

After the Grill closed in the late 1960s, the building remained empty for nearly 20 years. John Hawkins purchased it in 1982, and upon his death in 2002, his family donated the building to the Atlanta Public Library and Museum. In 2003, the Atlanta Library began the restoration project that culminated in the rebirth of the Palms Grill Cafe.

It became a well-known, highly-praised restaurant that beckoned all to stop and dine and go back in time. Blue plate specials, spam sandwiches and definitely the pie attracted tourists to stop and make the Palms Grill Cafe  the center of Atlanta.

Sadly, The Palms Grill Cafe closed in 2020. It is currently owned by the Atlanta Library District and leased out.

Click to read stories about the ever-growing list of Hall of Fame inductees.

Today, November 11, marks the birthday of our favorite “lady,” The Mother Road!

It was on this day that, in 1926, the American Association of State Highway Officials adopted the 2,448-mile roadway from Chicago to Los Angeles and number for U.S. Highway 66.

Let’s keep the “Old Girl” in good condition for many more fun-filled, nostalgic years!

To celebrate this exciting anniversary, how about a special outing on the Main Street of America before the weather turns against us here in the Midwest? Here’s a suggestion: This Saturday, November 13, there’s going to be a joint celebration along IL66 in Wilmington, honoring both veterans and the birthday of Route 66. The ceremony will feature the rededicating of a Blue Star Memorial Highway plaque. This special location is directly alongside the original Route 66.

For an in-depth history of the origins of Route 66, read Route 66: The History and Adventures of the Mother Road.

Additionally, Ron Warnick (as always) has some interesting insights about Route 66 on the occasion of her 95th birthday.

Please note that our Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac, Illinois at 110 Howard St. will be closed on the following holidays:

Thanksgiving Day

Christmas Day

New Years Day

Easter Day

Other than these holidays, our Hall of Fame and Museum are open 7 Days a Week with FREE admission!

We wish you and your loved ones wonderful and safe celebrations, and memories made by the heart-ful.

We want to let everyone know that several of our local attractions are closing/have closed for the 2021 season.

The Launching Pad in Wilmington has closed for the season, as have City Shoppes in Pontiac. We will let you know when they open up again next year.

There are likely additional locations that will close for the season. We’ll keep you informed as we learn details.

Our members-only newsletter, The 66 News is distributed quarterly since its first issue in September, 1989.

From time to time, we’ll share a piece from the magazine here on the website so you can see for yourself the kind of content you can expect in this quality publication. This article is from a relatively recent issue, Summer, 2013. Enjoy!

Eating Our Way Across Route 66

by Marcia Gascho

As veterans of many long and short Route 66 trips, my husband Bruce and I have found a number of great places to eat along the way. We often find ourselves planning our itinerary and overnight stays based on where we want to eat lunch or dinner. We try to avoid the chain places and find local mom-and-pop or well-known spots. The major exception is breakfast. Many motels offer breakfasts and we take advantage of them At the Best Western in Shamrock, Texas, we enjoyed Texas-shaped waffles! When we stay in places like the Blue Swallow in Tucumcari, we usually eat at local restaurants for breakfast.

On our most recent trip to Arizona, we stopped at many fine dining places. We are big fans of Korean food and have discovered Cafe Korea outside Ft Leonard Wood, Missouri. They have great food, a friendly staff and very reasonable prices. I requested extra squid in my Soon DuBu soup and it was delicious. We got an order of mandoo (dumplings) to go that we happily snacked on during the trip. The place is always crowded with civilians and military personnel from the Fort.

We are hoping 4 Women on the Route (new name of Cars on the Route) in Kansas will serve food again when it re-opens. In Oklahoma, we always enjoy selecting some sodas at POPS and having a meal there. It’s an interesting place! We tried out Lucilles this year in Weatherford. They have a cool diner section as well a a more traditional restaurant area. The front of the building recreates the look of Lucilles old gas station in Hydro.

It is fortunate that La Posada in Winslow, Arizona, was saved from the wrecking ball. If you want elegant dining in a beautiful historic, location, The Turquoise Room there can’t be beat. It’s expensive but worth it. We’ve stopped at the Snow Cap in Seligman many times. We got to meet the late Juan Delgadillo and were the victims of his many practical jokes: small Coke, trick mustard bottle, used straws and napkins, etc. Just walking inside to order a meal like Dead Chicken is an experience. The walls and ceiling are covered with business cards from all over the world. When trying to leave, you are confronted with a door with two doorknobs. Many bus tours stop by there.

