For years, Route 66 travelers crossing the New Mexico–Texas border knew exactly where to stop: Russell’s Truck & Travel Center, at Exit 369 off Interstate 40. It was never just a place to fill up a tank. Inside, drivers found a free museum packed with classic cars, Elvis and Marilyn Monroe memorabilia, and a diner serving home-style food. In 2026, though, the story at this Route 66 landmark has changed a lot, and much of what’s written online about it is now out of date.
This article looks at what Russell’s actually is today, what happened to the beloved car museum, and what travelers should expect if they pull off at Exit 369 in 2026.
Quick Facts
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Official name today | TA Glenrio (formerly Russell’s Truck & Travel Center) |
| Location | 1583 Frontage Road 4132, Glenrio, NM 88434 |
| Highway access | I-40, Exit 369 (New Mexico–Texas border) |
| Founded | 2010, by Emory and Barbara Russell |
| Current owner | TravelCenters of America (TA), part of the bp family of brands |
| Sale completed | October 11, 2023 |
| Car museum status | Closing down; cars removed as of mid-2026 |
| Hours | Open 24 hours, daily (as listed by the operator) |
| Phone | (575) 576-8700 |
From a Family Grocery Store to a Route 66 Landmark
The story of Russell’s starts long before the travel center opened. Emory and Barbara Russell began with a small grocery store in Cimarron, New Mexico, back in 1971, and slowly built up a family business from there. In 2010, they opened Russell’s Truck & Travel Center on the site of the old Longhorn II restaurant, near the ghost town of Glenrio, right on a historic stretch of Route 66.
The location quickly became known for more than fuel and snacks. Inside, the Russells built a free museum filled with restored classic cars, motorcycles, and toys from the 1950s and 60s, along with a wall of Coca-Cola advertising and a section devoted to Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe. A donation box sat near the entrance, and over roughly fifteen years, visitors gave more than $500,000, all of which went to food banks in nearby Amarillo and Tucumcari rather than back into the business. A diner, a Subway, a large convenience store, and even a small chapel with Sunday services rounded out the stop, along with the fuel islands, showers, and truck parking that kept professional drivers coming back.
Recent News: The Museum Is Closing
This is the part of the story that many older articles about Russell’s still don’t mention, and it’s likely the reason a lot of people are searching for this topic in 2026.
In October 2023, Emory and Barbara Russell, both in their eighties by then, sold the Glenrio travel center to TravelCenters of America. They had already sold a second Russell’s location in Springer, New Mexico, to the same company earlier that year. As part of the Glenrio deal, TA agreed to keep the Russell’s name on the building for three years and signed a lease with the Russell family to keep the museum running, originally reported as a five-year arrangement.
For a while, that held up. The diner and Subway kept operating, and the museum stayed open with its usual mix of classic cars and pop-culture memorabilia. But by mid-2026, visitors and local reporting began noting real changes. The “Russell’s Travel Center” sign above the main entrance was taken down and replaced with a TA logo. Store shelves that once held a wide range of souvenirs and merchandise were noticeably thinner. Then, in July 2026, reports confirmed that cars were being removed from the museum, and the closure looked to be underway, well ahead of the lease term some sources had expected to run through 2028.
Recent traveler reviews back this up. Several visitors in 2026 described arriving to find the museum locked early, with signs blaming staffing shortages, and only a handful of items left where a full showroom of vintage vehicles used to be. Some called the experience disappointing compared to what they remembered from earlier trips. It’s worth being honest here: exactly how much longer the museum space will exist in any form isn’t fully confirmed, and TA has not issued a detailed public statement laying out final plans for the space, so this article treats that part as unresolved rather than guessing at an end date.
What’s Still There Today
Even with the museum winding down, Russell’s — now branded as TA Glenrio — remains a working, 24-hour travel center. Based on the operator’s own location page and recent traveler reports, the following are still in place as of 2026:
- Fuel: Diesel and gasoline available around the clock (TA’s own site lists Phillips-branded fuel; older truck-stop directories listed Chevron, so the fuel brand appears to have changed since TA took over).
