Why It Matters
Weatherford calls itself the Space City of Oklahoma, and it has the credentials. Thomas P. Stafford grew up here, was selected by NASA in 1962, and flew four missions: Gemini 6, Gemini 9, Apollo 10, and Apollo-Soyuz, commanding three of them. For the joint US and Soviet Apollo-Soyuz flight he was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. His mother came to Oklahoma in a covered wagon and lived to watch her only child fly to the moon.
Down the road in Clinton, the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum is the state's official telling of the Mother Road, walking decade by decade from the 1920s through the road's long decline and revival. If you only stop at one Route 66 museum in Oklahoma, most travelers make it this one.
The RV Adventurer's Take
Both stops sit right off I-40 with easy access and real parking, which makes this the most RV-friendly county on the Route 66 list. The Stafford museum holds more than 60,000 square feet of exhibits including a full Titan II rocket, Stafford's flown Apollo 10 spacesuit, the Gemini 6A spacecraft, and an F-1 engine from a Saturn V.
Weatherford also has the Wind Energy Park and Southwestern Oklahoma State University, and the town makes a comfortable overnight if you are running west toward the Panhandle or Texas.
Field Note
The Stafford museum is open seven days, roughly 360 days a year, and charges admission, currently around fourteen dollars for adults with discounts for seniors, veterans, and students. The Clinton Route 66 Museum keeps different days and has been closed Sundays, so check before you build a Sunday around it. Give the Stafford museum at least two hours. People routinely underestimate it.
History to See
Weatherford also holds the Oklahoma Heartland of America Museum for the pioneer and agricultural side of the county's story. Route 66 ran through town as Main Street, and the old alignment is still drivable in stretches, lined with the bones of the cafes, motels, and filling stations that served the road.