Route 66 Missouri

Reviving Nostalgia Along The Mother Road – Iggy’s Diner

Cruising the path of the old Route 66 led us through the heart of Carthage, Missouri. As we pass the normal mix of fast-food restaurants and corporate businesses, we spot a gleaming silver shape ahead. Positioned on a frontage space, which has since been converted to a traffic circle, we spot Iggy’s Diner. The stainless

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A petticoat made from an American flag welcomed the Union soldiers in Carthage.

War Out West – Battle of Carthage Museum

Conflict along the Missouri state line had been occurring throughout the second half of the 1850s. Far away in the East, the political battles were raging. After John Brown’s unsuccessful raid on Harper’s Ferry, some believed that signaled the end to the threat from the west. Little would anyone expect that the first significant land

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A replica of an old filling station holds lots of nostalgia for visitors to the Route 66 Museum.

Route 66 Museum – Lebanon, Missouri

Few highways have captured the American spirit like Route 66. This nostalgic thoroughfare has been dubbed “The Mother Road” and “Main Street of America”. With 2,448 miles of open road, it led travelers from Chicago to Los Angeles. Along the way, drivers would find iconic stops to satisfy just about every need. This famous path

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Places like Wrick's Market have stood the test of time along Route 66.

Test Of Time – Route 66 Local Love

Midwesterners have had a long love affair with the open road. While there are many wonderful destinations scattered across the region, often one is faced with a significant drive. The invention of roads helped make travel more feasible and shortened the time needed to move from point to point. One of our favorite thoroughfares to

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You can imagine the juvenile jokes in store for us during a visit to Uranus, Missouri.

Juvenile Jokes Galore – Uranus, Missouri

Route 66 explorers are always on the lookout for iconic stops. The Mother Road has been a fascination for decades and too many of the original attractions have deteriorated by the wayside. These days, a journey along one of America’s first highways can turn into a treasure hunt that brings a mixed bag of rewards.

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The Uranus Sideshow Museum is a throwback to carnival days of the early 1900s.

Uranus Sideshow Museum – Throwback To Carnival Days

Rolling down Route 66 in rural Missouri brought us to the pun-filled destination of Uranus, Missouri. Among the variety of commercial attractions is the Uranus Sideshow Museum. This place is a throwback to carnival days of old. While my only memories are of small versions at rural locations, there are certain things that I can

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11 Things That Make St. Louis The True Gateway City

One of the things we most enjoy about traveling is the people that we meet. By interacting with the residents, we get a better understanding of what drives them through their lives. Our extended stay in St. Louis, Missouri gave us an excellent chance to mingle with some of the locals, as well as observe

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Sample The Flavors Of St. Louis Dining

For five years we ran a local restaurant blog, before moving into the travel arena. Through that time, we came to realize that every dining establishment has its redeeming values. Some may have more flavorful dishes, but they all have at least one that they excel with. The key to successful dining when traveling is

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Five Zones Of Free Fun At The St. Louis Zoo

As we have said on numerous occasions, we are zoo people. We rarely pass up an opportunity to visit a new location, and enjoy returning to ones we have already seen. The ever changing exhibits usually offer a new view on something or at least a different perspective. When we planned our St. Louis trip,

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Evolution Of A City – Missouri History Museum

Being visitors from outside of St. Louis, we found the Forest Park area to be an amazing place to spend time. The lush landscape and numerous attractions beckon visitors to explore. The four crown jewels of the park include their zoo, art museum, science center, and the Missouri History Museum, which is the focus of

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Kansas City Diners Test St. Louis BBQ At Salt and Smoke

Being from Kansas City, we always attempt to test out the local barbecue at least once. Now we are far from being BBQ experts, but we do know what we like. Since we were staying on the Delmar Loop, a visit to Salt + Smoke seemed to be the perfect spot to do some research.

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The City That Jack Built – Joplin, Missouri

Like many people, we are learning that there are lots of things to do in some of the medium sized cities. Our visit to Joplin, Missouri lasted just over 24 hours, but could have easily been extended to a full weekend. (We packed a lot into our timeline.) Joplin is a name that many have

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How The St. Louis Science Center Brings Science To The Masses

St. Louis offers so many great educational opportunities for visitors of all ages. Our visit to the St. Louis Science Center sparked our imaginations and opened our minds to new ideas and possibilities. Located in the Forest Park neighborhood, this center is designed to engage all ages in a series of fun, interactive displays and offers

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What Makes Peacock Loop Diner So Special

During the planning portion of our St. Louis trip, it was decided that we would make the Moonrise Hotel, on the DelMar Loop, our home base. With this in mind, we went to work looking for unique dining destinations within walking distance. When we happened upon the Peacock Loop Diner, it was obvious that a

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We Spotted Sunken Treasures At St. Louis Art Museum

During the planning stage of our St. Louis trip, we had assembled our preliminary itinerary. A phone conversation with Anthony Paraino from Explore St. Louis shed light on a couple of great attractions we had overlooked. The St. Louis Art Museum was preparing for the launch of a new traveling exhibit. Sunken Cities: Egypt’s Lost Worlds

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10 Things To Know Before You Visit City Museum

Our request for suggestions of places to visit in St. Louis was met with an amazing number of responses. One location that we kept seeing mentioned was City Museum. We took a look at their website, and were intrigued by what appeared to be the world’s largest jungle gym. Now we may not be as

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Have You Heard Of The Peanut Man?

