Route 66: A beautiful Route 66 monument sits next to the Tucumcari Convention Center on the west side of town. Tucumcari has embraced the Route 66 heritage and grown a nice tourist business featuring many of the sites that have been in town since the 1950s and before. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Tepee: Tepee Curios is a popular stop for Route 66 travelers in Tucumcari. The shop is housed in a former gas station remodeled and transformed into the shop you see today. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
By GARY WARREN
Photographer
Formerly of Los Alamos
When driving Route 66 from east to west, Tucumcari is a traveler’s “Gateway to New Mexico”. Tucumcari is a classic Route 66 small town featuring many aspects of travel along the route in the 1950s and 60s when Route 66 was the primary road from the eastern United States to the West Coast.
Many vintage motels, restaurants, and gift shops of the 50s and 60s era still exist in Tucumcari. An abundance of neon lighting is seen along the route as it leads travelers through the center of town.
While there are several businesses alive and well today in Tucumcari, many businesses were lost after Interstate 40 opened and allowed travelers to zip by the towns along Route 66. There has been a great effort in Tucumcari, as have many other small towns along the route, to maintain and restore structures that still exist, and Tucumcari is a great example of restoration efforts in New Mexico.
The Blue Swallow Motel, one of the premier old motels along the 2,448-mile Route 66 is in Tucumcari. The motel, which opened in 1939, is very popular and is in high demand among Route 66 travelers. The classic neon sign and the abundant neon lighting on the building make the motel stand out.
One of the features of the motels along Route 66 is the genuine hospitality shown by the owners and workers. The same is true in many of the privately owned restaurants and gift shops and other businesses on the route.
Tucumcari offers travelers the complete Route 66 experience with its classic motels, restaurants, diners, interesting gift and souvenir shops, beautiful neon decor and lighting as well as a great Route 66 Museum. With 2026 being the 100th anniversary of this famous highway, there will be more events and travelers all along the way throughout the year.
The next time you are traveling through New Mexico, get off the Interstate and explore Tucumcari as well as other towns that are located along the route. Spend a little time and you may be surprised at how Historic Route 66 is helping revive some of the small towns along the way.
Editor’s note: Longtime Los Alamos photographer Gary Warren and his wife Marilyn are traveling around the country, and he shares his photographs, which appear in the “Posts from the Road” series published in the Sunday edition of the Los Alamos Daily Post.
Blue Swallow: The Blue Swallow Motel is a premier historic motel on Route 66. The unique neon sign that welcomes visitors is one of the most recognizable signs along the route. The motel has been in business since 1939 and is one of the most popular vintage motels on the route today. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Colorful: The colorful exterior paint that brightens the stretch of rooms at the Blue Swallow Motel is eye catching, along with the famous neon signs and lighting. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Mural: The ‘Tucumcari’ mural on a building on Route 66 is just one of several nice murals in Tucumcari. Each one of the murals features the town and its heritage as well as Route 66. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com
Safari: The Safari Motel has been a landmark on Route 66 in Tucumcari since the 1950s. The motel’s unique sign easily draws the attention of travelers. Photo by Gary Warren/ladailypost.com