Search Results for “drive in ” – Love, Laughter, and Luggage

Missouri 24 Jun 2021

66 Drive-In: Summertime Fun in Carthage, Missouri

Few places scream “summertime” like a drive-in movie, and luckily, 66 Drive-In is one of the few still in operation. Located outside of Carthage, Missouri, along historic Route 66, this drive-in promises family fun under the stars. 66 Drive-In 66 Drive-In: 17231 Old 66 Boulevard, Carthage, Missouri Since we live in nearby Joplin, we arrive from the west. It’s important to arrive early to be sure you can get in, especially when the movie offerings are popular. If you wait too long, you will find yourself in a line of traffic waiting your turn to pull into 66 Drive-In. The drive-in is only open three days–Friday, Saturday, and Sunday–during the summer. Currently, the prices are $8.00 for adults and $4.00 for kids. Compared to indoor movie prices, that’s a bargain! And you get to see two films if you wish. One thing to note–you must pay cash to get in,…

Illinois 14 Mar 2020

Knights Action Park and Route 66 Drive-In: Family Fun in Springfield, Illinois

In the summer, you can’t go wrong cooling down at Knights Action Park and ending the day with a movie at Route 66 Drive-In. If you’re planning a trip with your family to Springfield, Illinois, to see the Lincoln attractions, you may want to add some kid-centered attractions into the mix. We love history, but we also like to mix in some “kid-centered” fun. One of those attractions was the Kidzeum of Health and Science. But we also spent time at Knights Action Park and Route 66 Drive-In, two attractions that are the perfect ways to spend an afternoon and an evening. We’d like to thank Visit Springfield for hosting our visit! As always, all opinions are honest and our own. Knights Action Park: The Waterpark The waterpark was the perfect place to cool off on a hot July afternoon. Our daughter isn’t into thrill rides, including big slides at…

Los Angeles 9 Mar 2020

Mel’s Drive-In and the Sunset Strip

Mel’s Drive-In wasn’t exactly on our radar, but when we saw it on the iconic Sunset Strip, we decided it was our kind of place. We’d spent the morning checking out Hollywood, and now we were ready to explore other areas nearby that we’d seen on TV and at the movies. So while we were in the vicinity, we needed to find some great food so we could refuel for the rest of the day’s adventures. And that’s exactly what we did. Mel’s Drive-In If you’re looking for nostalgia, this place has plenty! It’s like taking a step back in time. We were seated at a booth, and we loved taking in all the details, including watching the cooks behind the counter. After we placed our drink orders, it was time to find some tunes on the tableside jukebox. We went with music from the Grease soundtrack. It wasn’t long…

Illinois 18 Aug 2019

Cozy Dog Drive In: A Route 66 Icon

We’d like to thank Visit Springfield for hosting our visit to Cozy Dog Drive In. As usual, all opinions are honest and our own. If you come to Springfield, Illinois, to check out the Abraham Lincoln attractions, don’t forget to put some old Route 66 highlights on your itinerary. One of the best Route 66 stops in Illinois is the Cozy Dog Drive In. You’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time to the 1950s as you enjoy the original fresh-dipped corn dog on a stick. Cozy Dog History According to the history page on the Cozy Dog website, Ed Waldmire, Jr. and his wife, began selling the corn dogs on a stick in Springfield in 1946. These Cozy Dogs also made their first appearance at the Illinois State Fair later that year. Before he began selling the version on a stick, Waldmire had tasted a dish in which hot…

Montana 5 Feb 2022

Driving Going-to-the-Sun Road in Glacier National Park

If you’re planning to visit Glacier National Park, be sure to put Going-to-the-Sun Road on your list of must-dos. We absolutely loved the area, and we can’t wait to return and explore more of the park. Though reservations to this part of the park can be a bit nerve-wracking, it’s worth the effort if you can snag one of these tickets. One thing that makes the crowds converge at once–snow. The road isn’t fully open until summer, sometimes not fully opening until the first week of July. There’s only a window of a few months before snowfall closes the road again, usually in October. Since traffic in the area has continued to increase, a reservation system separate from the park admission is now in place. If you’re lucky enough to get lodging reservations in the park or to reserve a tour, you won’t be required to get the $2 reservation…

Oklahoma 16 Jun 2026

Desert Hills Motel and Tally’s Good Food Cafe in Tulsa on Route 66

We are pretty fortunate to live in Joplin, just a few blocks from Route 66. Since we live in Missouri, we can also easily experience some attractions on the Route in either direction. Tulsa is a great example of a city on the Mother Road that is well within a day trip and a quick getaway for us. So one summer, when I had a medical procedure scheduled in Tulsa, Jeff and I made an overnight of it and booked a room at the Desert Hills Motel on Route 66. I won’t lie; this place often has mixed reviews, and some people question the safety of this particular area. Still, I was drawn in by the classic neon, so for one night, I thought we could give it a try. And I’m glad we did. Is this luxury lodging? No. But many old classic motels on Route 66 aren’t. Does…

New Mexico 31 Jan 2026

Staying a Night at the El Vado Motel-ABQ on Route 66

One of the most adorable places we’ve ever stayed is along Route 66 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The historic El Vado Motel originally opened in 1937 as a motor court with open garage spaces to park your car, not unlike many motor inns along Route 66, including the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari. Built in the Spanish Pueblo Revival style, this motel makes your imagination a reality as you experience the Southwest corner of the U.S. In 2005, the El Vado Motel closed, its future uncertain. For a while, it looked like demolition would be the motel’s fate, but in 2008, the City of Albuquerque made it a city landmark. Then, in 2028, the El Vado Motel reopened as a boutique motel that honored the motor inn’s past while giving it a fresh, new vibe. On a road trip in 2022, we gave the motel a try. “El Vado…

Massachusetts 11 Jan 2026

Ghost Touring with Ghosts and Gravestones in Boston

We want to thank Ghosts and Gravestones Boston for sponsoring our tour. As always, all views are honest and our own. One of our favorite things to do when visiting a new city is to take a ghost tour, and one of our favorite ghost tour providers is Ghosts and Gravestones. I’m not just saying that because they sponsored our visit. We first encountered Ghosts and Gravestones in St. Augustine, Florida, long before we started blogging about our travels. We were drawn to the experience for the first time because we were looking for an evening activity, and the Trolleys of the Doomed caught our attention. Ghost stories on a trolley? Sign us up! To read about that first trolley tour, click here. Ghost tours can be a family affair, but you may want to ask some questions before you book. Some tours are more intense than others. We’ve had…

Washington D.C. 5 Sep 2025

Summer Evening Tour of the Monuments in Washington, D.C.

Planning the Tour While planning our summer road trip for the East Coast in 2023, we opted to end the trip with Washington, D.C., before pointing the car west and heading back to Missouri. We booked two nights at an Airbnb on Capitol Hill, knowing we were only going to get a small taste of the city. We were determined to make the most of it, as we always try to do. We can sleep when we get home, right? I had been to D.C. twice before, but this would be Jeff and Kristin’s first visit. I knew I wanted them to experience the many monuments scattered about the Mall and nearby areas, but I also knew it was July and hot. And it was the end of a three-week road trip, so I knew energy could be down. An evening monument tour sounded like just the thing. Not only…