Boots Court Motel
February 2026
Across the street, Boots’ diner served all-day breakfast and aired the daily radio show, “Breakfast at the Crossroads.” Route 66 and Highway 71 had been dubbed the “Crossroads of America.” Boots eventually sold the property, and the next owner added a back building with five larger rooms.
Fast forward to 2011, two Georgia sisters bought Boots Court to save it from demolition and moved to Missouri to reestablish the motel. They replaced the gable roof with the original flat roof design and restored the neon sign. (One of their daughters currently heads up housekeeping.) Eventually, local nonprofit Boots Court Foundation purchased the property and started additional renovations in 2021.
Today, rooms have been refurbished keeping many original features including pine flooring and doors, stucco walls, built-in desks and checkered bathroom tile. Art deco-style headboards mirror the motel’s exterior design. Rooms boast a radio—but no TV—5G wifi and top-quality bath towels and bedding. Guests in the front building use the old-time carports adjacent to rooms.
Manager Janna Conklin displays a world map and pins the states and countries from which guests come. My husband and I arrived on a Thursday evening just after a New Zealand couple. Two other guests were exploring Route 66 from Chicago through Oklahoma.
“One visitor from Finland rode his moped the entire length of Route 66. Afterward, he donated pieces of his moped to his favorite stops. He gifted us his handlebars, which we have on display,” says Conklin.
Guests check in at the Carthage Visitor Center next door, which formerly housed a 1964 Sinclair gas station. Its gift shop sells Route 66 souvenirs created by 21 local artists—t-shirts to notecards to Route 66 guides. Plans include constructing a green space connecting the motel and visitor center where fellow travelers can relax and swap Route 66 stories around fire pits and outside seating. With the 100th anniversary of Route 66 in 2026, the foundation will partner with the city to celebrate.
“We love to welcome new guests and offer them the chance to experience the simpler days of travel,” says Conklin. “We already have reservations for the 2026 anniversary.”
Visit BootsCourt66.com for more information.