Tucumcari has several areas of genuine and vintage Route 66, you just need to get off of I-40 to find them. From vintage signage, to historically correct recreations all of the way to the genuine article still sitting in place from over 50 years ago or more!

This will be a quick review of where we stayed, and then some info and photos of places in Tucumcari that are must see! First off, I do not make any money for clicks or button jabs. If I include a link to something, it’s because I think it’s awesome and you should check it out.

Blazin Saddles RV Park

So, please keep in mind that this is Tucumcari. It’s hot, the wind blows and dust is everywhere. That said, this place was great! They have a vintage car out front and a great sign that hearkens back to the glory days of Route 66.

The owners were great! They were quick to greet us, take us to the site and explain the particulars (like the psi is over 95 – bring a regulator!) I got to speak with the owner several times in the store and as he made his rounds. He has made several improvements (such as laying all of the gravel, it was a dirt lot when he got it!) and plans to continue.

There are extremely handy motion sensor solar lights at the end of each site. These sit approximately 3 feet off the ground and light up the immediate area as you walk after dark. The bathrooms struck me as odd.

Hold up – you all know I’m weird about bathrooms. These are like bathrooms in a house! There are 3 and they are very clean. They have a sink, toilet and a nice shower with a curtain (with vintage imagery on most) in each one. The owner made that choice. He let me know that after his previous career, he think customers would enjoy the privacy and entire bathroom would give them.

The entire place is rock. There is a dog run, but it is also rock, with no shade. This means that everyone tries to walk their dogs at the same time which can be problematic as some dogs are not great with people or other dogs.

All sites are level, we had 30 amp, great water and a sewer line. They offer several discounts, check their webpage, I’m sure you qualify for one!

Tucumcari Mountain is directly across from the RV Park and can be seen at all times. It was absolutely stunning.

Vintage Route 66

We saw several motorcycles on Route 66, which runs right by the RV Park. I miss my Indian Chieftain. However, what’s more genuine than a motorcycle running down Historic Route 66?

Directly across from the RV Park was this Historical Marker. Sure, that’s the official story. There are different stories in every single establishment along Route 66 in Tucumcari. We saw everything from it being derived from a Comanche word that means to lie in wait because they would ambush people there to a tale of lost romance.

Turn left out of the RV Park and then run about 2 miles and BAM! You’re in vintage Route 66 land! There is a little bit of construction along the way. It’s ok, you’ll manage.

Vintage sights to see

There were so many things to see and do in that small town that we are going to break it down to our top 5. 1st was our RV Park, in spite of it’s lack of shade it was great! The owner was awesome to talk with and they really support veterans.

Food!

Second – we do love to eat. We also love to eat local and get things that are special to the area. So with that in mind we present 2&3 (not in any particular order. La Cita and Dels.

We ate at La Cita first, really good mexican food and a Route 66 staple. Vintage signs and structures outside. Prices were fair and I introduced Sierra to Jarritos! Sierra had tostadas and was a little perplexed on how to eat them, which was funny to me at least.

Dels Restaurant was the second place we ventured into. The signage is not as vintage, but it has been there serving food since 1956! The service was great and we cleaned our plates.

Shopping

After all of that eating, we did want to get some shopping in. We had to go into Teepee Curios. The view from the road was enough to spark curiosity. They had all of the interesting items that you would expect a gift shop on Route 66 to have. Sierra just could not understand my fascination with it.

Bonus!

As per my previous list – there’s a bonus. The series Rawhide was filmed in and around Tucumcari. So of course the motel that the cast stayed in while in town sports a sign with a very famous face…

Museum (not vintage – does old count?)

Finally, while not vintage, this place turned out much more entertaining, interesting and educational than we thought it would. Mesalands Community College’s Dinosaur Museum and Natural Science Laboratory was great. I saw the info on it, quickly read that the majority of the dinosaur “fossils” were bronze cast reconstructions and thought it would be lame.

Way wrong. This was possibly the best dinosaur museum based on a locality that I have ever seen. The Community College casts the bronze and is one of the few places that are capable of completing the process.

The exhibits start with explaining what a fossil is, how they cast a bronze replica and then starts the true exhibits. Exhibits start with the beginning of the Mesozoic Era, move into Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous – with a little bit at the end moving into “modern times” all about things that happened/located within a couple hundred miles of the museum!

We had a great time in Tucumcari and hope you enjoyed seeing our top 5 locations that are (mostly) vintage and cool Route 66!