Grants sits on one of the better-preserved stretches of historic Route 66 in New Mexico. The original alignment runs through downtown as Santa Fe Avenue, flanked by fading neon signs for motels and cafes that served the westbound migration of the post-war decades. The road was once the main route for Okies fleeing the Dust Bowl and Californians heading east; Grants grew to serve them all.
A 18-foot neon arch straddling the road was added in 2016 and is illuminated at night, giving the corridor a retrofitted photogenic quality. Several diners survive along the old alignment — the Monte Carlo and El Cafecito are the locals' choices — and a handful of independent motels still take guests in the old motor court buildings. The stretch between Mesita and the Continental Divide, accessible from exits along I-40, gives the most uninterrupted sense of the old highway.