Compiled by Susy Teran, Strategic Communications Intern, Global Ties U.S.
Editor’s note: Spanning 2,448 miles and crossing eight states, Route 66 is America’s most iconic highway. To mark its centennial this year, and America’s 250th anniversary, we asked Global Ties Network member organizations along the route to reflect on the impact this signature American highway brings to their communities and work. In St. Louis, Tulsa, Arizona, and Los Angeles, our colleagues shared their experiences introducing international visitors to American culture and history as they traversed along the “Mother Road,” and highlighted the positive international visibility and economic benefits these interactions have generated for local businesses. Read their stories below to learn how Route 66 embodies the American spirit of exploration and innovation, while showcasing our country’s small towns, big cities, and natural beauty.
St. Louis
Snapshot by Berenice Morlet, World Affairs Council of St. Louis
Situated along the historic Route 66 corridor, St. Louis offers visitors an authentic introduction to the American Midwest. From the iconic Gateway Arch and its enduring connection to the Mississippi River, to the city’s rich automotive heritage and role as a crossroads of commerce, culture, and innovation, St. Louis tells a distinctly American story. International visitors leave with a deeper understanding of the region’s history, values, and community spirit.
One of the ways this occurs is through home hospitality dinners. These warm and welcoming gatherings provide visitors with the opportunity to engage directly with local residents and try an authentic American meal, while discussing cultural traditions and learning about everyday life in St. Louis.
IVLP participants also meet with local experts, entrepreneurs, educators, community leaders, and professionals from a variety of fields. These exchanges encourage professional collaboration and create opportunities for mutual learning. St. Louis leaders benefit from these international professional perspectives while visitors learn about innovative approaches and best practices they can adapt within their communities.
Beyond this, IVLP programming supports local restaurants, attractions, hotels, transportation providers, and small businesses, generating economic activity and promoting St. Louis as a welcoming destination for international engagement. When participants return home, they are ambassadors for our city, sharing their experiences and strengthening awareness of St. Louis, the United States, and the values of citizen diplomacy. The relationships formed through these exchanges often lead to future partnerships, professional collaborations, and ongoing cultural connections.
As Route 66 celebrates its centennial and the nation commemorates America’s 250th anniversary, the World Affairs Council of St. Louis is proud to showcase St. Louis’s unique spirit through meaningful experiences for IVLP participants. We connect international visitors with local residents, organizations, and businesses, bringing St. Louis’s history, culture, hospitality, and innovation to life and building important international connections that benefit our community.
Tulsa
Snapshot by Bob Lieser, Tulsa Global Alliance (TGA)
Oklahoma has more drivable miles on Route 66 than any other state – miles filled with iconic monuments, restaurants, gift shops, and other landmarks. Tulsa Global Alliance is proud to share the wonders of Route 66 with participants in the U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and other exchange programs as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of this legendary highway, and the 250th anniversary of the United States.
Cyrus Avery was Oklahoma’s first highway commissioner and a Tulsa businessman who promoted the idea of a Chicago to Los Angeles highway through Tulsa. Just south of downtown Tulsa, there is a Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza that exhibits bronze statues of a horse-drawn carriage meeting a 1920s Ford, with the theme of “past meets future” transportation. Flags of the eight states through which Route 66 passes surround the statue. This plaza is a popular place for IVLP participants to take photos, like this IVLP group, focused on energy security. Visitors bring international attention to our community and its landmarks as they take home photos, souvenirs, and memories to share with their children and grandchildren.
To international visitors as well as Americans, Route 66 symbolizes the freedom of the open road and the beauty of the small towns and natural wonders of the United States. Many IVLP participants come to learn about Oklahoma’s Native American heritage, and TGA often introduces them to representatives of the Sac and Fox Nation, located in the town of Stroud, on Route 66 halfway between Tulsa and Oklahoma City. An IVLP group of Mongolian librarians had the opportunity to learn about tribal history, folk songs, and native language teaching practices from representatives of the Sac and Fox National Public Library.
