Celebrating Route 66 Means Confronting Its Dark Past, Too
Celebrating Route 66 Means Confronting Its Dark Past, Too
Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
https://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/experiences/news/black-travelers-and-the-hidden-history-of-route-66
The Mother Road celebrates 100 years, but Black travelers didn’t always experience freedom on the interstate
Visualizing Route 66 conjures images of America’s quintessential road trip–cruising along the interstate, stopping at mom-and-pop shops along the way, and letting adventure take the wheel. As Route 66 turned 100 this year, images of the classic Americana road trip come even closer into the periphery, but part of this nostalgic memory misremembers what driving on the interstate was like for Black drivers.
“There’s this mythology around Route 66, specifically around freedom, adventure, open roads,” says Dr. Jocelyn Brown, the director of African American Studies at Radford University. “For Black Americans, in reality, that mobility was never about those things, freedom and adventure.”
Traversing the mother road for Black Americans was full of risk and challenges to their dignity and safety. According to a report by a retired historian of the National Park Service, in 1930, nearly half of the communities that crossed through the Route 66 were sundown towns. By 1950, 25 of 73 communities along the path of the interstate were identified as such.
Alfredo Graham, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Sundown towns are communities that use or threaten violence to keep non-white people, particularly Black Americans, out. That meant that in Route 66’s heyday, Black people also had to navigate segregated towns and Jim Crow laws, where they could be turned away from eating a hot meal or finding a bed to safely sleep in at night. Most of these sundown towns weren’t in the South–they’re more prevalent across Northern and Midwestern states like Illinois and Missouri.
“When people think sundown town, they think the South,” Brown shared on her viral Threads post that contained two images: one of sundown towns and another of Route 66. The side-by-side photos show how often the two overlap. “The North had them beat by a [country] mile. Route 66 was completed in 1938 in between the two waves of The Great Migration. Northerners absolutely hated seeing Black Americans travel through their towns and reacted accordingly.”
Victor Hugo Green, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Driving With Dignity
Even though sundown towns presented an immense threat to the Black motorist, driving still offered a degree of flexibility and anonymity that wasn’t extended to the Black train or bus traveler, who had to ride in Jim Crow sections, according to a paper written by a National Park Service historian called Courageous Motorists: African American Pioneers on Route 66. Driving allowed Black travelers to create a safety bubble, or at least, the illusion of one. The challenge came in mitigating all the risks that could occur while driving through unfamiliar towns with unknown racial hierarchies.
Black drivers came up with a number of solutions to mitigate the risk of racial harm. Some drove through the night without stopping. Others packed food for the drive so they’d never need to eat at an unknown restaurant. But for those who were either willing to take the risk or found themselves in a predicament, they’d often drive around towns looking for a familiar face to stop and ask, “Where can I get something to eat?” or “Where can we rent a room for the night?”
FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images
Guiding Black Travel: The Green Book
Victor Green’s The Green Book meant Black travelers no longer needed to ask; they could be sure. The 20th-century travel guides for Black travelers listed restaurants, hotels and motels, and even tourist homes–private homes in which families were willing to take in travelers for the night–a listing of simple bed-and-breakfasts that provided more than comfort, but tranquility and dignity.
This map created by the National Park Service marks all known Route 66 locations listed in every edition of the Green Book. Today, this map documents much of what we’ve lost from Route 66’s Green Book history; fewer than 100 of the 365 Green Book-era properties are currently standing, with many Midwestern sites demolished. A few pillars remain: The Threatt Filling Station of Luther, Oklahoma, now a foundation working to preserve more of the Black-owned gas station’s history.
Heading farther west along the map reveals a few more buildings, and even a couple of businesses that remain, such as the Fred Harvey Airport Restaurant in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona, which is still in operation today.
Fifth-generation Flagstaff resident and former Flagstaff mayor Coral Evans knows the importance of keeping alive the memories of such Green Book stops. As she and her daughter walked by the Pearl Polk ice cream shop and tourist home in downtown Flagstaff, she stopped to ask her if she remembered its significance.
