USPS will release Route 66 Forever stamps soon. See the colorful set

The iconic Route 66 turns 100 this year and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) is commemorating “The Mother Road” by issuing a set of colorful Forever stamps featuring photos of memorable spots along the historic highway.

USPS will issue the Route 66 Forever stamps on May 5 at the National Postal Forum at the Phoenix Convention Center in Arizona, the annual trade show for the mailing and shipping industry.

The stamp-issuing ceremony will be held at 9:15 a.m. in the convention center lobby, and that event is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged, the USPS said.

What’s on the Route 66 Forever stamps?

The set of eight Route 66 Forever stamps features snapshots by photographer David J. Schwartz, who has made more than 40 trips along the iconic route over the past 22 years.

These stops are captured the photos:

• Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon Missouri, with a blue 1957 Chevy Bel Air parked in front of the sign (taken in March 2016, during motel’s 70^th anniversary)
• The Original Brick Road in Auburn, Illinois, with a 1929 Ford Model A. cruising along the road (taken in May 2019)
• Oil Capital Motel sign in Tulsa, Oklahoma, during sunrise (taken in June 2022)
• Grants Café sign in Grants, New Mexico (taken in August 2012)
• Conoco Tower Station in Shamrock, Texas, as a storm was rolling in (taken in May 2020)
• Kan-O-Tex gas pump at Cars on the Route in Galena, Kansas (taken in August 2011)
• Motel sign in Yucca, Arizona (taken in August 2018)
• Beverly Hills City Hall in Beverly Hills, California (taken in February 2023)

Schwartz will be one of the featured speakers at the May 5 stamp ceremony.

While Route 66 is no longer frequently used, quirky tourists spots along the roadway still exist. Jonathan Gonzalez reports for the NBC4 News at 4 p.m. on Friday, July 4, 2025.

Route 66 turns 100

Route 66, which spans more than 2,400 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica, was first established on Nov. 11, 2026.

The historic highway’s centennial celebration will kick off on April 30 in Springfield, Missouri, also known as the birthplace of Route 66.

Meanwhile, the Road Ahead Partnership — a group of eight representatives from eight states through which Route 66 runs — has been working to revitalize the roadway by boosting tourism.

“Route 66 is more than just a road,” Bill Thomas, chairman of the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership, told NBC Los Angeles last summer. “It represented adventure. Our spirit of freedom along the open road. And it’s just been so important in the development of our nation.”