New Mexico Tourism Partners with Chex Mix for Route 66 Centennial Campaign

Santa Fe, N.M. — July 13, 2026 — Let’s talk about the Great American Road Trip. It’s a myth we keep trying to buy back. We want the neon, the dusty blacktop, the weird roadside diners, and the low-humming anxiety of a half-broken radiator.

In 2026, as the country prepares for the official Route 66 Centennial on November 11, the New Mexico Tourism Department is trying to bottle that exact feeling.

Actually, they aren’t bottling it—they’re bagging it. In an incredibly smart, hyper-nostalgic play, the state has teamed up with General Mills to put limited-edition, New Mexico-themed Chex Mix BOLD packaging on convenience store shelves nationwide.

The logic here is beautiful in its simplicity. New Mexico owns some of the most iconic, neon-drenched stretches of the “Mother Road”—stretching more than 460 miles across the state.

We’re talking about Gallup, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, and Tucumcari. These are places where vintage motels have been lovingly restored, and local communities are desperately trying to turn tourist eyes away from interstate highways and back onto local storefronts.

By partnering with Chex Mix, a snack that has lived in the cup holders of road-tripping station wagons for decades, they’re targeting the exact demographic likely to pull off the highway for a green chile cheeseburger.

The thing is, is that the campaign isn’t just about selling salty, savory bits of rye chips and pretzels. It’s backed by a massive, high-stakes sweepstakes called “Chex Mix™ Hits the Road in New Mexico.”

Run in tandem with New Mexico Magazine (which has been publishing since 1923, making it the oldest state mag in the US), the contest is offering an all-expenses-paid, five-night dream trip for two along the historic route.

Chex Mix Hits the Road Campaign Details

Let’s look at where you can actually find these bags. It’s a fascinating look at regional convenience store dominance.

General Mills is deploying these custom bags across a massive web of retail networks.

If you are in the West, you’ll spot them at 7-Eleven; in the Southwest, they are stacking up at Allsup’s; and in the Midwest, they are dominating the displays at Casey’s.

It’s a highly targeted land grab for the attention of anyone currently buying gas and a cold soda.

Why does this matter? Route 66 isn’t just a road; it’s a living museum of American commerce and cultural convergence.

But keeping a 460-mile stretch of vintage infrastructure alive requires constant, real-world foot traffic.

Acting Tourism Secretary Lancing Adams pointed out that the partnership “captures the spirit of the ultimate American road trip.”

If putting a stylized picture of a Tucumcari neon sign on a bag of BOLD Chex Mix gets a few hundred more families to book a room at the Roadrunner Lodge or visit the Sky City Cultural Center at Acoma Pueblo, then the corporate crossover has done its job.

To enter the sweepstakes or check out the official rules, hit the road over to New Mexico Magazine’s sweepstakes portal or learn more at New Mexico Tourism.