“The fact that those buildings are preserved shows that we care about history and care about the importance of it,” Evans said.
The city of Flagstaff also created a self-guided Green Book tour for visitors to recognize the important role these restaurants and tourist homes played in safely guiding Black travelers along the interstate.
While Evans and others honor the history of the Green Book and the courageous Black traveler, a new focus emerges as Route 66 moves into its next 100 years.
“How do we make sure that the concept of a Green Book isn’t necessary?” Evans asks, “Because we as a society have evolved to a point where we understand that diversity is not a threat.”
Could REITs change the hotel investment outlook in China?
Jinjiang, Huazhu among the first to jump on new investment vehicle
China has officially allowed hotel real estate investment trusts for the first time this year. Pictured above is Shanghai. (Getty Images)
https://www.costar.com/article/1292319941/could-reits-change-the-hotel-investment-outlook-in-china?
Investors in the Chinese hotel industry could be facing a new era with the recent introduction of real estate investment trusts.
Speaking on the latest episode of the "CoStar News Hotels" podcast, STR's regional vice president in the Asia-Pacific region, Jesper Palmqvist, said the introduction of hotel REITs in the country could spark a new wave of investment as there's now a new exit path for hotel developers.
"At least in theory, this allows for Chinese owners to recycle capital, and the intention to improve their liquidity," he said. "And I suppose the idea is to potentially then, in a dream world, accelerate the institutional investment in hospitality."
2026 is officially the first year of Chinese hotel REITS, and major players in the country such as Huazhu and Jinjiang have already joined the fray.
Whether those REITs have the intended effect is still to be seen, though.
"I kind of end up with more questions than answers," Palmqvist said. "Like, will this increase investment interest in hotel assets? We have to remember that the environment is still muted in reality. I'm keen to find out what kind of segments will get traction."
If anything, this is a reflection of the fact that China's hotel developers have been successful in "building a very large market very quickly in a quarter of the century," Palmqvist said. But now the country's hotel industry is ready to take the next step in its maturation process.
For more from STR's Jesper Palmqvist, listen to the podcast embedded above.
Trump Seeks Ways to Boost International Tourism to the U.S.
Daniel Torok
https://www.fodors.com/news/photos/trump-seeks-ways-to-boost-international-tourism-to-the-u-s
And more of today's top travel news stories.
Today in travel, we have several stories that may have flown under your radar. Among them: a new fire is reported in northern Greece; Highway 1 reopens in Big Sur; three hurricanes are churning in the Pacific; and Trump hopes to lift international tourism.
Dive into these and more as we examine the latest in travel news.
Some or all of this article was crafted with AI help. An editor reviewed and vetted this article before publishing.
PHOTO: DREAMSTIME / VALENTIN M ARMIANU
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Highway 1 Partially Reopens in Big Sur, but Through Travel Remains Blocked
An 11-mile stretch of Highway 1 in Big Sur reopened Thursday morning after firefighters made progress against the Timber Fire, restoring access from the north to much of the Big Sur community. The reopened section runs between post mile 56, just south of the Little Sur River, and post mile 45, near the Big Sur Post Office. Officials are nevertheless asking motorists to avoid unnecessary travel in the fire zone.
Through traffic between the Monterey Peninsula and Cambria is still impossible. Highway 1 remains closed farther south from Pacific Valley at post mile 16 to the Monterey-San Luis Obispo county line because of the Plaskett Fire, and Caltrans recommends U.S. Route 101 as an alternate route.
Tourist access also remains severely restricted. Point Sur State Historic Park, Andrew Molera State Park, Pfeiffer Big Sur State Park, Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park, and Limekiln State Park are closed until further notice. Evacuation orders and warnings also remain in effect in portions of the region. As of Wednesday afternoon, the Timber and Plaskett fires had burned more than 54,000 acres combined.
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK / MGAMBILL
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Three Hurricanes Crowd the Pacific as Hawaii Monitors Powerful Lowell
Three hurricanes are simultaneously churning across the Pacific between Mexico and Hawaii, including one storm that briefly reached the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale.
