Drive all of Route 66, and you’ll not find any stops like Claremont. Just forty-five miles from the Santa Monica Pier (a mile west of the Mother Road’s western terminus), Claremont is the unofficial academic heart of Route 66. After all, this city of 36,000 is a legendary university town, with seven prestigious colleges to explore, a rich tradition of historic preservation, and enough shade along Route 66 (Foothill Boulevard) and its delightful, walkable downtown, Claremont Village, to earn its unique nickname, “City of Trees and PhDs.” It’s also an essential visit for Route 66 travelers, with a rich history of art and architecture and a wealth of dining, shopping, and cultural riches.

A CITY OF TREES AND PHDs

Claremont took shape in 1887, when the Santa Fe railroad laid tracks through the San Gabriel Valley. Land developer Henry Austin Palmer helped locate the spot where the city was founded. The source of Claremont’s name is debated. Some link it to an early railroad director who hailed from Claremont, New Hampshire, although it’s more commonly believed to be from Palmer himself, who moved here from the Claremont neighborhood of Berkeley, California.

The first of Claremont’s colleges arrived in 1888, and the town’s New England-minded founders and residents wanted to give their new home a true Eastern college-town feel.

“They planted all these trees," says John Neiuber, president of Claremont Heritage. "Claremont's called the City of Trees, and it looks like a little East Coast town, a little New England town."

As automobiles replaced trains, local boosters pushed for an east-west highway along the foothills, spawning Foothill Boulevard, which later became (a paved) part of Route 66 in 1931.

COLLEGIATE AT HEART

Claremont's leafy character owes much to the prestigious Claremont Colleges, seven neighboring institutions that collectively enroll more than 8,000 students. The story began with Pomona College, which was founded in 1887 and moved to Claremont a year later. Beginning in the 1920s, it evolved into an unusual consortium modeled in part by Oxford and Cambridge with five independent undergraduate colleges—Pomona, Scripps, Claremont McKenna, Harvey Mudd, and Pitzer—and later Claremont Graduate University and Keck Graduate Institute. Each college maintains its own identity and specialties while students share academic programs, facilities, and resources across adjoining campuses. The science and engineering-focused Harvey Mudd routinely ranks among the top five universities in the United States.

You don't need an acceptance letter to explore. The campuses are walkable and open to visitors, with architecture alone making a wander worthwhile. At Pomona College, stroll Marston Quad between the Carnegie Building and imposing Bridges Auditorium; nearby Scripps, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, offers one of the consortium's loveliest campuses.

Claremont Heritage regularly leads quarterly two-hour guided campus walking tours along with Claremont Village tours (typically at 10 a.m. on the first Saturday of the month throughout the year). Check the website for more details (www.claremontheritage.org(opens in new tab)). Claremont Heritage also offers online maps and self-guided walking tours.

"There's just some great architecture here," Neiuber says.

A FOUNDATION OF PRESERVATION

Claremont's historic character isn't a happy accident. The city has a long tradition of saving old buildings rather than replacing them, and, just as importantly, finding new uses for them.

“The historic core has really been preserved,” Neiuber says. “There’s been some losses, like any place, but there is real dedication to preservation and maintaining the unique look of the town.”

You can see the results around Claremont Village. The old College Heights Lemon Packing House, a survivor of Claremont's once-booming citrus industry, has been reborn with restaurants, shops, and other businesses. The historic Santa Fe Depot now houses the Claremont Lewis Museum of Art, while the Old School House—Claremont's former high school, right on Route 66—has become another destination for dining and shopping.

“Adaptive reuse is something we really push,” Neiuber says.

And the preservation continues: the 1928 Vortox Building, once home to a local manufacturer of air-cleaning equipment, is slated to become a public market and food hall in the developing Village South neighborhood.

ARTFUL BEGINNINGS

Claremont's college influence also helped turn the town into an arts hub. One of the leading figures was artist and designer Millard Sheets, who taught at Scripps College and established a prolific design studio right on Route 66. Among his many works, Sheets is perhaps best known nationally for designing the enormous Word of Life mural at the University of Notre Dame—known by generations of football fans as “Touchdown Jesus.” In Claremont, Sheets’ 1958 studio still stands at 655 East Foothill Boulevard, adorned by colorful mosaics on its exterior.

