"4 women on the route"

Lovely photo op with Mater! Charming building and old cars. We are disappointed they were once again closed today. We were here in 2012 and again today and have not been able to catch the place open!

It's just a small shop that sells Route 66 gifts and has a small area for food. it also has a tow truck that sits on the side that is the inspiration for Tow Mater in the movie cars. What made this stop was the visit with Melba the Mouth. She talks fast and has a lot to say but she is friendly and genuinely enjoys having people visit! If doing a route 66 trip, this is a recommended stop!

My wife, daughter and I started our trip on the Mother Road/Route 66 in Joplin, Mo., en route to Tulsa, Ok, and this was one of our first stops. It wasn't open at that hour of the morning, but the owner, Miss Melba, saw some folks there (us and some visitors from Spain), and came and opened up early (9:30 AM). My daughter enjoyed getting to see the original "Mater", from the movie "Cars", and we heard the story of how the Pixar/Disney crew "discovered" him abandoned beside the road with a tree growing out of his back, and made him a movie star. Several of the buildings in Galena appeared, in minor roles, in "Cars" as well. By the way, the current name of the Business has been changed; it is now "Cars on the Route"The store carries a large amount of Route 66 t-shirts, magnets, keyrings and other miscellaneous memorabilia of the "Main Street of America", and it's well worth stopping in just to meet Miss Melba, aka "Melba the Mouth" (it's how she introduced herself....) The building across the road in front of the station was in the movie, but go around to the right side (as you are facing it) to see some neat old wall advertising. The town gives you a real sense of the struggle many of these little towns had to survive after they were bypassed by the new interstate highways.This little restored gas station is well worth a stop to anyone traveling Route 66. And if you haven't traveled Route 66, what are you waiting for?Happy Motoring.....

One of the iconic spots on Route 66, the former 4 Women on the Route is the inspiration for some of the scenes from the film Cars. The day we went Melba the Mouth gave us a history lesson on how Tow Mater was brought to life on film,which buildings in Galena were used in the film and highlighted spots on Route 66 to visit. She is a total character who literally talks 10 to the dozen! Nice gift shop too. She let us to sit inside Tow Mater for a photo opportunity too. You must stop and have a chat. You'll be glad you did.Clean cafe nice lady.But even if you don't want to buy any thing she is still happy to give you a free map.

One of the iconic spots on Route 66, the former 4 Women on the Route is the inspiration for some of the scenes from the film Cars. The day we went Melba the Mouth gave us a history lesson on how Tow Mater was brought to life on film,which buildings in Galena were used in the film and highlighted spots on Route 66 to visit. She is a total character who literally talks 10 to the dozen! Nice gift shop too. She let us to sit inside Tow Mater for a photo opportunity too. You must stop and have a chat. You'll be glad you did.

We stopped en route, though it was out of season and the building was closed we were able to take photos of Tow Mater and have a look around. The car is well maintained and well worth a quick stop off!

Very informative and well mannered lady. Has plenty of knowledge about the surrounding areas. Ideal for kids.

A must stop for anyone traveling Route 66. The service station is home to the real "Tow Mater" from the movie Cars. The service station is operated by a "Melba the Mouth" from Cars 2. She tells a very interesting story about the service station, Tow Mater and the surrounding buildings in the town. Very entertaining stop.

Stazione di servizio con annessa vecchia pompa di benzina, qui nasce il personaggio di Cricchetto del film Cars, giusto per fare una sosta e qualche foto.

Si tratta di un distributore con vecchie pompe di benzina dove è possibile anche soffermarsi a bere qualcosa nell'annesso bar. E' una delle tante attrazioni storiche presenti nella Route 66 sebbene sia una delle pochissime presenti in Kansas visto che la Mother Road è presente in questo Stato solamente per circa 20 Km.. Caratteristica!