Hurricane Lowell strengthened into a Category 5 storm south of Hawaii on Wednesday, with maximum sustained winds reaching 160 mph, before weakening to Category 4 strength. Forecasters say it remains too early to know exactly how close Lowell will come to Hawaii, although the National Hurricane Center has advised residents across the islands to monitor its progress.
Farther east, Hurricane Karina is moving northwest across the open Pacific and is expected to gradually weaken. Hurricane Marie, meanwhile, is strengthening well south of Mexico’s Baja California peninsula and is forecast to remain offshore. The unusual configuration meant three named hurricanes were active across the eastern and central Pacific at the same time.
PHOTO: GREECE NEWSTART/UNSPLASH
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Wildfire in Northern Greece Prompts Evacuation Near Krystallopigi
Residents near Krystallopigi in northern Greece were ordered to evacuate Thursday as a forest fire threatened homes in the Florina regional unit.
The blaze began Wednesday afternoon in a wooded area and rapidly expanded. Authorities activated Greece’s 112 emergency warning system after flames approached the village, directing people in the Krystallopigi area to head toward Prespes using either the old road network or the Egnatia Odos highway.
Firefighters are confronting particularly difficult terrain that has complicated access for ground crews. ERT reported Thursday morning that 42 firefighters, two ground teams, and 13 vehicles were involved in the response. A helicopter also began dropping water after daybreak.
PHOTO: RENE DEANDA/UNSPLASH
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Trump Meets Travel Executives as U.S. Pushes to Reverse Foreign Tourism Decline
President Donald Trump met with leaders from major airlines, hotel companies, casino operators, and cruise lines Wednesday as the U.S. travel industry looks for ways to reverse a decline in foreign visitation.
The FIFA World Cup provided a temporary lift this summer, helping travel spending rise 6.2% year over year in June. But Commerce Department figures cited by Reuters show that overseas visitation was still down 4.7% through July 2026, after the total number of foreign visitors fell 5.5% in 2025.
The U.S. Travel Association wants the country to attract 100 million international visitors annually, up from 68 million last year. Industry officials have pointed to lengthy visa interview waits, expensive airfare, stricter immigration policies, tariffs, and travel restrictions as obstacles. The association has also criticized a visitor-bond program covering travelers from 50 countries; its president, Geoff Freeman, said arrivals from those countries have fallen 80%.
The White House, meanwhile, pointed to changes intended to make airports easier to navigate, including relaxed shoe-removal requirements at security checkpoints and family screening lanes at some airports. The administration also plans additional biometric lanes for returning U.S. citizens and measures designed to speed transfers from international arrivals to domestic flights.
PHOTO: YULIYA BATURINA/DREAMSTIME
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Moscow Airports See Hundreds of Delays as Ukraine Warns About Russian Airspace
Hundreds of flights were delayed and dozens canceled at Moscow airports Wednesday as Ukrainian officials warned airlines about the risks posed by drone activity in Russian airspace.
Ukraine has formally told the International Civil Aviation Organization that it considers Russian airspace unsafe, while President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has urged airlines and insurers to consider the increasing presence of Ukrainian drones over Russia. U.S. and European airlines generally no longer use Russian airspace, but carriers from China, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, and other countries continue to operate there.
Flight-tracking data cited by Reuters showed 235 delays and 21 cancellations at Sheremetyevo International Airport, along with 94 delays and 22 cancellations at Vnukovo. Pegasus Airlines canceled several Russia flights for what it described as technical and operational reasons, while flydubai said changing conditions could result in delays, diversions, or schedule adjustments.
Russian authorities insist that civil aviation remains secure and operational. Transport Minister Andrei Nikitin said officials are coordinating with defense agencies to minimize disruption, while aviation regulator Rosaviatsia said Russian airports and airlines continue operating according to plan. Aviation-risk firm Osprey Flight Solutions, however, expects drone and missile attacks deeper inside Russia, including near Moscow and St. Petersburg, to continue through 2026.
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