It is fortunate that La Posada in Winslow, Arizona, was saved from the wrecking ball. If you want elegant dining in a beautiful historic, location, The Turquoise Room there can’t be beat. It’s expensive but worth it. We’ve stopped at the Snow Cap in Seligman many times. We got to meet the late Juan Delgadillo and were the victims of his many practical jokes: small Coke, trick mustard bottle, used straws and napkins, etc. Just walking inside to order a meal like Dead Chicken is an experience. The walls and ceiling are covered with business cards from all over the world. When trying to leave, you are confronted with a door with two doorknobs. Many bus tours stop by there.

In Illinois, no Route 66 trip is complete without a stop at the Cozy Dog Drive In and/or the Polka Dot. Both places have a great vintage feel to them. This year we finally had a chance to eat at the famous Ariston restaurant before heading home.

We love our annual trips on the Mother Road. It’s great to see old and new places and to anticipate the wonderful food along the way.

The following are some of our favorite places we’ve discovered over the years. We like to visit them again and again on our trips.

Illinois

Polk-a-Dot – Braidwood
Cozy Dog Drive-In – Springfield
Ariston – Litchfield (since closed)
Log Cabin – Pontiac
Palms Grill – Atlanta

Missouri

Ted Drewes – St Louis
Missouri Hicks BBQ – Cuba
Cafe Korea – St Robert

Kansas

Grill a 4 Women on the Route – Galena

Oklahoma

POPS – Arcadia
Lucilles – Weatherford

Texas

Big Verns – Shamrock
Big Texan – Amarillo
Midpoint Cafe – Adrian

New Mexico

Pow Wow – Tucumcari
Kix on 66 – Tucumcari
Route 66 Diner – Albuquerque
El Rancho Hotel – Gallup

Arizona

Turquoise Room La Posada – Winslow
Snow Cap – Seligman

Read our ever-growing collection of From The 66 News archives.

Each year, The Route 66 Association of Illinois inducts some very special people, places and/or attractions to our prestigious Hall of Fame.  All are welcome to nominate “those people and places along Route 66 whose blend of hardy individualism and grassroots community spirit gave the road such special character.”

Do you know of such a person or place? Then we urge you to read on and learn more!

We provide a definition of what it takes to qualify as a nominee, as well as the official nomination process on our Hall of Fame Page.

Deadline for nominating is December 31, 2021.

The Old State Capitol in Springfield, IL has reopened to public tours following extensive interior renovations.

As for the building’s historical significance to Route 66, it has been the centerpiece of the city’s annual Illinois Route 66 Mother Road Festival. Interestingly, North Sixth Street, an early alignment of Route 66, runs right by the building.

Read the complete story on The 66 News.

Fall again. Seems faster this year for some reason, mainly because we’er returned “to the streets” and instead of shelter in place and Zoom family get togethers, we’re out and about and getting real hugs. With real hugs comes responsibility and we’ve been exposed to new flu varieties and variations of Covid. If we continue to be careful, follow whatever mask requirements are in place wherever you travel, and as more people get their vaccinations, together we’ll move toward a healthier winter.

I hear from many people the need for a good hard freeze to kill the germs so we’d be healthy all winter and all school year. I’m personally hoping for a real true fall before the cold weather returns.

There is renewed activity all up and down the Mother Road. Festivals are returning in the states out west; here in Illinois the Mother Road Car Show returned to downtown Springfield September 24-26. This year we saw the return of Pontiac’s Thresherman’s Parade on Labor Day weekend, and the Basset Waddle in Dwight on September 19. Atlanta now has their own Tourism person, Whitney Ortiz, and they have had several car shows including the Coffee and Corvettes show. Wilmington hosted an Autumn Craft Show at North Island Park on October 10th. The 6th Annual Route 66 Miles of Possibility Conference will be virtual this year, running October 21 -24.

Wilmington will also be rededicating the Blue Star Memorial Highway Marker on Route 66/Baltimore Street on November 13. It is a multi-Memorial service to celebrate the Blue Star Highway, Veterans Day, and the 95 birthday of Route 66. The event will be from 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM and food will be provided by the VFW post.

