National Geographic recently released its Best of the World Destinations 2026, a roundup of 25 global destinations meant to inspire, and included on the list is one of Oklahoma’s most iconic landmarks.
Each year, the travel publication makes a call to its community of writers, photographers, editors and videographers around the world to submit the destinations they think are best to visit in the upcoming year.
The latest list includes alternatives to an overcrowded spot or exciting events in 2026, such as viewing the solar eclipse in a historic Spanish city or visiting the world’s first sperm whale reserve in an underrated Caribbean destination.
On the list, National Geographic named Route 66 through Oklahoma as one of its top 25 places to visit in the world in 2026, just as the historic highway celebrates its centennial next year.
Here’s what to know about Oklahoma’s inclusion on National Geographic’s Best of the World 2026 list.
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Route 66 named to Best of the World 2026 list
Route 66 is one of the nation’s most famous highways and served as a primary route for travelers migrating west during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s. Communities along the route later fought to keep it alive when interstates constructed in the 1960s and 1970s threatened to bypass them.
The historic stretch of road spans 2,400 miles across two-thirds of the continent, according to the National Park Service, connecting Chicago to Santa Monica, California.
To prepare for the highway’s 100th birthday next year, the Oklahoma Department of Transportation has spent more than $82 million on the state’s 400-mile stretch of Route 66, the National Geographic reports.
National Geographic recommends visiting Tulsa, the Capital of Route 66 and home of highway commissioner Cyrus Avery. Avery was the main force behind creating the route.
In National Geographic’s destination spotlight guide, journalist Zoey Goto also brings attention to Arcadia and Clinton, in particular, the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum.
“Flyover country? That’s in the rearview mirror,” Goto wrote.
National Geographic’s Best of the World 2026 list
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Akagera National Park, Rwanda, East Africa
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Black Sea Coast, TĂĽrkiye
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Coastal Oaxaca (Costa Chica), Mexico
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South Korea (Dongseo Trail)
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The Dolomites, Milan, Italy
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Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, Australia
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Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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Yamagata Prefecture, Japan
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: National Geographic names Oklahoma spot in top places to visit in 2026
