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The Launching Pad

Welcome to the official website for the Launching Pad Restaurant, home to the Gemini Giant on historicRoute 66 in Wilmington, Illinois! After a two-year restoration* we are now open as a restaurant, gift and travel shop, Mini Americana Museum and host for Grief Anonymous support group meetings. Come see us!

Pizza
Hotdogs
Sandwiches
Salads
Milkshakes

Daily Menu Grief Anonymous meetings Visitors Wall

Launching Pad E-shop

Bobble Head $ 23.66

Steel Magnet $ 9.66

Route 66 Passport $ 9.99

Magnet- Red & Silver Gemini Giant $ 5.66

We are very excited to have Gemini Giant merchandise available online! We ship worldwide! Thank you for your support!

Our Story

Hello and Welcome to the Official Website for the Launching Pad Drive-in, Home to the Iconic Gemini Giant on Route 66 in Wilmington, Illinois!

Our business partners

illinoisroute66.org Where the Mother Road begins

www.HeritageCorridorCVB.com CVB and Illinois Office of Tourism

www.route66magazine.com Subscribe to Route 66 Magazine Today!

www.enjoyillinois.com The Official Website of the Illinois Office of Tourism

www.365on66.com We are dedicated to promote and showcase the businesses that are along the world famous Route 66

www.route66navigation.com Find and stay on historic Route 66

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How important is clean restaurant, kitchen and bathrooms to you? To us it’s everything. At the beginning of each day and end day our kitchen and dining room is scrubbed top to bottom and sanitized as well as the bathrooms. There’s nothing better than walking into a restaurant and it smells fresh and is pristine clean plus top quality food is served to boot. Our feet are firmly planted on the ground and we’re very happy to be coming up on the one-year anniversary of the kitchen being opened. Our family vacation over the holidays put juice in our battery and we are full steam ahead. Thank you for all those who continue to patronize us and for those who want to come out to see us we look forward to your visit. We are open 7 days a week! Tully & Holly 🚀🚀🚀

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Best of the Midwest - Top 10 places to go in 2020. This is the headlines in the Chicago Tribune newspaper today Life & Travel section! We are honored that The Launching Pad & Gemini Giant are not only mentioned but also pictured. Come visit us... Tully & Holly 🚀🚀🚀

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We are back from the holidays and ready to serve you seven days a week. Our winter hours are 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM daily. Our daily special all week is the $6.00 Italian Beef Sandwich that comes with a select beverage and chips or Mullen’s applesauce.
We hope everyone had a great vacation break! Looking forward to seeing all our great customers!
Tully & Holly 🚀🚀🚀

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Robin Baumgartin from WGN News in Chicago having fun with The Gemini Giant today! Tully & Holly 🚀🚀🚀

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We are a short 72 hours from Christmas Eve! We just wanted to personally thank each and every person who followed us along this long path of Re- Launching The Iconic Launching Pad Drive-In Restaurant On Historic Route 66 in Wilmington Illinois. We have never worked on anything this hard in our lives. We had a vision and we’ve done the best we can to bring it to fruition in the last two years. We have so much to look forward to in 2020!
Are we tired? You betcha. Is our pocketbook a little lighter? No doubt it is. Has there been a lot of stress? Yep! But if you asked us if we would do it again we would in a heartbeat! Looking back we think we have collectively taken only a few days off In the last 24 months. So since our tank is running a little empty we will be closing between Monday, Dec 23 and January 2nd. We will reopen for the New Year on January 3rd, 2020.
To the tens of thousands of people who rolled through our doors this year and from the 90+ countries as well as all the locals we love you and we thank you for your faith, trust, and patronage!
In 2020 we will be turning back the hands of time on the clock by bringing the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s back to life. Simpler times and fun times is what we will be serving with a big old fashion smile. Our Launchimg Pad Crew made it all happen! We have some nice surprises up our sleeves for the 2020 menu... 😉 So from our family to yours - Merry Christmas! Tully & Holly 🎄🎄🌲

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Last Chance To Have By Christmas-
Only 20 of these hand made Gemini Giant Statues exist. 5-6 hours of time is put into making these one foot tall statues. Made in the USA 🇺🇸 #15 they #20 now available for purchase. Order no latter than Thursday 4:00 PM Central Time and you will receive a Bobble Head Free!
Shipped same day and packaged very well
for safe delivery.... Hand signed and numbered one of a kind and weighs several pounds and stands over one foot tall. Two hundred fifty dollars and available in our web site. If you live local I will deliver for free just let us know. Tully & Holly 🚀🚀🚀

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Less than 20 of these one of kind hand made Gemini Giant Statues exist! After nearly one year the original artist has made available to us an additional five statues! This batch of five statues are numbered from
#16 to #20 and signed by artist. These won’t last long. This is the first batch to ever be made holding the American flag as it stands today. After two years we’ve only sold three batches of five statues all selling out within the first day. This hand carved resin statue weighs several pounds and takes 5 to 6 hours to make per statue. You can purchase these right away on our site in the comments section.
Don’t delay they will be gone fast .... $250.00.
One of a kind ultra rare. Tully & Holly 🚀🚀🚀
The Launching Pad. www.geminigiant.com

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I am very happy and honored to have been voted in as a director of the board for The Illinois Rock & Roll Museum / Hall of Fame on Route 66- Joliet Illinois! There is always something good happening at the Illinois Rock & Roll Museum on Route 66! The board of directors is pleased to announce two new additions to the board of directors. Scott R. McMaster currently serves as the Community Development Director for the City of Crest Hill.. In the past 4 years, Scott has helped bring many notable businesses to Crest Hill and works with several investors and developers to enhance the image of Crest Hill. His other duties include business retention, creating community events, and building relationships. He is a member of the International Economic Development Council and is a licensed Illinois Real Estate Broker.
Scott has a strong passion for music, especially blues and rock music. He believes his duty as a music lover is to educate and share his passion with others and to be able to pass the importance of music down through generations. Scott and his wife live with their two daughters in Shorewood.
Tully Lee Garrett is a Will County Illinois resident for the last 56 years. During his high school and college years he played in a band professionally 4-5 nights a week as a source of revenue playing cover tunes and originals. In 1984 joined the family business to run his father’s insurance agency that was established in 1962. In the mid to late 90s he helped to promote for several National and International 80’s rock bands. It was there that many connections and friendships were made within the music industry that he still has today.
In 2015 he lost my wife of 20 years and has been raising his two sons. He found hope in a second chance at love and he and his partner Holly Barker purchased and saved The Iconic Gemini Giant and Launching Pad on Route 66 in Wilmington Illinois in 2017/2018. My passion is music and now I get to roll up my sleeves and help this become an iconic rock ‘n’ roll museum stop for the whole world... I could never do this with the full backing of my lovely Holly C. Barker. Thank you Ron Romero Let’s get this party started. 🎼🎹🎻🎸

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This was a trial run we did before the official lighting this Summer.
The Gemini Giant is lit with love. Proud moment! Tully & Holly 🚀🚀🚀

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Extended Beef Sandwich Special!
Until supplies last we are having a special Italian beef sandwich priced at only $5.00. On these cold days nothings better than a hot Italian beef sandwich with 100% Vienna beef. Come see us we are open 11 AM to 4 PM. Tully & Holly 🚀🚀🚀

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