Google Arts & Culture brings virtual Route 66 tour to life

OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) - A new project focused on historic Route 66 is here ahead of the centennial celebration next year. You can now take a virtual tour of the mother road from Chicago to LA with all kinds of stops, including right here in Oklahoma.

The virtual trip down the highway is as close as you can get to traveling the mother road, outside the real thing, of course. There are iconic stops from Chicago to Los Angeles with a special spotlight on the key stops here at the crossroads of culture in Oklahoma City and across our state. 

"If you really want to see America, you got to see Oklahoma," Lt. Gov. Matt Pinnell said at the announcement of the project. "That experience starts right here in Oklahoma and starts right here on Route 66."

It's all part of a new theme page from Google Arts & Culture. On their webpage, you can explore the highway's entire story, from descriptions of its indigenous roots to modern urban art.

"They are sharing a very important story that we want to see told here in Oklahoma City, both our story as a whole and of course, our connection and engagement with Route 66," Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt said.

In the virtual tour called Route 66 Rewind, you can hop in a vintage vehicle and visit any of the iconic stops along the highway. In Oklahoma, you'll find several Google Maps locations at Pops 66 Soda Ranch, the Catoosa Blue Whale, and even Threatt's filling station. There are several stops, and at each one, there's a story to be told. You can change the color inside the car, rev the engine, honk the horn, and change radio stations that tell the story of a given location in a certain voice. Also, you can click a button where AI takes you back in time to show you what a certain stop might have looked like in the past.

"The National Trust for Historic Preservation was able to give us historic photos that were used as references or as input for the video generation," Google Arts & Culture official Chance Coughenour said.

A journey through time that's been traveled by many over the years. Now, it's a chance for several others to get their kicks along Route 66. Along with the project, Google also committed $100,000 in support of the Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial efforts.