Route 66 Centennial Road Trip

The Route 66 Centennial Road Trip marks 100 years of Route 66 with a three-day drive from Fountain Hills to Williams and back, running Nov. 15–17, 2026. The trip begins the day after the Southwest Unique Little Car Show in Gilbert.

Participants meet in the Starbucks parking lot at Shea Boulevard and Beeline Highway in Fountain Hills and depart Sunday at 10 a.m. Sunday’s leg runs through Payson, Strawberry and Pine before taking I-40 to Williams, where the group has dinner and stays the night.

Monday’s Route 66 tour includes stops at Seligman’s shops and a well-known ice cream and restaurant stop, Hackberry General Store, a Route 66 sign photo in Kingman, and lunch in Oatman with the town’s famous donkeys. The group returns through Kingman to visit the Route 66 museum, with an optional stop at Grand Canyon Caverns if time allows, then spends a second night in Williams. On Tuesday, participants head home via I-17 or the Prescott and Yarnell route.

Italian cars are encouraged to join, and all makes and models are welcome. The Route 66 driving portion is expected to take about three hours each way at a relaxed pace, and participants may tow their cars to Williams and start the scenic drive there.

The trip is pay as you go, with participants covering their own lodging, meals, fuel and admission costs. If four or more cars take part, the group plans to share a large Airbnb in Williams with parking and room for up to 12 people, splitting lodging costs by room on a double-occupancy basis. Otherwise, participants arrange their own hotel rooms in downtown Williams.