Carlinville, IL

Carlinville is the biggest town along this stretch of Route 66. It has an impressive town square with a historic "Million Dollar Courthouse" built in 1870.

The Marvel Theater at 228 W Main St first opened in 1920, but burned down in 1926. It was rebuilt in 1928 and was expanded in 1977. The current marquee is from the early 1960's.

Carlinville also has the largest community of Sears & Roebuck mail order homes in the United States. They were were purchased by the Standard Oil Company for their Carlinville mine workers.

A river used to run through part of the land that now is the town square. The river was re-routed underground. All the buildings on the square used to be connected by underground tunnels. Some of the tunnels survive, but they are not open to the public.

There are lots of good bars in Carlinville. The big biker spot is the Full Throddle about four miles out of town on Shipman Rd. It has an Old School atmosphere, with a rustic bar and restaurant inside and a large back yard where live bands perform on weekends. Everyone in town (even folks who have never been on two wheels) will tell you that the food is great. I'm not sure whether thisplave survived the Pandemic. Last time I checked it was "Temporarily Closed". I hope they make it. 

The Town Square has several good spots. The St. George Room seems to be the preferred biker spot. The bar is rustic with lots of old wood. The juke is loud and the crowd can be bawdy. Oddly, they do not have mixers like club soda or tonic water. So, if you want a gin and tonic on a hot day, you will have to go elsewhere. It is on the ground floor of the old Loomis House, which was built in 1870. It originally was a 50 room hotel, and in older days, it was a whore house. Rumor has it that the building is haunted.

The Anchor Inn, next door to the St. George Room, is the oldest bar in town. It has been in operation since 1946 and is in a historic building. The bar is made of old hard wood. Taylor Chili, founded in 1904, is housed in an adjoining space. They ship it all over the world. I thought it was inedble, but everyone else seems to love it.

Angus Bailey's is a steak house on the Square. It has a great bar in the back with several big screen TVs. Part of the structure once was a grain elevator. Although it is in an historic building, the inside is a bit more modern than the other spots on the Square. The steaks are as good as you are likely to get anywhere.

The Lucky Dog Alehouse is another popular spot on the Square. It gets a late night dance crowd.