We had limited Preservation projects this year as we were “technically” on lockdown until June 11 when groups were once more “allowed” to gather and our Motor Tour and Hall of Fame banquet were held. We had a great tour – and it was nice to return to our annual trip on the Mother Road. 2022 Motor Tour will start North and if you know of a place or event we should include in our tour, please email me or your county rep and let them know!

Our annual elections are October 19th and will be held at the Pontiac City Annex at 115 Q Howard next to City Hall. This building is directly across from the Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum at 110 W Howard. The Board meeting is at 10:00 AM and the General meeting/elections will be at 1:00 PM. Come out and volunteer!

The Road Ahead continues to work on economic development and tourism for the entire eight states through with Route 66 runs. I have read in some newspaper and online journals that tourism from Europe is still diminished by travel restrictions. We have had at the museum a huge increase in local Illinois visitors taking the time to do parts of Route 66 and families that are including Day Trips with family get togethers. There are Illinois health mandates still in place and we hope our visitors appreciate our effort to keep everyone healthy and follow the rules.

Over the past 10 years there has been a lot of proposed changes along our Illinois miles. We attended meetings when the Illiana Toll road wanted to cut a wide swath through 100 year of family farms, cemeteries and small communities while paralleling Route 80. There was talk of creating a toll road between Joliet and Wilmington. There were many community meetings regarding the high speed rail and proposed changes along Route 66 to accommodate safer railroad gate and truck access. In the end, the accesses were changed to accommodate safety without taking away the northbound lanes on 66. People would say to me, “They can’t do that!” and the truth is “they” can, unless you participate and say “No!”  Many people in state and public works don’t have any idea about or affinity for the Mother Road, so our association is an important voice for the Illinois communities and preservation. Landmarks Illinois is another great organization that brings attention to places in Illinois that need to be saved. These are properties all over the state that need to be saved for future generations. Our award-winning preservation group has accomplished much in this state and will continue to help when asked and of course, we still “Work for food!”

So many changes in our personal contacts in Illinois! Ellie Alexander after a long, amazing career at Pontiac Tourism, recently retired. We were blessed to have the support of Ellie (and her family – thank you, David!). For the last 16+ years, Ellie had a great sense of humor and was amazingly resourceful when we needed her expertise and assistance.

We are excited that Liz Vincent has become the new Tourism Director. Liz has been involved with Pontiac and many will remember seeing her at the various Pontiac plays and musicals at the Park and the Eagle Theatre. Her vibrancy and energy for Pontiac and for Route 66 is awesome.

Sarah Waggoner who had been the Tourism Director in Litchfield has taken a new job in Springfield and we look forward to working with her in her new position as Tourism Manager for Visit Springfield. Sarah will manage the Springfield Visitors Center. Sarah replaces Jeff Berg who had been a valuable Springfield contact for the last 20 years.

Our association is thankful for many things.

Our docents Rose and Mary Ann who greet our visitors and represent Pontiac so well and take care of our museum and our visitors every day.

Marlene (and Russ) of PermaGraphics who go above and beyond to be part of our Route 66 community on their own besides editing and publishing our newsletter.

Gina and Scott of Esembe who are our hired hands with our email newsletters, our PayPal operations, Facebook page and website administration.

I want to thank the entire board of the Route 66 Association of Illinois for their continued hard work and attention to detail whether it’s a day of volunteering at the Hall of Fame and Museum, attending Preservation workdays, or working on the themes and places and faces for the annual Motor Tour. Your continued support and time spent is so well appreciated. We hear from people all the time about how much they enjoy the museum and look forward to seeing us their next time down the road. We have been happy to help those communities that have reached out to us for information or asking for letters of support for their grant applications.

Our best support of our 91 communities is to get out on the road and spend some of your hard-earned dollars supporting the businesses along the road. Your breakfast, lunch, mid-afternoon ice cream and/or pie snack, and dinner before you go home helps these authentic 66 roadside service businesses survive! Don’t forget the weekend Picker’s Markets and end of the season car shows and craft fairs! We all notice how gas prices differ out on the road – so fill up before you go home! Every little bit helps.

As we return to our new normal, I look forward to new challenges and new opportunities for our association. So, put your windows down, leave the honey-do list on the kitchen table, and enjoy the colors of fall. Find out whether pumpkin spice is really your thing. (I’m still not sure…).

Cathie Stevanovich,
President, Route 66 Association of Illinois