Exploring Sapulpa’s Route 66 Christmas Chute

Editor’s Note: The Route 66 Christmas Chute will be closed in 2025 due to street construction. But they’ll be back in 2026!

We first went to Sapulpa’s Route 66 Christmas Chute in 2022 – the first year it opened – and finally made it back this past weekend! Our first visit was on a Sunday morning, so a lot of shops weren’t open. This year, we visited on a Sunday afternoon and stayed through the evening. There was a lot more to do in that time frame, and it was fun to see how the area’s grown and developed!

The Christmas Chute Itself

As a refresher, the Route 66 Christmas Chute is a series of decorated canopies lining downtown Sapulpa. The road is blocked off for a few blocks, making it easy to walk around without worrying about traffic. While the canopies looked fairly similar to how they’d looked in 2022, this year they added some Christmas movie-themed elements to each one, and a scavenger hunt inviting you to look for those themed elements in exchange for a prize. I will say, that there are ten canopies and each had five things to search for, in addition to a “Christmas pickle” in each. So it was a very lengthy scavenger hunt, and I wasn’t terribly sad when I mislaid the piece of paper marking our progress.

“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer” scavenger hunt item

But – even though there was a lot of familiarity in the canopies, it was still wonderful to see! I don’t think I’d ever get bored year after year, and there were definitely new things to see as well. Plus, we stayed till the sun went down this time, and got to see the canopies all a-glow, which was definitely a plus! If you’re wondering what time of day to visit, I will say that it was much less crowded earlier in the day. However, if you want the true festival-like experience (and the glowing canopies), be sure to stay till sunset.

One can’t-miss aspect of the Chute is all of the photo opps. So dress up in your favorite holiday outfit and start snapping pics! There’s even a Santa’s sleigh underneath a huge Christmas tree, perfect for your next family photo.

Shopping

Before heading to the Christmas Chute, check local shops for open hours. Getting to visit some of the antique shops lining the street was one of my favorite parts! Although I always love a good antique store.

Tatanka Trading Post was probably my favorite. They had reasonable prices and a huge variety of vendors, most of which were selling true vintage items. If you collect old wooden Christmas ornaments, you can pick some up for just a dollar or two here!

But the Route 66 Vintage Market was amazing, too! It kept going – upstairs and downstairs, I couldn’t believe how huge the space was! Honestly was surprised I didn’t get lost!

And there are lots of fun boutiques along the street as well, a gourmet popcorn shop and more.

On one end of the Christmas Chute, you’ll find a series of pop-up shops in little garden sheds. These will be more handmade/crafty items, perfect for holiday decor, gifting, etc. Loved the set-up here!

Eats and Drinks

Since we ended up hanging out in the area for several hours, it felt like we tried just about every local dining option! We knew we wanted to go back to Little Taiyaki – and their own Christmas decor was so festive! Plus, I got to try their pumpkin spice/horchata swirl, which was sooo delicious!

For lunch, we found ourselves at Crossroads Cookery. The burger was pretty good, and the fries were fresh and well seasoned. Plus, they have some fun drinks both on their seasonal coffee menu and cocktail/mocktail menus. I tried a ginger/lime/cranberry mocktail – with a sprig of rosemary – and if you love strong ginger flavors, give this a try!

The Route 66 Christmas Chute also has a side street of food trucks. Only one was open when we were ready for our late lunch (at around 2). But the rest opened up closer to four.

Sadly, when we were ready to leave, our car had trouble, and we had to wait for an extra hour or two for rescue. But that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, as it gave us a better view of the lights, and we got to kill time at Sapulpa’s local brewery, James Calley Brewing Co. James Calley isn’t right off the main street but is just a block behind the Chute – next to an adorable Sugar Llamas locale. They have some food options in addition to their tasty beer. We got to sample their stout, but I ended up getting their “Peddling Duck” because I liked the name. And it was tasty, too. But the atmosphere was really neat – they had some cool furniture, it was a large and open space, and really seemed like a great Sapulpa destination.

Apologies for the poor photo quality!

If you like Italian food, Sapulpa also has a fairly new Italian restaurant, Il Gusto. And I was excited to see CTX Coffee open up in the evening for the peak Chute time. We just got a hot chocolate, as it was late, but the interior smelled delicious, and I hope to try their coffee someday!

Anyway, do check with local restaurants to confirm dining times. Google had different hours for Little Taiyaki than they were actually open on Sunday, and CTX is marked as “Closed” on Sundays, so I think things are all just a little different while the Christmas Chute is in residence.

Igloo Village

If you, like us, are planning on spending all day at the Chute – especially if you’re making it a friends and/or family event – consider renting an igloo! Each igloo is themed – examples include The Grinch, Gingerbread, Retro Christmas, etc. The igloos are $150 for two hours, so it definitely adds quite a sum to your overall budget. They fit 8-10 people, so you could split the cost perhaps. The rental includes access to lawn games and fire pits (s’mores kits sold separately for about $2.50). Details at okiekidzinflatables.com/category/okie-igloo-village

Dates and Times

The Route 66 Christmas Chute is open daily through Dec. 29. It is open 8 a.m.-10 p.m. A map is available at route66christmaschute.com/map. There is plenty of free parking in downtown Sapulpa, especially if you go slightly earlier in the day. We didn’t have to try to find a parking spot when things got more crowded at night.

Do check the event schedule to learn when you can take photos with Santa, see live entertainment, and more: route66christmaschute.com/events

There’s a helpful information booth at the Chute, so if you have any questions while visiting, just look for that. We saw a ton of volunteers walking around, too, which was nice.

Again, even though we ended up staying a couple of hours longer than planned, we absolutely loved our day at the Route 66 Christmas Chute! It was easy to get to and easy to spend several hours there. Hopefully we will be back next year – if not a second time in 2024!