Route 66, Illinois -
samantha brown's places to love

Samantha begins her trip in an unlikely but fascinating place--Old Joliet Prison--where she meets with former warden, Dennis Wolff, to find out what life was like at the prison and how the classic film The Blues Brothers came to be within its walls. In true John Belushi/Dan Akroyd style, Samantha meets up with a fellow traveler outside the prison gates--best friend Christina Burns--and they head to the iconic Polk-a-dot Drive-in for some classic American fare. Over burgers and fries, Route 66 historian and author, John Weiss, gives our travelers his insider knowledge of the best places to stop along the way. Samantha and Christina make a pit stop at the Pontiac Oakland Auto Museum for a close-up view of some of the flashiest cars ever to travel the mother road. Every fascinating place along the way deserves a quick stop--including Funks Grove Maple Sirup, where Samantha tries the bourbon-flavored sirup and learns why there's no "y" in this sticky place's name. In McClean, Samantha and Christina find America's Playable Arcade Museum chock-a-block full of hundreds of classic and fully functioning games and pinball machines. In Springfield, Samantha becomes immersed in the world of our nation's 16th president at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum. Next stop is the Route History Museum where Dr. Stacy Grundy illuminates what Route 66 was like for Black travelers in the era of Jim Crow and sundown towns. Before leaving the Illinois capital, Samantha enjoys a culinary original at the Cozy Dog Diner. She and Christina lunch with Buz Waldmire--brother to famous Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire (whose "road yacht" Samantha and Christina encounter along the way. At the Ace Neon Sign Museum, Dennis Bringuet recalls memories of the Cozy Dog Diner while he shows Samantha and Christina one of the world's best collections of vintage neon signs. Samantha follows the red brick road portion of Route 66 in Auburn to the Cahokia Mounds, a UNES

Episode Duration: 27 minutes and 46 seconds

Episode Number: 702

About Samantha Brown's Places to Love:

For more than 17 years, TV host Samantha Brown has been exploring all four corners of the world, visiting more than 260 cities in 62 countries, sharing her adventures and introducing new cultures to viewers.

Now, the two-time Emmy Award-winner embarks on her next journey with her new travel series SAMANTHA BROWN'S PLACES TO LOVE.

Unlike a traditional travelogue show with a formulaic itinerary, PLACES TO LOVE delivers decidedly refreshing and enriching travel experiences by taking viewers on a discovery of the emotional heart of travel and highlighting the people who are changing, challenging and strengthening a destination.

From Brooklyn, New York and Monterey, California to Shanghai, China and Donegal in Ireland, Samantha seeks out the little-known spots and haunts where innovators and disrupters are creating a brand new travel experience.

Whether it's through food and drink, art and design, culture or adventure, at the end of each episode, viewers will have a well-curated list of new experiences that focus on not just how to visit a destination, but how to fully immerse in it.

The 13-part series encourages viewers to experience the passion of people and the soul of a place in a way that only traveling can do.

Samantha's career as a television travel host happened by accident.

A producer spotted her work in a commercial and recommended her to the Travel Channel in 1999 to audition for a new show called Great Vacation Homes.

A decade of various series followed, including Great Hotels, Passport to Europe, Passport to Latin America, Samantha Brown's Asia, The Trip, 50/50, and many others.

Samantha's fun-loving style has made her a beloved and engaging television personality whose approach is less expert and more a person you would want to travel with.

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