The best Route 66 attractions that are worth stopping for

What was originally a 1950s roadside hotdog and ice cream stand called Dari Delite, the restaurant changed owners and was renamed The Launching Pad Drive-in and a 28-foot-tall spaceman was installed to acknowledge the space race between the US and the Soviet Union. Today, Gemini Giant proudly welcomes diners and explorers seeking a rest from driving Route 66.

Located along a portion of historic Route 66, Henry's Rabbit Ranch boasts a collection of Volkswagen Rabbits and real rabbits. A relative newcomer to the Mother Road, Rich Henry's Henry's Rabbit Ranch pays homage to the historic route with a retro service station exterior, rabbits who do tricks, memorabilia, and a Route 66 gift shop.

Towering over the Lauterbach Tire & Auto Service is a giant fiberglass 'muffler man,' which were popular sculptures used for advertising businesses and to entice drivers along Route 66 to stop. Originally, the Lauterbach Giant held a tire, but now he carries an American flag. In 2006, he was decapitated by a tornado, but he has since been repaired.

Recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest covered wagon in the world, the 24-foot-tall Railsplitter Covered Wagon is a popular Route 66 photo op. The wagon features a statue of Abraham Lincoln sitting in the front of the wagon reading a law book. The wagon is parked on the front lawn of the Best Western Lincoln Inn facing Route 66.

Named to the National Register of Historic Places, the World's Largest Catsup Bottle is 170ft tall and near—not on—Route 66. The oversized ketchup bottle was built in 1949 for the Brooks Food Group plant, which closed decades ago. The 70-foot-tall catsup bottle has a capacity of 100,000 gallons and sits atop 100-foot-tall steel legs. The massive bottle boasts a cap that has an eight-foot diameter.

Formerly the world's largest rocking chair, Route 66 Rocker was imagined by Dan Sanazaro, who wanted to attract drivers to his shop. The massive 42ft, one-inch steel rocker rocked when it was first installed, but the rocking chair has since been welded to its base. Years on, it remains a popular spot for a photo op.

Created by zoologist Hugh Davis, the giant blue whale was made for his grandchildren to play on and swim. Today, children and adults can play and climb on the Blue Whale, which sits on a pond, but they can no longer swim here. There are picnic tables nearby, making this a great rest stop for children and a whimsical spot to take photos.

Built in 1930, this nostalgic photo op is a triangular 350-square-foot building with a supersized milk bottle on its roof. The red brick Milk Bottle Grocery is a tiny commercial building that has had many tenants (it is no longer a grocery store as the name suggests). The rooftop milk bottle has been used by various dairy companies over the years for advertising.

With so many places along Route 66 serving hamburgers, Waylan's Hamburgers the Ku-Ku stands out thanks to its restaurant building that resembles a giant cuckoo clock. The retro burger joint has a drive thru to eat on the go and a throwback dining room. Fill up on old school hamburgers, fries, and shakes.

Created in 1974 by Stanley Marsh 3 and The Ant Farm, a group of hippie-artists, the Cadillac Ranch is a roadside art installation featuring 10 Cadillacs positioned vertically into the dirt of a Texas field. The angled cars range from a 1949 Cadillac Club Sedan to a 1963 Cadillac Sedan deVille. Over the years, visitors have stripped off pieces of the cars to take as souvenirs. Today, visitors are welcome to come and graffiti the colorful cars.

The creation of business owner Ralph Britten, the Leaning Tower of Texas was a roadside marketing gimmick meant to draw the attention of drivers and get them off the road and into Britten's truck stop and restaurant. Britten bought the water tower and hauled it out to Groom, Texas and purposely installed it at a tilt of 80 degrees, causing many unsuspecting drivers to think the tower was about to fall over. The truck stop and restaurant burned down years ago, but the leaning tower still attracts attention.

In the shadow of Cadillac Ranch is the VW Slug Bug Ranch, a parody of the Cadillac Ranch. The car graveyard features five Volkswagen Beetles. Look for an old motel sign nearby as the landmark to find these multi-colored Slug Bugs, which visitors love to spray paint and photograph.

The creator of this glass bottle wonderland passed away in 2019, but Elmer Long's Bottle Tree Ranch continues to grow in popularity. Long began collecting glass soda bottles and, as an adult, hung these glass soda bottles and wine bottles onto metal pipes, forming a garden of glass. The result is a kaleidoscope of color when the sun shines upon the bottle ranch.

Since 2009, drivers who complete the drive on Route 66 can commemorate it with a selfie in front of an official sign marking the end of the Mother Road. The large sign, which is at Santa Monica Pier, says 'Santa Monica 66 End of the Trail.' It, and the memories of driving Route 66, is the ultimate souvenir.