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# Santa Monica History Museum exhibit marks Route 66 centennial
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/santa-monica-history-museum-exhibit-marks-route-66-centennial/
- Published: 2026-10-23T19:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T19:00:27.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Lifestyle, Santa Monica

The Santa Monica History Museum will open an exhibition next month exploring the history of Route 66, the highway that ends in Santa Monica, as the road marks its 100th year.

"Creating Route 66: Road, Legend, Community" runs Nov. 12 through June 27, 2027\. Co-curated by Anne Wallentine and Avehi Menon, the exhibition uses historic photographs and artifacts to examine how the highway shaped the landscape, the culture and the communities along its path.

"Route 66 holds a powerful place in the American imagination, but its history is also deeply personal," said Wallentine, the museum's executive director. "By bringing together stories of migration, creativity, travel, and community, we invite visitors to consider who shaped the road, how various communities and individuals experienced it, and what continues to make it meaningful today."

The exhibition is organized into six sections. The first traces the road's origins, including the early Indigenous trails that shaped its route. Another focuses on the people who traveled it, including Dust Bowl migrants, Black travelers who relied on the Green Book to navigate segregation, and women whose lives and work shaped the highway.

Other sections cover the road's place in literature, film and music, from John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" to Disney and Pixar's "Cars"; the roadside advertising and landmarks that became part of its imagery; its significance in California and Santa Monica, known as the "End of the Trail"; and current efforts to revitalize the route for local businesses and travelers.

Highlights include a first edition of "The Grapes of Wrath," loans from the California Historic Route 66 Association and images of roadside signage. An interactive feature will let visitors mark their own trips along the route.

An opening reception is scheduled from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 12\. Tickets are $25 for members, $40 for nonmembers or $66 for two tickets purchased together, and are available on the museum's website.

Public programs planned for 2027 include talks on the Green Book and Route 66 travel stories, a screening of the Assertion Films documentary "Route 66: The Untold Story of Women on the Mother Road," and family workshops with road-themed craft projects. Dates and registration details will be posted at santamonicahistory.org/events.

The museum, at 1350 Seventh St. next to the Santa Monica Public Library's Main Branch, is open 2-5 p.m. Thursdays and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Fridays through Sundays. Admission is $8 for adults and $5 for students and seniors. Admission is free for museum members, children 4 and under, active military and veterans, and SNAP/EBT cardholders, and free to all on the first Sunday of each month.

For more information, visit santamonicahistory.org or call 310-395-2290.