Welcoming international visitors to the Mother Road—the nickname John Steinbeck gave Route 66 in his 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath—brings economic benefits to cities like Tulsa as well as smaller communities with authentic diners, souvenir shops, and museums. In 2018, the Mother Road Market opened, and this food hall located on Route 66, has become a popular stop for Tulsa locals and international visitors alike. Mother Road Market is also an incubator for new startup restaurants, and many of TGA’s international visitors enjoy lunch there between meetings or learn about entrepreneurship by meeting with the market’s founder, the Lobeck Taylor Family Foundation.
Tulsa Global Alliance, and the people of Oklahoma, are proud to share the Mother Road with the world.
Arizona
Snapshot by Acacia Wastchak, Global Ties Arizona
Route 66 serves as our gateway to the Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, and Sedona. Over the past several years, Global Ties Arizona has introduced international visitors to northern Arizona through the International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP) and the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI).
Photo by Victoria Dowers, Global Ties Arizona
Northern Arizona tells a story that no meeting room can replicate. Visiting the Grand Canyon has been consistently described as a once-in-a-lifetime moment. Alyazia from the United Arab Emirates said that standing at the rim was “truly a dream come true.” Chandana from India described fulfilling a lifelong dream there, and Mirjana from Bosnia and Herzegovina called it something she would never forget.
Visits to Moonshot Arizona at the Northern Arizona Center for Entrepreneurship and Technology open eyes to a city that is far more than a scenic mountain stop. The legacy of Lowell Observatory, the Apollo astronaut training grounds in the surrounding volcanic fields, and Flagstaff’s designation as the world’s first International Dark Sky City, create a context for innovation unlike anywhere else. As one of our 2026 YLAI Fellows put it: “Flagstaff reminds us that to reach the moon, one must first be firmly rooted in a land that understands how to make history.”
These experiences have meaningfully deepened our organization’s partnerships with the City of Flagstaff and a growing network of regional businesses and organizations, significantly expanding our capacity to bring international visitors to communities across Northern Arizona and enhancing our impact from that experience. For local partners, hosting international visitors creates opportunities for cross-cultural collaboration and the exchange of best practices with professionals from around the world — all while generating tourism revenue that supports local businesses, venues, and hospitality providers. For the visitors themselves, Northern Arizona offers firsthand engagement with American communities beyond the major metropolitan centers and an unparalleled setting for cultural immersion. And for both sides, these exchanges represent something deeper — an opportunity to participate in citizen diplomacy and build the person-to-person relationships that are at the heart of international exchanges.
To showcase Arizona during Route 66’s centennial and America’s 250th is to tell a story where frontier history and 21st century innovation meet. For Global Ties Arizona, ensuring that international visitors experience the full arc of that story is one of the most meaningful things we do.
Los Angeles
Snapshot by Janet Elliott, International Citizen Diplomacy of Los Angeles (ICDLA)
The original Route 66 winds through nearly 50 miles in L.A. County, from east of Pasadena, through Downtown L.A. and Hollywood, ending in Santa Monica. Whether attending a meeting, eating at a restaurant, or snapping photos of Hollywood, nearly all of ICDLA’s international participants will travel along Route 66 at some point during their stay. It is by walking on this historic Route that participants get to know and experience L.A.
Our visitors to Santa Monica will make sure to take an iconic photo with the “End of the Trail” marker on the pier. It’s a very memorable moment for them, overlooking the Pacific Ocean at the western endpoint of the historic Route 66, and connecting with a place they recognize through American culture, music, film, and storytelling.
Beyond its historical significance, Santa Monica offers visitors a chance to experience Los Angeles as locals do. Participants spend time exploring the pier, walking along the coast, visiting local restaurants and businesses, and engaging with community members. Experiences like these support local tourism and small businesses while creating authentic opportunities for cultural exchange that extend beyond formal meetings and presentations. Route 66 has long symbolized exploration, creativity, and the pursuit of new opportunities — values that are realized through international exchange programs and citizen diplomacy.
For ICDLA, showcasing places like Santa Monica and the End of the Trail helps visitors experience Los Angeles through both its geography and its people. During Route 66’s centennial and America’s 250th anniversary, these moments serve as a reminder that America’s most iconic places continue to bring people together. Just as Route 66 connects communities across the country, international exchange programs create connections across the world that endure long after visitors return home.