OATMAN, AZ (AZFamily) — This year marks the centennial of Route 66, 100 years since the highway connected Chicago to California through northern Arizona.

The so-called Mother Road played a significant role in shaping many of the towns in northern Arizona, including Oatman, where Route 66 helped transform a dying ghost town into a tourist destination.

Nestled in the mountains at the western edge of Arizona, Oatman has fewer than 100 residents but draws more than half a million visitors each year. People come for the mining history and the burros, but what saved this town from obscurity is that it sits on Route 66.

From gold boom to ghost town

Main Street Oatman is only about a quarter of a mile long, but it comes to life with old west gunfights, burros, and friendly locals.

Over a hundred years ago, it was a mining town and one of the highest producers of gold in the American West.

“Once that happened, everybody in the country knew there was gold here and that’s when the boom of Oatman actually started,” said local Mike Fox. “Route 66 went from mining area to mining area.”

Fox first moved to Oatman in 1986. He has worked as one of the local gunfighters and spent his time learning the town’s history.

Fox said Oatman’s boom lasted just a couple of decades. America’s focus shifted away from gold, and in 1951, Oatman and this stretch of Route 66 were bypassed.

“Once that happened, Oatman literally just died and became nothing but a wide spot in the road for the next 30 years,” Fox said.

Oatman fell on hard times, and its population dropped by thousands.

Route 66 resurrection

By the early 1990s, something was changing. Western movies had been shot in town, and an appreciation for the Mother Road resurfaced. Route 66 helped to resurrect the town.

“More and more people started traveling through Oatman and Oatman started coming back to life,” Fox said. “We actually sit on the longest stretch of Route 66.”

Now, more than 500,000 people visit Oatman each year from all over the world.

Julie Slayden is the owner of Julie’s Saloon. She said Oatman is now a Route 66 bucket list destination for tourists passing through.

“Julie’s Saloon, the sign out there is what they want a picture underneath so that’s one of their stops on the bucket list,” Slayden said. “You can have people on the bar tops from all over the place just having conversations with each other.”

Today, tourism is the town’s main economic driver, but Fox said it has taken a hit since the pandemic. He is hopeful this year’s Route 66 centennial will create another boom.

“It’s coming back and it will come back. It’s just a matter of time,” Fox said.

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Ahead of Valentine’s Day, the biggest date night of the year, Yelp revealed its list of the 100 most romantic restaurants in the U.S., and six Arizona restaurants made the cut.

The list was compiled using data from reviews posted by Yelp’s Elite members, ranking restaurants that offered features like “candlelit ambiance, breathtaking views, or indulgent culinary creations” based on the total volume and ratings of reviews.

How many dates have you been on at the cozy Arizona restaurants that made Yelp’s 2026 list? Here’s a closer look at the six date-night-approved restaurants that got a shout-out this year, including one named best in the U.S.

Cafe Monarch

Cafe Monarch has once again been named the No. 1 most romantic restaurant in the U.S. by Yelp. The Old Town Scottsdale restaurant offers prix fixe four-course dinners. It is known for its elegant architecture and the staff’s fine attention to detail. A strict dress code is enforced.

Details: 6939 E. First Ave., Scottsdale. 480-970-7682, cafemonarch.com.

Cibo

Cibo, an intimate Italian restaurant nestled inside a historic bungalow in downtown Phoenix, was No. 3 on Yelp’s list. Guests can choose to sit inside the cozy house or outside on the patio, draped with twinkling string lights and greenery. The menu includes wood-fired pizzas, house-made pastas, saltimbocca bread, salads and crepes.

Details: 603 N. Fifth Ave., Phoenix. 602-441-2697, cibophoenix.com.

Dahl & DiLuca Ristorante Italiano

Chef Lisa Dahl’s Sedona fine dining restaurant was No. 14 on Yelp’s list. Dahl & DiLuca Ristorante Italiano was praised by Yelp Elites for its “elegant ambiance, ornate decor, and welcoming, attentive service.”

Details: 2321 W. Highway 89A, Sedona. 928-282-5219, dahlanddiluca.com.

LON’s at the Hermosa Inn

LON’s restaurant at the Hermosa Inn was No. 83 on Yelp’s list. Yelp Elites shouted out the restaurant for its “Southwestern fine dining with adobe-chic elegance and stunning desert views… contemporary American dishes, from mesquite-grilled steaks to cactus-fed lamb, amid a lush patio garden.”

Details: 5532 N. Palo Cristi Road, Paradise Valley. 602-955-7878, azhideawaycollection.com/hermosa-inn.

January 28 – Jordan Burks hit a go-ahead 3-pointer and forced a turnover in the final 34 seconds as UCF rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit to pull off a 79-76 Big 12 win over Arizona State on Tuesday night in Orlando, Fla.

Riley Kugel paced the Knights (16-4, 4-3 Big 12) with 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Burks added 15 points and three steals while Jamichael Stillwell posted 14 points.

Maurice Odum produced 18 points and six assists for the Sun Devils (11-10, 2-6), who never trailed in the second half until 1:11 to go. Anthony Johnson added 12 points and Bryce Ford had 11.

UCF took its first lead of the second half on Carmelo Pacheco’s 3-pointer with 1:11 to go. Odum answered with a pair of free throws to regain a 1-point edge.

Burks then took a diagonal feed from Kugel and canned the wide-open 3-pointer for a 78-76 lead. After Burks swiped an Odum pass, Themus Fulks tacked on a free throw. Ford’s deep ball at the buzzer was errant to give the Knights the comeback victory.

UCF shot 45% from the floor and held a 40-28 advantage in rebounding. The Sun Devils hit 47% from the field and made 10 of 23 (43%) from deep.

UCF sprinted to a 9-2 lead behind Bol’s layup and dunk, but the Sun Devils battled back and grabbed a 12-11 lead on Johnson’s 27-footer three minutes later.

Nearing the 10-minute mark, Kugel faked a defender, drove to his right and threw down a vicious dunk for a 16-14 lead to bring the UCF crowd to life as part of a 7-0 run.

Allen Mukeba’s tomahawk dunk on a 3-point play put the Sun Devils up 24-22 at the 6:13 mark. Odom’s deep ball at 5:34 gave the visitors their largest lead at 27-22 on the way to a 39-35 lead at the break.

The second half was played tightly over the first eight minutes, with the Sun Devils holding a slim lead that extended to five, 52-47, on Andrija Grbovic’s trey at 11:22.

Grbovic stroked another 3-pointer and Noah Meeusen converted three free throws. Odum’s 3-pointer with 8:26 capped a 9-0 run that pushed the lead to 61-51.

With 6:09 remaining, the lead grew to 70-58 on Massamba Diop’s two freebies — Arizona State’s largest advantage — but the Knights mounted a charge and tied it with 2:39 left on Fulks’ pair of free throws that wrapped an 11-0 run.

–Field Level Media

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