Pops 66: Getting Our Sips on Route 66

Date of Visit: June 19, 2024

Since Dad and I discovered Pops 66 on our drive from Tucson moving to Alabama in 2013, we have been to Pops several times usually when it is not really on the way. This trip, though, it was just a short detour off the route and was another Route 66 stop.

Mik and I each got a six pack of sodas. Mik got Serenity Sodas Orange & Cinnamon, Chocolate-Covered Maple Smoked Bacon, Rocket Fizz S'Mores, Dublin Texas Orange Dream, Filbert's Banana, and Lester's Fixins Pumpkin Pie. I got Rocky Mountain Soda Co. Evergreen Elderberry, Twig's Farmer's Brew Butterscotch Root Beer, Filbert's Banana, Northwest Soda Works Marionberry Creme, Jackson Hole Soda Cowboy Cream, and Henry Winhard's Black Cherry Cream.

We also got some candy from the classic candy area. Since we are not sure if we will swing through Nashville on our way home or not, yet, Mik decided to get a peanut butter Goo Goo Cluster.

We really enjoyed the butterscotch smoothie peanut butter cups. The other candy (mostly Cow Tales) we are saving for snacking on later as we are not worried about them melting in the parked car.

This is the first time we hit Pops in the morning and there were not many cars there, so we got an accessible parking spot in the first row. However, there have been times that we have used one of the spots in the last row, which to some extent is more convenient as they are next to the sidewalk to the building and you do not have to go through the gas pump to parking area of parking lot.

One of these days we need to stop when the restaurant side is open and we have time to spare as you can get an ice cream float made with any of the flavors from the Pops cooler area. We had not planned to this time, but if the restaurant part was open at 10:30am (about when we got there) like their website says, we likely would have this time as Mik had purposely waited until after Pops to have a snack.

2016 Photo of Bottle at Sunset

Pops 66 is a good stop to stock up on some fun sodas (and candy) any time of day, but the soda bottle does look good when it is lit up at night. 

Destination Info:

Pops 66

660 OK-66

Arcadia, OK 73007

Cozy Dog Drive In

Date of Visit: June 18, 2024

When planning Mik’s 30th birthday trip, we had considered doing some Route 66 things. Originally it was something we were going to do towards the end of the trip when we went from Anaheim to Chicago, but we ended up starting the trip from Chicago (it was a change we made about a week before the trip to allow Dad and I to make a quick weekend detour to go to see the ceremony for mom’s uncle being inducted into the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame). When planning the trip, Mik ended up only wanting to do Pops in Oklahoma. The first rest area we stopped at in Illinois, though, had info on Route 66 attractions in Illinois and Dad suggested we stop at some of them. Mik could not be convinced to stop at the Man with a Giant Hot Dog statue or World’s Largest Catsup Bottle, but he was up for having an early lunch at the Cozy Dog Drive in…once I told him it was no farther off the route than stopping somewhere else for lunch. 

With it being called a drive in, we thought it would be similar to Sonic, but it actually has seating inside and a drive through. Eating inside was definitely the right choice as they have Route 66 decor and information including Route 66 books you can you look through while you’re there.

Mik found the booth tables perfect for him to roll up to. A little hard for Dad and I to get in and out without moving Mik, but once all in it was good. There are also regular tables that you can pull chairs away from to roll under.

Mik, of course, had to have a corn dog.

He also had a chili cheese dog.

I enjoyed the cheese on a stick and we all shared the fries, which were Mik's favorite style of fries.

To drink, Mik had the Cozy Dog cola and I had the Cozy Dog root beer.

Mik said the bathroom was good as they were just one person style rooms that are spacious versus bathrooms with stalls that even the accessible one frequently is not big enough for a wheelchair and helper.

Cozy Dog Drive In ended up being a great early lunch stop. We got there around 10:30am and there was pretty much no one there. By the time we left probably half the tables were in use and the drive through line was around the building almost to where we were parked. 

Destination Info:
Cozy Dog Drive In

2934 S 6th St

Springfield, IL 62703