Subject of one of the most successful advertising campaigns in Route 66’s long history of roadside hype, Tucumcari (pop. 5,989) looks and sounds like a much bigger place than it is. Also known as “the town that’s two blocks wide and two miles long” (though Tucumcari Boulevard, which follows the route blazed by old Route 66 through town, stretches for closer to seven miles between Interstate exits), Tucumcari does have a little of everything, including a great range of neon, but it can be hard to explain the attraction of the town that hundreds of signs along the highways once trumpeted as “Tucumcari Tonight—2,000 Motel Rooms.” (A new ad campaign plays on this legacy, but signs now say “Tucumcari Tonight—1,200 Motel Rooms.”)
Hype or no hype, Tucumcari is a handy place to break a journey, and even if you think you can make it to the next town east or west, you will never regret stopping here for a night. Especially if you stop at the famous Blue Swallow Motel ($40; 505/461-9849), at 815 E. Tucumcari Boulevard, which no less an authority than Smithsonian magazine called “the last, best, and friendliest of the old-time motels.” Thanks to the warm hospitality of former owner Lillian Redman, few who stayed there during her long reign would disagree, and the new owners (Dale and Hilda Bakke) have kept up the old spirit while improving the plumbing and replacing the mattresses. Each room comes with its own garage, and the neon sign alone is worth staying awake for.
Across Route 66 from the Blue Swallow stands another survivor, the landmark tepee fronting the historic Tee Pee Trading Post (505/461-3773) at 924 E. Tucumcari Drive, where friendly owners Mike and Betty Callens will tempt you to add to your collection of Southwest or Route 66 souvenirs (or “Damn Fine Stuff,” as their business cards have it). For a place to eat, try the Mexican food at La Cita (505/461-0949), under the turquoise and pink sombrero on the corner of 1st Street and old Route 66.
Two newer additions fill out Tucumcari’s roster of attractions: one is a chromed steel Route 66 sculpture, welcoming travelers at the west edge of town; the other is the Mesalands Dinosaur Museum ($5; 505/461-3466), a block north of Route 66 at 211 E. Laughlin Street. Housed inside Mesa Technical College, the museum boasts “the largest collection of life-sized bronze prehistoric skeletons in the world,” plus real fossils, unusual minerals, and the unique Torvosaurus, a very rare carnivorous cousin of legendary Tyrannosaurus rex.
