Kingman, Arizona is the hub of the Mohave County government and a proud and interesting town on the Route 66. Founded in 1882 as a railroad settlement, Kingman quickly became an important center of transportation, mining, electrical generation, hotels, entertainment, and shopping. Located in the Hualapai Valley between the Cerbat and the Hualapai mountains, Kingman offers visitors many opportunities for exploration of the beauty of the landscape and the historical sites.
Kingman is the Heart of the Historic Route 66 and is a must-stop for any Route 66 enthusiast. Situated in the middle of the longest continuous stretch of Route 66 still in existence, which runs from Ashfork to the Colorado River, Kingman has many beloved Route 66 stops.
In order to get the most out of a trip through Kingman, you should first stop at the Visitors' Center which is located inside the historic Powerhouse on Andy Devine Avenue, right on the Route 66 next to the railroad.
The Powerhouse opened in 1907 to supply electricity to the area mines. The completion of the Hoover Dam on the Colorado River near Las Vegas in 1938 ended the need for this Powerhouse as a major electrical generator, but it stayed open as a substation.
Today the Powerhouse is preserved and houses the several interesting museums, the visitor's Center, which is free, photography exhibit, movie theater, and the Route 66 museum and memorabilia shop. 100,000 visitors a year stop in the Powerhouse for a look around.
Let's see the sights in Kingman now.
Across the street from the Powerhouse is the Locomotive Park which commemorates the importance of the railroad to Kingman's founding. The famous Steam Engine #3759 is the star at the Locomotive Park and kids love to climb over and around the train.
The steam engine was built in 1928 and ran passengers from Los Angeles to Kansas City through Kingman for twenty years racking up more than 2,500,000 miles. It was a coal-burning steam locomotive that was converted to oil after 1941.
Mr. D'z Route 66 Diner, across from the Powerhouse and the Locomotive Park on Andy Devine Avenue, is a *must stop* for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. This very fun diner serves half-pound burgers with fries for under $6.00. Dinner options include old-time favorites like fried shrimp, chicken fried steak, or day-old spaghetti - a baked lasagne-like speciality.
The inside of Mr. D'z is like stepping into a time machine and arriving back in the 1950s just like in the movie "Back to the Future". The staff is friendly and the food is delicious. The root beer is homemade. I wanted to save room for either a root beer float or a banana split, but the burger was so filling.
Check out the jukebox! It plays favorites from the 1950s, of course.
The restrooms are disguised behind these nostalgic murals.
I love these Route 66 signs. I'm 284 miles away from my home in San Bernardino and still a whopping 1,806 miles to Chicago, the end of Route 66.
Downtown Kingman is just a block down the road from Mr. D'z and it is worth spending a few minutes parking the car and taking a short walk.
I really felt like I was back in gold-rush days here.
The Mohave Courthouse was built in 1915 constructed out of the local tufa stone at a cost of $80,000.00.
St. Mary's Catholic Church next door to the Courthouse was built in 1907 and is used today for Sunday School classes.
Famous cowboy movie star, Andy Devine, grew up in this beautiful downtown hotel: his parents owned it.
The sign is a work of art. Sadly, the hotel is not operational now, but it is in a state of renovation. Hopefully one day I will be able to stay overnight in this historic hotel that was the premier lodging for railroad passengers going through the Arizona desert.
The historic Hotel Brunswick, built in 1909, is open for business and has been for nearly a century. Decorated in a Old West style, you will really feel like a gold miner who has struck it rich.
You can see some motorcycles parked outside the Hotel Brunswick. Kingman is a popular destination for motorcyclists and all of them probably stop at this really neat Harley- Davidson shop.
Like almost any Route 66 town, Kingman has rows of vintage motels lining the highway. Some are just wasting away, while others are lovingly tended to.
This is one of my all-time favorite vintage restaurant signs.
Kingman has no shortage of Chinese restaurants: probably a result of its railroad heritage.
On most Route 66 towns, the car culture is really strong and the local businesses provide many services to folks who love their wheels.
