Jack Rabbit Trading Post

Location: Joseph City, Arizona
Overview:
On the historic Route 66 in Arizona stands the Jack Rabbit Trading Post, a roadside icon that has welcomed countless travelers since it first opened in 1949. For generations, people have pulled over to snap a photo in front of that famous logo, with its unmistakable red letters—“HERE IT IS.” Paired with the silhouette of a jackrabbit, the sign seems to hold a mysterious power, as if to say: “That thing you’ve been chasing across endless miles? It’s right here.”
More than just a quirky pit stop, this place has become a symbol of Route 66’s enduring place in American culture—a landmark that captures the spirit of the open road. Even today, the Jack Rabbit Trading Post continues to stir the wanderlust of modern travelers, echoing the nostalgic rhythms of a bygone “age of motoring.” It’s no surprise that it inspired a location in the animated film Cars.

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Cruising along Route 66, we were suddenly struck by a giant sign that seemed to leap out of nowhere.

We turned the car around, drawn back by what we’d just passed—

a sign that simply read:

“HERE IT IS.”

We had to see it for ourselves.

It felt like stepping back into the golden days of the old highway—the Mother Road.

Back when Route 66 was in its prime,

when travelers from all over would have done just what we did: stop and turn around.

From the time John Steinbeck described it in The Grapes of Wrath,
through its heyday as a neon-lit artery lined with motels and memories,
to the year 2025—

we, too, have been pulled in,

drawn all the way here by that giant yellow sign and the jackrabbit that still waits beside it.