There's a song that's been living rent-free in my head since January, and I'm not even a little bit sorry about it. You know the one — "See the USA in your Chevrolet, America is asking you to call..." Dinah Shore first sang it in 1951 for a Chevrolet TV sponsorship, and now in 2026 — America's 250th birthday year — Chevy has brought it back. And honestly? It's perfect.
Chevrolet's 2026 "See the USA in Your Chevrolet" campaign is more than an ad. It's a genuine invitation to connect the car brand that has carried American families across this country for 115 years with the country itself at its most celebratory moment. The campaign features seven iconic American locations, and I've been building the ultimate road trip itinerary to connect them all. Grab your keys.
"250 years of America. 115 years of Chevrolet. In a lot of ways, you can't tell the story of one without the other."
The 2026 Campaign: Why It Hits Different
When Chevrolet revived the Dinah Shore jingle for 2026, they weren't just pulling a nostalgic stunt. The timing is genuinely meaningful. America is 250 years old. Chevrolet was founded in 1911 — 115 years ago. The brand has been part of American life for nearly half the country's existence.
The campaign's visual language leans into the bigness of the country: open roads, dramatic landscapes, the kind of horizons that make you feel small in the best way. Seven locations anchor the ads, each chosen to represent a different face of America. And every single one of them is somewhere I want to drive to with a full tank of gas and nowhere to be.
The 7 Campaign Locations
The 14,179-foot stratovolcano dominates the northern California skyline — it's visible from 100 miles away on a clear day. The drive up Interstate 5 approaching Shasta with a Chevy in the foreground is exactly the kind of shot that makes you proud to be American. Plan for a stop at the town of Mount Shasta for supplies before heading further south.
The tallest trees on Earth, and they have been standing since before the Roman Empire. Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway runs through the old-growth forest — 10 miles of winding two-lane road with no exits, no distractions, just you and the trees. Drive it slowly. Stop often. Feel small. The Chevy ad crew clearly understood what they had here.
This one has serious Chevy history behind it. Castle Rock — the dramatic sandstone tower rising above Castle Valley near Moab — has appeared in three Chevy advertising campaigns: 1964, 1973, and now 2026. If there's a more American image than a Chevrolet parked beneath that red rock tower under a big Western sky, I haven't found it. Highway 128 along the Colorado River is one of the most spectacular drives in North America.
The 630-foot stainless steel monument to westward expansion is perhaps the most recognizable piece of architecture in middle America. You've seen it from the highway a hundred times. Stop this time. Take the tram to the top. St. Louis is also a great overnight point — good food, affordable hotels, central location for the Route 66 portion of the trip.
Country music, hot chicken, and a city that moves at the speed of celebration. Nashville makes sense for a Chevy campaign — it's the beating heart of American working-class culture, which is exactly the audience Chevrolet has served for over a century. The Broadway honky-tonk strip is a required stop, but budget a day to explore the broader city.
Overseas Highway. Seven miles of road suspended between the Gulf and the Atlantic, with the Florida Keys stretching out in both directions. Driving it is one of those experiences that rewires your brain slightly. The old Seven Mile Bridge (now a pedestrian path) runs parallel — pull over on the modern span and look back at it. You won't regret it.
From the redwoods to the skyscrapers. NYC caps the campaign, and it's the right choice — it's where America's story began in so many ways, and where it gets rewritten every generation. Drive into Manhattan from the west if you can, coming over the George Washington Bridge at dusk with the skyline lit up. That view belongs in a car commercial. Chevy knew that too.
Route 66 Chevy Stops: The Road That Built America
No Chevy road trip is complete without time on Route 66, and the Mother Road has its own constellation of Chevrolet-specific stops worth planning around.
Joliet, Illinois — Historic Winston Chevrolet Dealership
Route 66 begins in Chicago and quickly passes through Joliet, home to one of the most recognizable historic dealership buildings on the entire route. The Winston Chevrolet site is a piece of Americana that collectors and Route 66 enthusiasts make a point of photographing. Joliet is also an easy hop from Chicago if you're starting the trip from the Midwest.
Joplin, Missouri — The '64 Corvette Mural
Joplin sits near the Missouri-Kansas border and features one of the more striking Route 66 murals: a mock 1964 Corvette painted large enough to be seen from across the block. Route 66 Chevrolet murals are scattered along the route, but this one draws Corvette people specifically — it's worth a photo stop and a coffee.
Tulsa, Oklahoma — Route 66 Chevrolet Dealership
The Route 66 Chevrolet dealership in Tulsa has been operating on the original alignment of the Mother Road for decades, and it embraces that history deliberately. If you're driving anything older than a 2000, this is a good stop for goodwill and conversation. The Tulsa section of Route 66 is also particularly well-preserved compared to some later sections.
Must-Visit Chevy Destinations Off the Campaign Route
National Corvette Museum — Bowling Green, Kentucky
This one is non-negotiable. The National Corvette Museum in Bowling Green, KY is where every Corvette since 1953 has been produced — the museum sits next to the Bowling Green Assembly Plant where they're still built today. The museum holds over 70 Corvettes on permanent display, including some of the rarest and most significant examples ever made. The infamous Skydome sinkhole that swallowed eight Corvettes in 2014 is now a permanent exhibit, with several of the recovered (and deliberately unrestored) cars on display. Budget four hours minimum.
The Bowling Green Assembly Plant offers public tours where you can watch C8 Corvettes being assembled. Tours book out weeks in advance — plan ahead and reserve your spot at the museum's website. There is nothing quite like watching a finished C8 roll off the line.
Chevrolet Hall of Fame Museum — Decatur, Illinois
Less famous than the Corvette Museum but deeply worth the detour, the Chevrolet Hall of Fame Museum in Decatur, IL focuses on the broader story of Chevrolet's role in American life — not just racing and performance, but the trucks, the families, the everyday vehicles that moved America. It's a genuinely moving exhibit if you care about automotive history and American history together. Decatur also puts you right on Interstate 72, well-positioned for a Route 66 approach.
The Suggested Itinerary: Coast-to-Coast in 14 Days
Here's how I'd connect all of this into a single epic drive. It works best starting on the West Coast and ending in New York — west to east, following the arc of American history.
Check the ChevyRoots Event Calendar Along the Route
The America 250 summer is shaping up to be one of the biggest years for Chevy events in a long time. Before you finalize dates, check the ChevyRoots event calendar — we're tracking car shows, cruises, and Corvette club events along every leg of this route. Whether you want to sync your Moab stop with a local Utah off-road meet or hit a Corvette show near Bowling Green the same week as your museum visit, the calendar can help you time it right.
There's something genuinely special about 2026. America is 250 years old. Chevrolet has been part of those years for 115 of them. The jingle is back, the roads are still there, and your Chevy is ready. All you have to do is go.
Drop a comment or tag us on your America 250 road trip — I want to see where you went and what you drove.
— Crystal @ ChevyRoots