The Golden Light has been serving beer and burgers on Route 66 since 1946, making it one of the oldest continuously operating bars on the old highway. It sits in the heart of the historic 6th Street district in a low brick building with a neon sign that looks exactly as it should. The interior is dim and unpretentious — pool tables, mismatched furniture, and the kind of décor that accumulates over eight decades rather than being designed.
Live music, mostly country, blues, and Americana, fills the back room on weekend nights and some weeknights. The burgers are simple and good. It is the kind of place that exists in every Route 66 town but usually doesn't survive this long — that the Golden Light is still going, still feels authentic, and has not been converted into a themed experience is itself something worth appreciating.