Travel Guide Tucumcari

Founded in 1901 during the construction of the Rock Island & Pacific Railroad, Tucumcari only experienced major development with the arrival of Route 66. As the only "big" city between Amarillo and Albuquerque, it is still home to a large number of motels faithful to the design of the 1950s, all located on Route 66 Boulevard (Tucumcari Boulevard or Business 40), which is the main road. Today, it has a population of about 5,500. Take the time to walk part of Route 66 Boulevard to better observe the signs and buildings that have names, such as Cactus RV Park (whose part Cactus Motor Lodge dates from 1930), Historic Route 66 Motel (1950s), Palomino Motel (1953), Apache Motel (1950s), Blue Swallow Motel (1939) or Motel Safari (1959). We advise you to spend a night there if you can, because they are addresses which plunge into the local folklore. Don't miss the Texaco gas station (now a souvenir and antique store), nor the façade of the Hairitage Barber Hairstyling salon. Several restaurants with typical facades or signs (such as Dell's Restaurant) are easily found on the boulevard. Others, more ordinary, are located near the newer hotels along Interstate 40.The city has four museums: the Tucumcari Historical Museum, the Mesalands Dinosaur Museum, the Tucumcari Railroad Museum and the Route 66 Museum. In the surrounding streets, some beautiful murals are worth a photo stop, including The Legendary Road, which is located at 727 South 2nd Street. These works are part of a downtown beautification project launched in 2014 under the name Paint The Town and involving several artists (gallery at 209 South 2nd Street). You can pick up a map of the murals at all hotel receptions. Head to TeePee Curious, the Indian teepee-shaped gift shop, to pick up a nice souvenir to bring back from your trip.Tucumcari also has an old Art Deco movie theater from 1935: the Odeon Theatre (123 South 2nd Street). On the eastern outskirts of town, in front of the Convention Center (which houses the New Mexico Route 66 Museum), don't miss the monument dedicated to Route 66.Nearby Tucumcari is Ute Lake State Park to the northeast, which is popular for camping and outdoor activities. In the opposite direction is Conchas Lake State Park, which is less deserted and is also becoming a popular destination for locals to go camping, swimming and sunbathing.