A Route 66 mainstay (and in fact known as “The Heart of Historic Route 66”), Kingman is only about 100 miles southeast of Las Vegas and an absolute must-visit on your northern Arizona travels.
Named after Lewis Kingman, an engineer for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad, the city very much embraces the rails to this day. Kingman station has daily services on Amtrak on the Southwest Chief between Los Angeles and Chicago. It’s also home to the Kingman Railroad Museum inside the city’s historic Railroad Depot.
Also downtown is Locomotive Park, which has a steam-powered passenger train (known as the Santa Fe) and other railroad-themed exhibits.
Across the street from that is another form of transportation that put Kingman on the map… the car. That would be inside the Arizona Route 66 Museum, which features not only cars and memorabilia of the famous car route but also detailed information on the area’s ancient nomads dating back thousands of years.
While you’re in this part of downtown, if hunger calls, stop at Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner. Even if you’re not hungry, the exterior and interior are both ripe for a few photographs.
Old Route 66 gives way to I-40 heading west and doesn’t pick back up until California, so we recommend taking the scenic route through Sitgreaves Pass along the Oatman Highway, through the quirky town of the same name. That’s the place famous for its burros, including their mayor, Walter.
