Route 66 - Worth the Detour
Some of the best stops on the Mother Road aren’t on it. Each of these is an easy detour from Route 66, and each is worth the extra miles.
Americana Motor Hotel: Right on Route 66 in Flagstaff, this retro motel has a fire pit, a year-round heated pool and easy access to the Grand Canyon. A good place to stop for the night.
Engel Farms: About 25 miles north of Route 66 at Chandler, Oklahoma, Valerie Engel makes farmstead cheeses from Poblano Cheddar to a blue called Blue By You. Call ahead, and book a Saturday cheesemaking class.
Watonga Cheese Factory: North of Route 66 at Amarillo, in Perryton, Texas, this factory has made handmade cheddar and curds since 1940. The shop also carries cheese from about 50 other makers.
Mountain Priory Cheese: West of Route 66 at Barstow, the Norbertine nuns of the Tehachapi Mountains make an aged raw cow’s milk cheese from a 12th-century recipe. Visiting hours are short, so check before you go.
Engel Farms
Valerie Engel runs a one-woman farmstead cheese operation in central Oklahoma, turning out a surprising range of wheels — Hispanico, Poblano Cheddar, Baby Swiss, and a blue she calls Blue By You — and teaching the craft from her farm on Saturdays. Cheese pickup weekdays; classes by reservation.
Monday - Friday: Cheese is available for pickup ONLY, 9 AM-5 PM
Saturday: See calendar for class availability. Classes are typically held 9 AM-4 PM.
Watonga Cheese Factory
Watonga Cheese Factory prides itself in its 80-yr tradition to produce rich, handmade cheddar cheese.
9 AM - 5 PM Monday - Friday
10 AM - 3 PM Saturday
Closed Sunday
Mountain Priory Cheese
Mountain Priory Cheese is an artisanal cheese hand-made by the nuns at our monastery from local, raw cow milk, using a recipe uniquely developed at our Norbertine Priory in the Tehachapi Mountains.
Monday: 10-11:30am and 2:30-5pm
Tuesday: 10-11:30am and 2:30-5pm
Wednesday: 10-11:30am and 2:30-5pm
Thursday: 10-11:30am and 2:30-5pm
Friday: 10-11:30am and 2:30-5pm
Saturday: 10-11:30am and 2:30-5pm
Sunday: 10-11:30am and 2:30-5pm
