A rusty tow truck parked outside a restored gas station in Galena, Kansas, is credited with inspiring Mater from Pixar's "Cars" — and that might be the best-known fact about this small border town. Sitting just 13 miles from Joplin, Missouri, across the state line, Galena occupies one of the shortest stretches of Route 66 in any state: a mere 7.5 miles of Kansas. Locals will tell you it's a drive-through kind of place, but travellers doing the Mother Road centennial circuit are finding reasons to pull over.

The town's identity comes from two sources. Lead mining gave it a purpose in the 19th and 20th centuries, and Route 66 — which opened in 1926 and turns 100 in 2026 — gave it its look. Downtown is a time capsule of 1940s and '50s storefronts, with murals honouring the highway all over town. You can drive through a painted Route 66 shield on Front Street, snap a postcard-style mural on Main Street, and check out a 100-foot-wide arch decorated with 16 murals, built for the highway's centennial. A 22-foot Muffler Man statue nicknamed Big A stands guard outside Gearhead Curios.

That restored 1930s Texaco station is one of Galena's star attractions. Inside, the fireplace is built from 1930s Chevy parts, hundreds of licence plates cover the ceiling, and old gas nozzles have become lamps. Outside, a 1951 Hudson resembles Doc Hudson from "Cars." Two blocks of roadside history later, you'll hit Cars on the Route, a restored Kan-O Tex station with tow trucks resembling Mater and a firetruck that channels Red. One of those tow trucks is the very one said to have sparked Mater's creation. For context on what built the town, the Galena Mining & Historical Museum runs daily tours through old photographs, vintage clothing and mining equipment.

Then there's the food, which punches above the town's weight. Sweet Creek Diner & Bakery ranks among Galena's top three restaurants on Tripadvisor for homestyle fried chicken, burgers, hearty breakfast skillets and, reportedly, giant chocolate chip cookies. Mi Torito, a family-run Mexican spot just off Route 66 on Main Street, holds a 4.6-star Google rating from nearly 1,300 reviews — chimichangas, grilled shrimp and famously huge margaritas. Three hundred feet away, Gravy's Place is the local bar for a post-dinner beer and a game of pool.

Practicalities: Galena Motel is the main bed in town, but its 3.2-star Google rating suggests many travellers base themselves in Joplin instead, a 15-minute drive east with far more hotel choice plus camping, fishing and hiking. Springfield, Missouri, is about 90 minutes away if you want a bigger city on the itinerary.

Galena suits road-trippers chasing Route 66 nostalgia — the photographers, the Pixar fans, the diner-hoppers — rather than travellers expecting a full destination. Budget half a day: a couple of gas stations, a museum, a mural walk and a proper lunch. That's the charm.