Continue west on Route 66 to the former Pomona First Federal Savings and Loan building at Indian Hill Boulevard (now the U.S. Bank, at 393 W Foothill Boulevard, and the location of the Route 66 Centennial Monument), another Sheets-designed building. Its striking 1968 mosaic, on the south-facing wall overlooking Route 66, depicts Native Americans on horseback amid blooming yuccas in Sheets’ distinctive style.

In 2016, the town’s legacy of art found a new home in the Claremont Lewis Museum of Art (200 West First Avenue, clmoa.org(opens in new tab)), set in the stunningly restored Spanish Colonial revival Santa Fe Depot building from 1927. In addition to rotating displays celebrating Southern California arts, it boasts a rich collection of local art and hosts regular events including November’s FestivArts and live concerts. The museum is open Thursdays through Sundays.

Musically, the Folk Music Center & Museum (220 North Yale Avenue, (folkmusiccenter.com) has been a Claremont institution since 1958. Part music store, part museum, it showcases rare and unusual instruments from around the world—and visitors are encouraged to play many of them. Founders Charles and Dorothy Chase also helped make Claremont a folk music destination, bringing performers like Doc Watson, John Fahey, Brownie McGhee, and Sonny Terry to town. The center moved to its present Village location in 1970 and remains in the family. Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Ben Harper, who grew up around the store, is the grandson of the founders and now the current owner.

CLAREMONT VILLAGE – AN OASIS OF SHOPPING, DINING, and COMMUNITY

No place differentiates Claremont’s uniqueness in Southern California like Claremont Village, what is known as a “downtown” in other cities.

This charming, eclectic shopping and dining district in the heart of the city encompasses approximately sixteen pedestrian-friendly blocks, offering an enviable array of eateries, shops, and locally owned businesses that serve Claremont residents and visitors.

Tourists delight in the area’s classy yet easygoing vibe. Composed of mostly one-story, “human scale” buildings in a dense, walkable area, Claremont Village features more than 150 shops, restaurants, and entertainment destinations. This historical and vibrant district was purposefully designed in the style of a New England or European-style city center, and serves as the beating heart of this picturesque, progressive city.

Standouts in the district include the Cheese Cave (325 North Yale Avenue, claremontcheese.com), an artisanal cheese shop featuring various gourmet items. The multigenerational enterprise was founded by dairy farmers in 1910.

Walter’s Restaurant, Bar and Lounge (310 North Yale Avenue, waltersrestaurant.com(opens in new tab)) has served as a quintessential Claremont gathering place since the 1970s. The restaurant features eclectic “California global” food from its Afghan owners, a former Afghan fighter pilot who could not return home due to unrest and stayed in the U.S with his wife, a French trained pastry chef.

Union on Yale (232 North Yale Avenue, uniononyale.com), offering California casual fusion food, is a popular destination for wood-fired pizza and other plates. The restaurant features a lively patio with live music.

The sexy, French fusion-inspired continental Bardot (206 West Bonita Avenue, bardotrestaurant.com(opens in new tab)) features splendid outdoor dining and weekend brunch on Saturdays and Sundays.

Crème Bakery (116 Harvard Avenue North, bakerycreme.com(opens in new tab)) offers the city’s “closest thing to Parisian pastries,” according to a Claremont insider.

Bert and Rocky’s Ice Cream Company (242 North Yale Avenue, bertandrockys.com(opens in new tab)) is a local favorite for homemade ice cream and candies.

The Theard family brings authentic, New Orleanian cuisine to Claremont Village at the highly rated The Quarter Creole Cuisine (201 North Indian Hill Boulevard, thequartercreole.com(opens in new tab)).

Tutti Mangia (102 Harvard Avenue North, tuttimangia.com(opens in new tab)), an Italian steakhouse, offers Italian fusion cuisine.

Claremont Village is blessed with several locally owned shops and boutiques. Xerxes for Gents (319 North Yale Avenue, xerxesforgents.com(opens in new tab)) is a fine men’s clothier offering custom tailoring. Amelie (132 North Yale Avenue, amelieonyale.com(opens in new tab)) is a contemporary women’s boutique that carries multiple designer brands.

