Finding the Universe

Travel tales, photography and a dash of humor

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Destinations
    • Europe
    • North America
    • Asia
    • Australia
    • Africa and Middle East
    • New Zealand
    • South America
  • Photography
    • Buy Photos
    • Photography Gear Guides
    • Photography Tips
    • Location Guides
  • PHOTO COURSE
  • About Us
    • Hire Us
    • Travel Resources
  • Contact
Home » Destinations » North America » USA » Route 66 in Missouri – All the highlights!
Finding the Universe contains affiliate links, meaning if you make a purchase through these links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

Route 66 in Missouri – All the highlights!

Last updated: April 7, 2019. Written by Laurence Norah - 4 Comments

It’s time for post seven in our photo essay series covering our Route 66 trip from California to Chicago, with Missouri being the seventh state on our adventure.

We followed as closely as we could the original route, and saw a lot along the way, from the high desert scenery of the west through to more rural scenery in the mid and eastern parts of the USA.

We’ve got some resources at the end to help you plan your own Route 66 road trip, but for now, lets focus on some of our favourite sights along Route 66 in Missouri.

Route 66 Missouri - 66 drive in theatre Brooklyn Heights_by_Laurence Norah

No Route 66 adventure would be complete without a drive-in movie theatre. We passed a few of these on our adventures, and stopped at one in Oklahoma for a double-bill. Definitely a must if you’re driving the route!

Route 66 Missouri - Amanda murals_by_Laurence Norah-2

We also loved all the murals along the Route. This was in the town of Amanda, where there were all sorts of murals depicting scenes from the past.

Route 66 Missouri - Boots Court Motel Carthage_by_Laurence Norah

Boots Court in Carthage is a classic old Route 66 motel that has recently been lovingly restored to how it would have been during its heyday in 1949. We weren’t able to stay the night here, but we were given a full tour. If you get the chance, we highly recommend you stay over.

Route 66 Missouri - bowling alley_by_Laurence Norah

Bowling was (and still is!) a popular way to spend an evening on Route 66, so stopping at one of the many bowling alleys along the way is a great option. And this one has the name and everything!

Route 66 Missouri - burger_by_Laurence Norah

I couldn’t do a Route 66 post without a photo of some diner food.

Route 66 Missouri - Diner Carthage_by_Laurence Norah

And the inside of a diner. Love these old style locations! This is in Carthage.

Route 66 Missouri - Gardenway motel_by_Laurence Norah

Like every state, not all the businesses in Missouri have survived the coming o the interstates and the decline in Route 66 traffic, with plenty of abandoned buildings and properties to photograph. Here, this motel seems to be not much more than a sign.

Route 66 Missouri - Giant man statue_by_Laurence Norah

Route 66 is all about quirky road side attractions, like this giant statue of a hillbilly. This is originally from the Hillbilly store, found along the route from the 1950’s through to the 1980’s (thanks to Angela in the comments for this information!).

Route 66 Missouri - Giant rocking chair_by_Laurence Norah

And this giant rocking chair!

Route2B662BMissouri2B-2BMeramec2BCaverns2BBarn_by_Laurence2BNorah

One of Missouri’s most famous attractions are the Meramec Caverns, a huge cave complex near Stanton. The caverns were advertised all across middle America, primarily on barns, and they have now become a classic part of the Route 66 legend. A few still survive on the route, so keep an eye out.

Route 66 Missouri - Meramec Caverns_by_Laurence Norah

And of course, once you’ve seen the barns, you’ll want to check out the caverns themselves!

Route 66 Missouri - motel_by_Laurence Norah

Of course, no Route 66 photo essay would be complete without some motel signs.

Route 66 Missouri - Munger Moss Motel sign_by_Laurence Norah-2

We stayed in this one, so managed to get some photos of that Route 66 neon!

Route 66 Missouri - Red Oak II Ghost Town_by_Laurence Norah-5

This vintage car is part of the Red Oak II ghost town. It’s not strictly a ghost town, rather, all the buildings have been brought here from around the country, to be restored and looked after. It’s a really cool place to visit, and we loved wandering around. The next two pictures are from Red Oak II.

