Route 66 Berwyn Kiosk & Wayside Exhibits

Meet us where the Mother Road Begins

In a nod to what Route 66 did for the area, the Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway installed kiosks along the route in 17 Illinois towns. Four of those wayside exhibits are in Berwyn.

Take a mini road trip along a 1.5-mile stretch of Route 66 in Berwyn and learn all about the Mother Road!

Fuel up for your journey at Paisans Pizzeria & Bar before visiting your first Wayside exhibit at 34th street and Ogden Avenue. Called A Road Well Traveled, this kiosk explains how today’s Ogden Avenue was once a 10-mile wood plank toll road. 

The road was bricked and then paved, and from 1926 to 1976 it was designated as U.S. Route 66.

Now that you know your road history, head down Ogden Avenue toward Clarence Avenue and your second kiosk. On the way, you’ll pass by Ogden Top and Trim, an autobody shop since the days when cars were bumping along on bricks here. 

Called the Automobile Love Affair, this kiosk describes how Ogden Avenue was a hub for car dealerships in the 1950s and how Berwyn still celebrates car culture today.

You may want to stop for a refreshment at Cigars & Stripes BBQ Lounge on your way to your third kiosk at Wenonah Avenue. 

Called Cruising the Strip, this wayside exhibit describes the drive-ins, restaurants, and car dealerships that dotted Ogden Avenue in the heyday of Route 66. The kiosk is near Berwyn’s Toys & Trains, which is a converted Chevy dealership.

Now continue to Maple Avenue where the fourth Route 66 Berwyn Kiosk called Eating on the Run explains the way fast-food restaurants sprang up all along Route 66. The kiosk is near the oldest White Castle on Route 66, which was opened in 1939.