Travel Route 66 Through The Adirondack Mountains In Speculator Close To Utica

If you've always wanted to travel Route 66, look no further than an hour and a half away from Utica in Speculator New York.

You will find Route 66 New York in a village of about 300 in Speculator. The village started construction back in 2000, and took 14 years to build. It was the brain child of John Van Buiten and his friend Richard Koert.

According to Atlas Obscura, all the structures in the town are 96 square feet (anything over 100 would’ve needed a building permit). These buildings "pay homage to the American road trip and Van Buiten’s own memories of his honeymoon along the route."

Each building took about a year to build, often using scrap wood from the lumber yard where his son worked and odds and ends found at garage sales and closed businesses. Besides the church and gas station, there’s a post office, a general store, a barber shop, a school, and an ice cream parlor"

John and his wife donated the project to the Historical Society of Lake Pleasant and Speculator in 2014. It was moved from John’s property in Lake Pleasant, New York, to a spot next to the Speculator Pavilion. It officially opened to the public in July 2016.

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Where To Find Route 66 In The Adirondacks

Route 66 is located on the grounds of the Speculator Ball Field and Pavilion, directly across from the Speculator Public Beach on NYS Route 30. The site is free and parking is available.