Williams, AZ (elev. 6,772 ft) is a small town of just over 3,000 full-time residents. Williams is a must-see stop on Route 66, the iconic American highway celebrated in songs, movies and TV shows. Route 66 stretches 2,448 miles (3,940 km) from Lincoln Park in Chicago, Il to the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles, CA.
Williams is known as the Gateway to the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon Railway originates in Williams and terminates 64 miles (103 km) to the north at Grand Canyon Village on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.
Here are photos of some of the historic Americana in Williams from the 50s and 60s. I visited in August 2018. These are the only ones that survived a photo purge for additional phone storage. Sorry.
To really get in the mood, listen to Nat King Cole’s 1946 swingin’ original rendition of Bobby Troup’s Get Your Kicks On Route 66.
I hope you got a kick out of this short look at Williams, AZ. I haven’t done a road trip in a long time. This post and Nat King Cole have inspired me to put driving the length of Route 66 on the post-pandemic bucket list. Do you think that would be fun?
Salsaworldtraveler'sblog 
So 50s!! Enjoyed the Nat King Cole backdrop for this story.
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What a great idea. Looking forward to reading the stories about your driving the length of Route 66! 🙂
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Me too! 😎
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Oh lord, this is RIGHT UP MY STREET. Got to try and do some Route 66 one day, cruising down the road with some Dylan on the tune box. Williams, Arizona looks just perfect.
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You got it planned out! Route 66 awaits us both.
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i went to the grand canyon back in 2004 and we did stop somewhere on the way on route 66. i wouldnt be surprised if it was this very town! Thanks for sharing!
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The appeal of road trips has grown on me in recent years, and I’d love to be able to utilise highways in the US to explore me
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Road trips are great for experiencing culture and seeing sights. I hope you get to drive around the US, especially in the west, if you get the opportunity.
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Driving Route 66 sounds like a wonderful adventure. I don’t know exactly what route it takes between Chicago and LA but I’m sure it’d be great discovering little towns like this along the way 🙂
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Interstate 40 has replaced a lot of Route 66 but it still exists in many of the small towns off the main highways. Those places would definitely be worth exploring. Thanks for your thoughts Jason.
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Great photos!
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I had more good ones that I unwisely deleted. I’m glad you liked the ones I kept. Thank you for checking out this post, John.
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Wish to just fly and reach there right now !
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That would be fun. Hopefully you can in the not too distant future! Thanks for your comment and reading the post.
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I’m hankering for a road trip out west.
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The west has so much to see. Route 66 is probably a good start.
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Having driven the whole length of Route 66 twice, I’d say it would absolutely be worth it. It’s not as easy as used to be, but it’s one of the best ways to really experience our national culture, if such a thing really exists anymore. I think there was a time that car culture dominated the American highways, as exemplified by old AM radio shows and Googie architecture (like the motel sign in your photo). That having been noted, I like today better. I’m not as blind to our country’s faults as I once was, and I dig subcultures much more as my aesthetic tastes have matured.
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My hat’s off to you for making the drive twice. I’m even more motivated now. Back in the late 50s our family drove from Indianapolis to LA. We were on Route 66 part of the way. I remember the Will Rogers Highway in Oklahoma that I called the Roy Rogers Highway. And we went to the Grand Canyon. I also remember we took a big metallic ice chest for cold cuts, snacks and drinks. I thought that was just for fun. Much later I realized that was my parents back up plan for places where getting served in a restaurant would be a problem.
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America has a lot going for it, but intolerance holds us all back. Your parents were awesome for shielding you from that nonsense. I wasn’t alive during the fifties, but my mother made sure that black and brown people were always a part of my life so that I never learned that shit. I wish I could say I was the most woke dude alive, but I’d hate myself if I knew I was making life harder for someone else. Hypothetically, when people come through my town, I’m gonna say Hello, and if the decide to spend real money in my imaginary restaurant, I’m gonna be grateful. That’s just common sense.
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Prejudice isn’t logical. People can be manipulated to do many things that make no sense. It is still happening today. Your parents are to be commended.
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You’re right, it’s illogical to treat any stranger with anything less than stellar behavior. As a Buddhist, I try to remember to greet everyone as clandestine Buddhas, which is hard when people aren’t wearing masks during a pandemic. Also, thanks for saying that about my p’s, but in my opinion, what my parents did was an ethical baseline. Not being a racist jackass shouldn’t be so hard for so many people to figure out. I think a lot of white liberals are still trying to figure out what they can and cannot get away with. I want to tell them to stop trying to be cool, and treat everyone as kindly as you would treat your own family. And if you treat your family like crap, do better.
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That is excellent advice on how to treat people. Thanks for the comments!
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Makes me think about standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, which I recently did, but never posted about. Motivating me to do so!
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That would be fun to see. And you could put the Eagles song in the post, too. As my grandpa used to say “take it easy, greasy.” 😄
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great song, and I love road trips. this looks like a fun place to visit…
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Williams is a bit like a trip in the Way Back Machine.
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