Like many of you, we associated the name George Washington Carver with peanuts, but couldn’t really tell you why. The knowledge that he was a botanist seemed familiar, but that was about the extent of what we remembered from school. A visit to the George Washington Carver National Monument would forever change this. The site

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Why The Locals Love Cafe Telegraph

St. Louis, Missouri has tons of places to explore, but all of that action means working up an appetite. After our visit to the Civil War Museum and Jefferson Barracks Cemetery, we needed to find a nearby restaurant. (You can read about the museum here.) Just a couple blocks away we discovered Cafe Telegraph, a locally

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What To Expect At The Joplin History Museum

When the name of Joplin, Missouri is mentioned, many will think immediately of the 2011 EF5 tornado that devastated portions of the city. Joplin is so much more than that. It has a rich history reaching back before the Civil War. We stopped in the Joplin Museum Complex to learn more about this southwestern Missouri

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Missouri Civil War Museum – Remembering The Fallen

When planning our visit to St, Louis, we wanted to make sure we included some stops that would help us better understand the history of the area. Jefferson Barracks happens to be the oldest operating U.S. military installation west of the Mississippi River. On these grounds, the Missouri Civil War Museum has operated since 2013.

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The Bruncheonette-Joplin Missouri-restaurant-Route 66-dining-gourmet eats

Focus On The Food At The Bruncheonette

Joplin, Missouri has an interesting Route 66 history. The city actually has multiple paths, since the route was realigned a couple of times. While we were making our itinerary for a visit to Joplin, we worked with Carrie Puffinbarger at Visit Joplin. She pointed us toward testing the eats at The Bruncheonette, a local hotspot that rests

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16 Reasons To Visit Springfield, Missouri

For too long travelers have looked at Springfield, Missouri as the last rest stop before Branson. We decided to schedule a trip to showcase some of the “hidden gems” in this Oasis. The plan was to fill a three day weekend with as many places as possible, without total exhaustion. Come along as we highlight some of

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Discovering an Oasis in Springfield, Missouri

Making a lodging selection is usually one of the hardest parts of planning a trip. For Springfield, we quickly determined that the Oasis Hotel and Convention Center would be our first choice. Its location along the original Route 66 was certainly a key point. Their location also offered convenient access to the main arteries for travel throughout

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Creative Escape Glass signage.

Show Your Creative Side

Creative Escape Glass has developed a unique niche in Springfield, Missouri. Over the past few years there has been a resurgence of places offering visitors a chance to create their own art. Most of these have involved painting of some sort. It seems to have started with shops that allowed customers to paint ceramics. Lately, there

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Tram carries customers into Fantastic Caverns.

How 12 Women Changed Tourism in Springfield, Missouri

Fantastic Caverns is one of fifteen caves that visitors can tour in Missouri. This number is small in comparison to the approximately 6500 known caves in the state. Because of it’s immense size, Fantastic Caverns has the unique distinction to offer guests a ride-thru experience. The cave is located just north of Springfield, Missouri at the end of

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Black Sheep Burger in Springfield, Missouri.

Can You Handle Black Sheep Burger?

Black Sheep Burger is a prime example of why Springfield, Missouri is a food lovers destination. This city has an amazingly wide variety of dining options. We were told that many restaurateurs will use this city as a testing market for new ideas. That means diners have first shot at some of the best foods around.

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Cocoa beans on the vine.

Bean to Bar at Askinosie Chocolate

The story behind Askinosie Chocolate, in Springfield, Missouri, is as complex as the flavors of the products. The small batch bean-to-bar chocolate factory has raised an eyebrow of the chocolate making industry. Owner Shawn Askinosie has brought an interesting twist to his relationship with customers and suppliers.  Time for a Change We once visited a gentleman in Wyoming

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Fun Acres Mini-Golf Course.

Played Any Cheesy Mini-golf Courses Lately?

Fun Acre is one of the old time miniature golf courses that were so popular in the 60’s and 70’s. The kind that featured lots of hand crafted statues dotting the various holes of play. Most have been removed, and only remain in pictures and memories. Every once in a while you happen across one, and

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Hippos in enclosure.

Get Up Close At Dickerson Park Zoo

The Dickerson Park Zoo, in Springfield, Missouri, faces the same struggles that many zoological parks are facing these days. With the number and variety of competing attractions increasing, the travelers options become larger. Zoos, as well as many museums, face stiff competition for tourism dollars. This doesn’t mean that smaller market zoos don’t still have the

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Early Risers at Gailey’s Breakfast Cafe

During our visit to Springfield, Missouri, we just had to make a point of trying Gailey’s Breakfast Cafe. During my research, I reached out to them to arrange a good time for a visit. When they found out we were planning a Saturday, their response was, “the earlier, the better”.  We want to thank the Gailey’s

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