Oatman, the wild "living" ghost town saved by Route 66

Sadly, it all went downhill from there, starting after a brutal 1921 fire ripped through town. In 1924, United Eastern Mines shut down operations. Fortunately for Oatman, even though the district had produced $40 million in gold by the '40s (when the government shut down remaining gold mines as part of the WWII effort to mine for metals needed for the military) it was still in a pretty favorable location along Route 66.

A new route bypassed Oatman in the mid-1950s, and nearly a decade later, the town was a virtual ghost town. But Oatman has proved to be a town of fighters, and now the settlement draws in visitors every year, and enjoys its reputation as an iconic stop along Old Route 66. The road that once saved the town from demise is now being helped by Oatman's popularity as a tourist attraction.

One of the biggest draws? The wild burros that wander the town. These are descended from the burros that worked the mines; once the mines closed, the burros were set free ... but they couldn't bring themselves to stay too far from Oatman, and to this day, you can meet some of the animals as they meander along the road. Additionally, there are more than 40 shops, eateries, and other attractions now open in town. Here's our guide to the ones that you just can't miss.

The town is reportedly named after Olive Oatman (a young girl from Illinois) who, according to legend, was kidnapped by the Yavapai tribe. Allegedly, they forced her to become a slave and later traded to the Mohave Indians, who treated her much better. They adopted her as one of their own and tattooed her face (as was tribal custom). She was released after spending three years with the tribe. Her family then settled in the area that would become Oatman. The Olive Oatman Restaurant is named for her, and remains a solid stop for casual eats in town. Try the Navajo fry bread (either served with beef and toppings as a taco, or with ice cream and fruit for a sweet treat), buy a tune on the player piano, or cool off with a root beer float and their AC.

The Glory Hole is a little shop in town in a historic building. There's no shortage of stores to browse in Oatman (and definitely buy a souvenir or two to help support the local businesses), but The Glory Hole is notable for the fact that it was famously featured in "How The West Was Won". Oatman, not surprisingly, was a popular spot for filming Western movies back in the day. It's quite the photogenic little building!

Whether on your way to or from Oatman, make a stop at another Route 66 icon: the Cool Springs Gas Station. It's a great place to gear up before the winding, cliff-hugging drive to Oatman, or to take a breather after. Seriously, the half of the drive that climbs through the mountains is no joke.

Cool Springs has its origins in the 1920s when it was one of the few places to stop off and gas up on the Arizona portion of the route-- towns and businesses were few and far between in the harsh desert. Right before the intense drive through the Black Mountains with their steep grades and hairpin curves, it was the ideal place to grab some food and make sure their car was able to handle the road. Route 66 and Cool Springs went hand-in-hand: when the Route was at its peak, the roadside stop was bustling... but as road's popularity dropped off in favor of interstate highways, Cool Springs began to struggle. When the building burned down in the 1960's, it was left abandoned.

Other than a brief appearance in the 1991 Jean-Claude Van Damme movie Universal Soldier, Cool Springs was mostly forgotten... that is, until 1997 when a man named Ned Leuchtner passed by while traveling Old Route 66. He found the remains of Cool Springs and began to research the history of the spot. The more he learned, the more he was intrigued by the idea of rebuilding Cool Springs, and spent several years attempting to buy the property. Finally, in 2001, he was able to purchase Cool Springs, and by 2004, it was open again. Today, it's a small museum and gift shop, and a great place for a classic Route 66 photo op.