Hit the highways on a Great American Road Trip this summer

It's that time of the year when many think of vacations. And for me and my kids, that means the open road.

Here is what I believe is the best road trip in the country, even if you don't go the entire way. Others are listed for a previous article I wrote for Yahoo here.

Route 66 Chicago to Santa Monica, Calif. 2,451 miles

The Main Street of America or the Mother Road, Route 66 was one of the original highways formed in 1926. A major path for families migrating west during the 1930s Dust Bowl, the road was popularized by the hit song, "Get Your Kicks on Route 66," composed in 1946 by Bobby Troup, and the Route 66 television show in the 1960s. The interstate highway system gradually replaced the two-lane roadway, which was officially removed from the national system in 1985. Portions of the road through Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico and Arizona have been designated a National Scenic Byway, and some maps highlight Historic Route 66. If you drive the Illinois portion, stop at the Cozy Dog Drive-In in Springfield, where the late Ed Waldmire Jr. and Don Strand laid claim to serving the first corn dog in the 1940s. The late Bob Waldmire, Ed’s son, operated a store in the former mining town of Hackberry, Ariz., that served as a Route 66 information and tourist shop. He won the National Historic Route 66 Federation's John Steinbeck Award for his work to preserve the roadway, and his trademark van and bus are displayed in the Route 66 Association of Illinois Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac, which is also worth a visit. The Berwyn Route 66 Museum near Chicago shares space with the Berwyn Arts Council, a community arts organization that has a small gallery. Other potential stops along portions of this famed roadway include: * Will Rogers Memorial Museum, Claremore, Okla. * Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, Tx. This famed highway art is shown above [Kevin Shay photo]. * Route 66 Auto Museum, Santa Rosa, N.M. * Route 66 Mother Road Museum, Barstow, Calif. * California Route 66 Museum, Victorville, Calif. * 66 to Cali, Route 66 shop at Santa Monica Pier, the route’s western end.