30 Nov Route 66 Missouri: the route, the stops, the attractions
Route 66 Missouri: from St. Louis to Carthage
Traveling time: roughly 5 hours, easily spread out in two days.
THE ROUTE, THE STOPS, THE ATTRACTIONS
Here are the Route 66 Missouri stops that I visited and would recommend.
St. Louis:
- It’s worth stopping on the Illinois-Missouri border at the Chain of Rocks Bridge (Riverview Dr, St. Louis), the bridge that crosses the Mississippi River which features a 22 degree bend. It was built between 1887 and 1894 and today the bridge is closed to traffic, but you can walk across all its 5,353 feet (almost 2 kilometers).
- Once you arrive in St. Louis, I recommend that you go immediately to the Gateway Arch. It stands 630 feet tall (roughly 192 meters). The Getaway Arch is the tallest man-made monument in the United States. The arch weighs 17,246 tons and its foundations extend to 60 feet (about 18 meters) into the ground. Getting to the top is quite impressive, considering that you enter round micro-lifts for five people maximum and that the path to get to the top is crooked (and I’d like to highlight that the structure was made during the 40s), but the view of the entire city is certainly worth it.
Stanton (roughly 1 hour and 15 minutes): on the road between St. Louis and Stanton you’ll come across several typical Route 66 motels, the Indian Harvest Trading Post and the Jesse James Wax Museum. Stop over at Stanton to visit the Meramec Caverns (I-44, Exit 230, Stanton), a 7.4 kilometers long system of caves in the Ozarks and one of the Mother Road attractions since 1933. The tour has a cost, but I think it’s worth it.
Cuba (roughly 30 minutes): a bit like Pontiac, here too you’ll come across several murals scattered around the city. Driving around by car you can also see Bob’s Gasoline Alley (822 Beamer Ln, Cuba) and the World’s 2nd largest rocking chair – (5957 Highway ZZ, Cuba). It’s roughly 12.83 meters high and was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest rocking chair in the world in September-2008 (today it’s the second largest). Stop over and sleep at the Wagon Wheel Motel (901 E Washington Blvd, Cuba), a historic motel that has been completely renovated.
Devils Elbow (approx. 40 minutes): taking a small detour you can get to the Devil’s Elbow bridge (Teardrop Rd at Big Piney River, Devils Elbow), an old bridge that crosses the Big Piney River. The bridge was built in 1923 and is still in use.
Lebanon (roughly 40 minutes): stop and take a picture under the neon lighting of the Munger Moss Motel (1336 and Rte 66, Lebanon), a Route 66 icon which was renovated in 2010 thanks to the National Park Service’s contribution. Initially located near Devil’s Elbow Bridge, the Munger Moss Motel was a sandwich shop. This historic motel, which was moved to Lebanon after the Second World War, began building its rooms in 1946; originally there were 14 rooms, yet today it has 44.
Springfield (roughly 55 minutes): here you’ll arrive are in the Mother Road’s second Springfield. Stop by the Birthplace of Route 66 Roadside Park (1200 W College ST, Springfield), a park located in what is considered to be the birthplace of Route 66, even if just to take a picture of its entrance sign. If you’re a car enthusiast, I recommend the Route 66 Car Museum (1634 W College ST, Springfield), a private collection of vintage cars started in 1990 by Guy Mace. Today the collection has almost 70 vehicles.
Carthage (roughly 1 hour): one of the must-see stops is Red Oak II (Country Loop 122, Carthage), a Thirties town rebuilt based on the old one by Lowell Davis. In 1987 Lowell began buying houses and commercial buildings from Red Oak and began renovating them. Red Oak II today boasts a Phillips gas station, a blacksmith’s shop, the sheriff’s office, several aircraft, cars and many facilities dating back to those years. To get back into the Route 66 atmosphere, stop by at the 66 Drive-In Theatre (17231 Old 66 Blvd, Carthage), a fully functioning drive-in since1949, and the Boots Court Motel (107 S Garrison Ave, Carthage), the historic Art Deco-style motel built In 1939 and completely renovated.
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