Next time you are traveling through northwestern Arizona, do not overlook the fun and historic town of Kingman.
References:
1. http://cityofkingman.gov
2. http://kingmantourism.org/kingman-info/history/index.php
3. http://www.legendsofamerica.com/AZ-Kingman.html
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Comments: 34
I want some day old spaghetti.
Thank you, Larry. That train was really neat.
Ina, I still have the menu from Mr. D'z and I'm craving just about everything the serve there. Day-old spaghetti sounds like such a diner thing. mmmmmmmm Sure wish I would have gotten the banana split but the burger was huge. Next time I'm starting with dessert.
Apryl, your son would LOVE that park! He could climb in and all around it. It would be super fun going on a road trip with you. We would be so Thelma and Louise that we'd probably get arrested, but it would still be fun! I want to do a big train trip too. My dad's done several and it really is worth it.
Thanks.
Thanks, Debbie! I loved it too! It seemed real - not at all fakey. The staff was super nice too and not in an artifical, trying to recreate the 1950s way, if you know what I'm trying to say :-) Next time I drive through that part of Arizona, I'm stopping there again.
John, everyone has to cheat a little or else life is no fun :-)
Tonia, thanks! Old signs are really a favorite of mine. One of these days I'm going to go around my own town photographing all the old signs because you never know when the city is going to decide to "clean up" and take them down.
Elizabeth, that's hard work! You deserve a bunch of delicious food. I'm looking at the menu now for Mr. D'z and it looks like you would have to settle for Grilled Cheese with chilis and avacados - this is the Southwest, after all! No tomato soup or hot coco either :-( Most people want to cool down - not warm up - after driving through the Arizona desert. After seeing your photos from your snowday, I know that you had A LOT of shoveling to do. Take care and drive safely tomorrow!
Thanks, Joan. It was fun for me to see these places. I've been to Kingman many times but that was just passing through on the interstate. I never realized how many interesting things were inside that town.
I just visited Kingman last month.
We travel many of the same areas.
Have you stayed in any of the hotels there?
Mr. D's is one spot I have driven by many times, and never entered.
My next visit I plan to make sure I stop there, thanks to your great photos!!!
Joy, that is weird that we are traveling to the same places! I remember your photoessay about the tide pools in La Jolla and I want to go there soon too. I stayed in a motel in Williams - a old 1940s stone cabin that had real trains in it. We stayed in a cabin and it was totally comfortable but when I go to the Grand Canyon next time with my kids, I think it would be fun to stay in the train. Mr D'z is the best! It was a great deal and my husband said it was the best hamburger he's ever eaten. I would like to stay in that old hotel in Kingman - it looks so fun.
Thank you for sharing!
Victoria, thanks so much! I'm really happy you have a group just for photo essays. Kingman is a great place to bring kids too - it's cheap to stay there and there are many cool side trips to make from a base in Kingman. Grand Canyon isn't very far away from there and I can't imagine any kids that wouldn't love nearby Oatman because it's a western town with burros walking all around.
Christina, those turquoise and pink colors were all over Kingman. I never really did find out why that town has that color scheme going on but it sure made for cute pictures. Mr D'z diner was the best! I would love to go back there again.
Cindy, I love old signs! Someone the other day was whispering to someone else: "Why is that lady taking a picture of that sign?" and I overheard and smiled. I know it's kind of weird but I just love seeing history in those signs. I just wonder how the air was cooled in that old Hotel - I'm pretty sure it wasn't by central air conditioning like we have today. I hope you get to Kingman soon - it's such a neat, old place.
Elsie, that is a great dish! Sometimes I make extra spaghetti with butter and parmesan on it and fry it up like a giant pancake the next day. I like it better that way too. I haven't made that in awhile either since the kids starting becoming teens and don't leave as much leftover spaghetti (their favorite meal). Thanks so much for taking the time to read this article and look at all these pictures. Route 66 is such an important part of our country. I just wish I had been alive during the heyday of it because it would have been more fun to travel it when things were really in full swing. I'm going to make fried spaghetti your way one of these nights and think of you.
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