- Truck parking: Around 150 to 175 spaces, depending on the source, making it a common overnight stop for professional drivers.
- Diner: A sit-down restaurant, sometimes still referred to locally as Russell’s Route 66 Cafe, serving burgers, breakfast plates, and diner classics.
- Subway: A quick-service option inside the building.
- Convenience store: Snacks, drinks, and basic road-trip supplies, though with less souvenir merchandise than before.
- Showers and laundry: Standard amenities for long-haul drivers.
- Restrooms: Frequently mentioned by reviewers as clean, which is a common concern at travel stops.
Is It Still Worth the Stop?
That depends on what a traveler is looking for. As a functional truck stop, Russell’s, or TA Glenrio, still does its job: fuel, food, restrooms, and a place to rest. Reviewers on Tripadvisor give the Glenrio location a 4.4 out of 5 rating based on 57 reviews as of this writing, though that rating reflects a mix of experiences from before and after the ownership change, so it may not fully capture the current state of the museum.
As a Route 66 attraction built around a free car museum, though, the experience has clearly changed. Travelers who remember Russell’s for the classic cars, the Elvis and Marilyn displays, and the friendly owner-operators manning the entrance should go in expecting something scaled back, not the full experience described in older travel blogs and guidebooks. Anyone specifically detouring for the museum should check current reviews or call ahead before assuming it’s fully open, since the situation on the ground appears to be changing.
A Note on the Name
The name “Russell’s Truck & Travel Center” isn’t unique to Glenrio. There is a separate, unrelated stop with a similar name near Bard, California, and the original Russell’s family business also operated a second New Mexico location in Springer that was sold to TA around the same time as Glenrio. This article focuses on the well-known Route 66 location at Exit 369 near Glenrio, New Mexico, since that is the stop most associated with the free car museum and the historic Route 66 connection that most searches for this name are looking for.
FAQ
Is Russell’s Truck & Travel Center still called Russell’s?
The business is now operated as TA Glenrio, though the Russell’s name and signage remained in place for a period after the 2023 sale as part of the original agreement with the Russell family.
Is the free car museum still open in 2026?
As of mid-2026, reports and traveler reviews indicate the museum is being wound down, with vehicles removed from the display floor. Its full future status hasn’t been officially confirmed by the operator.
Where exactly is Russell’s located?
It sits at 1583 Frontage Road 4132, Glenrio, New Mexico, right off Interstate 40 at Exit 369, near the New Mexico–Texas state line.
Is Russell’s open 24 hours?
Yes, based on current listings, the travel center operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Who founded Russell’s?
Emory and Barbara Russell founded the business, starting with a grocery store in Cimarron, New Mexico, in 1971, before opening the Glenrio travel center in 2010.
Did the museum donations go to the Russell family?
No. Reports say all donations collected at the museum’s entrance were given to local food banks in Amarillo and Tucumcari, not kept by the business.
How This Was Researched
I researched this article using recent news coverage from Route 66-focused outlets, the operator’s own location page, and a range of recent traveler reviews on sites like Tripadvisor and Yelp. Much of the existing content about Russell’s online is several years old and still describes the museum as fully open, so I focused on cross-checking 2026 reporting and recent visitor accounts to reflect what has actually changed. Where the exact future of the museum wasn’t confirmed by any source, I noted that clearly instead of guessing.
Accuracy Note This article is based on publicly available information, including news reports, the operator’s official location page, and recent traveler reviews. Details like museum hours, fuel brands, and parking capacity can change without notice, so travelers planning a stop should confirm current conditions directly with the travel center. If you spot anything outdated or incorrect, please let us know so we can update it.
Written and researched by Abdul Wahab, contributor at Noble Pen Magazine.
