Route 66 turns 100 this year. I visited the ghost towns that once thrived along America's most iconic highway.

We were the only people around on this stretch of Route 66 as we wandered through this abandoned motel. Graham Merwin / Business Insider Route 66 is one of the US's most iconic highways, connecting Chicago to Santa Monica, California. However, when Interstate I-40 was built, many towns along Route 66 were forgotten. For Route 66's 100th birthday, I drove part of it. Its ghost towns stayed with me the most. November 11 marks the 100th birthday of Route 66, the iconic American highway that runs from Chicago to California. I grew up in St. Louis, right along the old route, so, in honor of the anniversary, I set out to drive part of it. Along the way, I met people who've kept the road's legacy alive and their businesses afloat. However, for every store that has survived, I was surprised to see even more motels, gas stations, and restaurants boarded up. They stood as phantoms of a forgotten era. Their neon signs went dark long ago. These are the ghost towns of Route 66 that stayed with me long after we'd left. One of Route 66's most famous ghost towns: Glenrio. We were the only people around on this stretch of Route 66 as we wandered through this abandoned motel. Graham Merwin / Business Insider Glenrio is one of the best-preserved ghost towns from the mid-1900s in the United States. It sits right along Route 66 and straddles the border between Texas and New Mexico. The moment you exit the highway, a shattered Chevron station, lost to graffiti, greets you. It's the first sign of what once was here. Empty beer and soda bottles told my videographer and me that we weren't the first to carefully step inside. Abby Narishkin / Business Insider The town was never huge, peaking at 100 people. Beginning in the early 1900s, it was a robust railroad community, with multiple grocery stores, a post office, and service stations. Then, it became a haven for drivers fleeing the Dust Bowl and braving Route 66 through the desert. Today, abandoned buildings dot the town. The only sign of life was a man sitting in his truck at the abandoned gas pump, watching what I could only assume were very funny YouTube videos. The man didn't seem to be a town official or police officer. He didn't look up at us or our cameras. Graham Merwin / Business Insider Crossing over the interstate, we arrived at the main stretch of Route 66 through Glenrio. This was once a bustling corridor along the state line. Texas had lower gas prices than New Mexico, so stations were built on the Lone Star side of the border. Joseph Brownlee opened this Texaco in 1950. Private property signs blare out an unwelcome message. Abby Narishkin / Business Insider In the 1970s, Interstate 40 bypassed Route 66 and this town. Travelers stopped coming by, and virtually overnight, this town dried up. What's left of it is overwhelmed in eerie silence. The former Texaco and the 1969 Pontiac Catalina out front sit unmoving, riddled with rust. Brownlee's daughter is the only remaining resident of Glenrio. Her husband was killed during a robbery while working in the neighboring town. That's the 1969 Pontiac Catalina that he drove to work every day. Brownlee also opened up the Brownlee Diner next door in 1952, serving burgers, fries, and milkshakes. A 1973 Chevrolet El Camino seems permanently parked on the side. Graham Merwin / Business Insider I could only imagine how cozy the chrome details and the small footprint of the diner would've felt after a long drive in the 1950s. After a short stint as an antique and oddities shop, the diner permanently closed in the 1970s. Right next door is what's left of the State Line motel, opened in 1955. This motel was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 2007. Graham Merwin / Business Insider On one side, it reads "Last Stop in Texas." The verbiage added to the ominous feeling lingering in this place. On the other side, the sign says "First Stop in Texas." The motel got a new sign, completed in July 2026, just a month before we visited. Graham Merwin / Business Insider Texas had many dry counties at the time, but this part of New Mexico allowed alcohol. So the motels and bars were cleverly built on the New Mexico side of the border, and loads of folks came here to drink. Just like the diner next door, the motel closed in the 1970s. The abandoned motel has become a canvas for artists. Much of the art advertised movements, honored Route 66, or memorialized lost loved ones. Graham Merwin / Business Insider Nature was also overtaking the space. Giant tumbleweeds bounced around, trapped in motel corners. Graham Merwin / Business Insider Could a smoke shop save this town? The owners had to determine the ambiguous boundary of the state line to ensure the Glenrio Smoke Shop was operating legally. Graham Merwin / Business Insider The only thing left standing in this town is a new smoke shop that opened in 2023. Just like in the days of dry counties, it's on the border for a reason. Recreational marij