A “GIVING COMMUNITY” WITH ENCHANTING EVENTS

The last Saturday of every October, the entire Claremont Village district is blocked to vehicular traffic and transformed into a massive arts and crafts fair for Village Venture. This essential annual event, which started in 1981, brings more than 400 vendors and food trucks to Claremont Village, along with throngs of patrons. Features include a parade, beer and wine garden, and people pre-gaming Halloween festivities.

Claremont Heritage hosts the annual Claremont Heritage Home Tour every second weekend in October. The neighborhood architecture in Claremont is varied, including Georgian, Craftsmen, Spanish Revival, Midcentury Modern, and Hacienda-style homes, among other styles.

Independence Day in Claremont is a popular regional and community event that doubles as a fundraiser for local nonprofits. The massive celebration kicks off with a 1k and 5k run and pancake breakfast. Throughout the day, visitors enjoy a wide variety of vendor booths and other entertainment. All participating food booths are operated by Claremont nonprofits—there are more than 200 active nonprofits in Claremont. Other features include the T. Willard Hunter Speakers Corner (think Berkeley Free Speech Movement), where anyone can exercise their right to say whatever they want for a few minutes, a huge parade led by bicyclists, and a spectacular ending concert and fireworks show at nearby Pomona College.

NATURAL DIVERSIONS

Claremont not only preserves its architecture; it also preserves its natural environment. More than 2,000 acres of natural areas in the San Gabriel Mountains are protected at the Claremont Hills Wilderness Park, just north of town. A local favorite that opened in 1996, the park has more than twenty miles of trails, including a five-mile loop that climbs chaparral-covered hills delivering sweeping views of the San Gabriel Valley. It’s a great escape only four miles away from the Claremont Village via Mills Avenue. (Claremont Hills Wilderness Park(opens in new tab))

In town, you also can explore thousands of plants at the California Botanic Garden (1500 North College Avenue, www.calbg.org(opens in new tab)), the largest garden devoted exclusively to native California plants. Winding trails meander through eighty-six acres of desert cacti, wildflowers, and California redwoods. The garden also serves as a conservation center, helping restore native landscapes damaged by wildfires. The garden, open Tuesday through Sunday, hosts regular public events, including art workshops, yoga, and bird-watching walks.

MORE TO SEE

Most of Claremont's restaurants, cafés, and shops are clustered in the walkable Claremont Village, the historic downtown centered around Indian Hill Boulevard just south of the colleges. You’ll also find plenty of options on Route 66 (Foothill Boulevard) itself. On the eastern edge of town is Magnolia Bistro, (665 E. Foothill Blvd. themagnoliabistro.com(opens in new tab)), that partners with local businesses to curate their menu. Elviras Grill (415 W. Foothill Blvd. elvirasmexicangrill.com(opens in new tab)), located in the Old School House, serves authentic Mexican cuisine. Near Towne Avenue, the terminus of Route 66 in Claremont, is a Claremont go-to destination, Eddie’s Italian Eatery (1065 W. Foothill Blvd. www.eddieseatery.com(opens in new tab)).

A couple places linked to the Mother Road heyday include Village Grille (148 North Yale Avenue), an old-school diner downtown that dates to 1949, and Wolfe's Kitchen & Deli (160 West Foothill Boulevard, wolfesmarket.com(opens in new tab)), the surviving fourth-generation incarnation of Wolfe's Market, founded in 1917 and still serving sandwiches and prepared foods on Route 66. The former grocery portion of the building is now occupied by The Meat Cellar, a steakhouse and butcher shop (www.themeatcellar.com(opens in new tab)).

WHERE TO STAY

Hotel Casa 425 and Lounge – Cool boutique hotel with a fabulous patio located in the heart of Claremont Village (casa425.com(opens in new tab))

Marriott Residence Inn – New Marriott property opened in 2026

DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Claremont – A highly rated full-service hotel right on Foothill Boulevard (Route 66)

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Claremont Visitors Guide –  https://www.claremontchamber.org/visitorguide(opens in new tab)

Discover Claremont – www.discoverclaremont.com(opens in new tab)

Claremont Heritage – www.claremontheritage.com(opens in new tab)

City of Claremont – www.claremontca.gov(opens in new tab)