November 2023 update: Opening has been postponed.
The Route 66 Association of New Mexico in partnership with Fast TV Network announce the opening of the "New Mexico Route 66 Association Museum & Visitor Center" and Fast TV Network Studios on Route 66 in Tucumcari, New Mexico.
The opening has been postponed.
Stay tuned, a new construction schedule and opening date will be announced in January of 2024.
Stay tuned, a new construction schedule and opening date will be announced in January of 2024.
New Mexico Route 66 Association President, Melissa Lea Beasley-Lee, speech at October 05, 2022 press conference in Tucumcari, New Mexico:
The New Mexico Route 66 Association was founded in 1989. Its mission is to promote & educate people about “The Mother Road”….. as it is fondly referred to, the importance it holds in our Nation’s History, and to assist in Preserving it for generations to come. For 33 years we have done this through our meetings & events, our newsletters that later bloomed into a quarterly magazine distributed to our members across the globe and visitor centers across the state. We have also worked with visitors directly through phone calls, emails, our website & social media sites, and connecting with our State, National, and International Route 66 Associations. We are thrilled to see our years of hard work and dedication come to fruition in a physical form with the coming of the New Mexico Route 66 Association Visitor Center & Museum.
“Get Your Kicks on Route 66”, a song written by Bobby Troupe and covered by hundreds of artists thereafter, begins with the line “If you ever plan to Motor WEST”. As you motor west into New Mexico along The Mother Road, the first major town you enter is Tucumcari. The New Mexico Route 66 Association sees Tucumcari as the perfect location for the Official New Mexico Route 66 Association Visitor Center & Museum.
It will also serve as the Official Welcome Center to Route 66 in New Mexico.
No other entity in our Land of Enchantment has dedicated itself to providing Route 66 Information about our state as the New Mexico Route 66 Association. New Mexico is home to 604 miles of Route 66. The most miles of any of the eight Route 66 States. With the coming of the NM Rt66 Association Visitor Center & Museum comes an opportunity to provide our residents, as well as visiting guests, a place to come to and learn about those 604 miles of Mother Road stretching across our state, and what portions are still drivable today.
Our association has a designated Preservation Officer, Johnnie Meier. Since the desertification of Highway 66 in the 1980’s, he has been a constant activist of preservation for The Mother Road. He is a recipient of the New Mexico Heritage Preservation Award. He has assisted numerous businesses in obtaining preservation grants not only for our state, but for other Route 66 states as well. He served as president in previous years and has continued to contribute to the association as a board of director. He started our quarterly “New Mexico Route 66 Magazine” and continues his passion for the Mother Road through his writing talents. He is the owner & curator of Classical Gas Museum in Embudo New Mexico. Now he brings his museum and curating talents to head the New Mexico Route 66 Association Museum.
The association is thrilled to have this opportunity to offer Route 66 visitors from around the world a distinguished museum representing the Route 66 State of New Mexico.
The New Mexico Route 66 Association was founded in 1989. Its mission is to promote & educate people about “The Mother Road”….. as it is fondly referred to, the importance it holds in our Nation’s History, and to assist in Preserving it for generations to come. For 33 years we have done this through our meetings & events, our newsletters that later bloomed into a quarterly magazine distributed to our members across the globe and visitor centers across the state. We have also worked with visitors directly through phone calls, emails, our website & social media sites, and connecting with our State, National, and International Route 66 Associations. We are thrilled to see our years of hard work and dedication come to fruition in a physical form with the coming of the New Mexico Route 66 Association Visitor Center & Museum.
“Get Your Kicks on Route 66”, a song written by Bobby Troupe and covered by hundreds of artists thereafter, begins with the line “If you ever plan to Motor WEST”. As you motor west into New Mexico along The Mother Road, the first major town you enter is Tucumcari. The New Mexico Route 66 Association sees Tucumcari as the perfect location for the Official New Mexico Route 66 Association Visitor Center & Museum.
It will also serve as the Official Welcome Center to Route 66 in New Mexico.
No other entity in our Land of Enchantment has dedicated itself to providing Route 66 Information about our state as the New Mexico Route 66 Association. New Mexico is home to 604 miles of Route 66. The most miles of any of the eight Route 66 States. With the coming of the NM Rt66 Association Visitor Center & Museum comes an opportunity to provide our residents, as well as visiting guests, a place to come to and learn about those 604 miles of Mother Road stretching across our state, and what portions are still drivable today.
Our association has a designated Preservation Officer, Johnnie Meier. Since the desertification of Highway 66 in the 1980’s, he has been a constant activist of preservation for The Mother Road. He is a recipient of the New Mexico Heritage Preservation Award. He has assisted numerous businesses in obtaining preservation grants not only for our state, but for other Route 66 states as well. He served as president in previous years and has continued to contribute to the association as a board of director. He started our quarterly “New Mexico Route 66 Magazine” and continues his passion for the Mother Road through his writing talents. He is the owner & curator of Classical Gas Museum in Embudo New Mexico. Now he brings his museum and curating talents to head the New Mexico Route 66 Association Museum.
The association is thrilled to have this opportunity to offer Route 66 visitors from around the world a distinguished museum representing the Route 66 State of New Mexico.
Kaisa Barthuli, Program Manager of the National Park Service Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program was unable to make it to the press conference,
but provided the following statement to share:
"Providing the public opportunities to experience and learn about Route 66 through fascinating, tangible artifacts that connect them to the past is so important. It is important for school children, community members, and citizens to help us understand who we are and how we got here. For travelers, it creates yet another reason to slow down and spend even more time in Tucumcari, benefitting the businesses, other museums, and economy of the city. Overall, it develops continued appreciation of Route 66 for generations to come.
I commend the New Mexico Route 66 Association for this initiative, and congratulate the City of Tucumcari for a new, important Route 66 asset, just in time for the upcoming 100th anniversary of the road.
but provided the following statement to share:
"Providing the public opportunities to experience and learn about Route 66 through fascinating, tangible artifacts that connect them to the past is so important. It is important for school children, community members, and citizens to help us understand who we are and how we got here. For travelers, it creates yet another reason to slow down and spend even more time in Tucumcari, benefitting the businesses, other museums, and economy of the city. Overall, it develops continued appreciation of Route 66 for generations to come.
I commend the New Mexico Route 66 Association for this initiative, and congratulate the City of Tucumcari for a new, important Route 66 asset, just in time for the upcoming 100th anniversary of the road.