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CHANDLER — Chandler's new Route 66 Interpretive Center redefines the meaning of rest stop.

Air conditioning, queen-size beds and big-screen televisions — where else but a hotel would a weary traveler be able to relax in such comfort? Now drivers taking in the sights along the historic highway have a fresh place to stop, relax, learn about Route 66 and even plot their next destination.

The Route 66 Interpretive Center opened Saturday in Chandler inside a restored Oklahoma National Guard armory. Hundreds attended the informal gala to get a first look at the more than $1 million investment by donors and the state Transportation Department.

"Technology has really made this place look good,” said Boy Scout Will Brown, 9, of Chandler. "I like it, because it's not like a museum where you don't get to touch anything.”

Visitors to the center are invited to watch 1 to 5 minute video segments covering everything from neon lights to interesting destinations along the Mother Road on large-screen televisions. Spectators make themselves comfortable on hotel-like beds and in seats taken from a Model T, classic Ford Mustang and U.S. Army Jeep.

There also is a gift shop and areas where visitors can gather destination information to plan their next adventure along Route 66.

Anthony McDermid, principal designer at Tap Architecture of Oklahoma City, said they didn't want the center to be a morgue for old memorabilia. It was designed to complement other Route 66 stops, but be completely different than anyone would expect, he said.

The idea of putting beds in the center was the butt of coffee shop conversations for months, said Sandra Bailey, who worked on the project.

"A lot of people thought we were crazy, and it was joked about quite a bit,” said Bailey of Chandler. "Now it makes sense, seeing it all together.”

Saving the 1937-built armory was the catalyst for the proje