Only a few miles from the Mississippi River and at the crossroads of three Route 66 alignments, Granite City has many Mother Road attractions still standing, including: the 50s style Mr. Twist Ice Cream shop, serving the ‘Best ice cream and sherbet in Granite City’; O’Brien Tire & Auto Care building, which continues to serve as an auto shop; the old 1940s Speedy Service gas station; and many vintage motels that served (or still serve) travelers on their way to St. Louis.

Granite City is also the location of the east side of the 1929 Chain of Rocks Bridge, a unique bridge with a 30-degree bend in the middle. First built as a toll bridge and now used as a foot and bicycle bridge, Chain of Rocks gets its name from the rapids and boulders beneath the bridge that churn the Mississippi River.