Route 66 Missouri - Red Oak II Ghost Town_by_Laurence Norah-6

Route 66 Missouri - Red Oak II Ghost Town_by_Laurence Norah-10

Route 66 Missouri - St Louis Gateway Arch_by_Laurence Norah-3

The city of St Louis is particularly known for it’s Gateway Arch, signifying how this was the gateway to America’s West. The arch is 192 metres high, making it the world’s tallest arch, as well as the largest man-made monument in the western hemisphere.

Route 66 Missouri - Stonehenge replica Rolla_by_Laurence Norah

Speaking of man made monuments, we also came across this scale replica of Stonehenge in the town of Rolla.

Route 66 Missouri - Ted Drewes Frozen custard_by_Laurence Norah

Every state on Route 66 seems to have a must-try food stuff. In Missouri, that’s frozen custard. Which of course we tried, and it was delicious.

Route 66 Missouri - Woodys Diner_by_Laurence Norah

There are also numerous dining options offering huge plates of great value food.

Route 66 Missouri old gas station

Finally, our photo essay of the highlights of Route 66 in Missouri concludes with this wonderful old gas station.

As you can see, Missouri has no shortage of photogenic locations along Route 66, and we loved driving through the state and exploring all of them. Hopefully, this series has inspired you to want to do your own Route 66 adventure – if so, read on for our:

Tips for Planning your own Route 66 Adventure

If you’re planning your own historic Route 66 adventure, we’ve got a bit of reading for you!

  • First, be inspired by photos from all the states we visited, by checking our photos highlights from each Route 66 state: California, Arizona, New Mexico,  Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri & Illinois
  • Next, check out Jess’s comprehensive guide to planning a Route 66 trip
  • Then, take a look out our incredibly detailed day by day Route 66 itinerary, which covers all the sights you want to see, route tips, lodging options and places to eat.
  • If you’re new to driving in the US, check out my tips for driving in the US to get you started
  • Not sure how much it’s all going to cost? We’ve got you covered with our guide to travel costs in the USA
  • Finally, take a look at this book – the best way in our opinion to successfully navigate the entire length of Route 66 as faithfully as you can. We followed it the whole way, and even met the author, and couldn’t have done without it!

Enjoy your Route 66 trip, and let us know which has been your favourite state so far in the comments below!

Enjoyed this post? Why not share it!

Home » Destinations » North America » USA » Route 66 in Missouri – All the highlights!

Monthly Giveaway

Don't miss out on our exclusive monthly giveaways with lots of fun travel and photography related prizes! Click here to see our current giveaway and enter!

There are 4 comments on this post

Please scroll to the end to leave a comment

  1. Angela Kay says

    6th April 2019 at 10:41 pm

    “”Route 66 is all about quirky road side attractions, like this giant statue of a pirate”.
    That’s not a pirate it is the Hillbilly from the Hillbilly store on 66 in and around the 50 threw the 80s.
    It was a child hood treet to go there n get a grab bag for .25/.50/1.$
    I miss it!

    Reply
    • Laurence Norah says

      7th April 2019 at 11:14 am

      Hey Angela – thanks for the information! I have updated the post with your correction 😀 Thanks for sharing your experience too!

      Reply
  2. Joseph E. Long says

    25th March 2019 at 7:37 pm

    In the summer of 1945 a couple of friends and I went on a trip from Kentucky to California. We hitchhiked and rode freight trains, worked along the way, horse farm in Missouri, wheat harvest in Kansas etc.. we probably traveled a lot of Route 66 before we ended up in Los Angeles. The pictures are a good reminder of what it looked like then. Route 66 was not famous then, just another road. Just before the Interstate hiways took over, old 66 was dangerous, too many cars on two lane roads.

    Reply
    • Laurence Norah says

      26th March 2019 at 1:54 pm

      Hey Joseph – wow, what an experience that must have been. My dad actually did something similar, except he went to Australia, and did a lot of the physical type work you are describing – from rounding up sheep on horse back to stacking peanuts!

      I can imagine it would have been very different back then to how it is now. Thanks so much for sharing your experience 😀

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Let me know when there's a reply to my comment (just replies to your comment, no other e-mails, we promise!)

Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter where we share our latest travel news and tips. This also makes you eligible to enter our monthly giveaways!

We only ask for your e-mail so we can verify you are human and if requested notify you of a reply. To do this, we store your data as outlined in our privacy policy. Your e-mail will not be published or used for any other reason other than those outlined above.

About Us

Laurence and Jessica Norah

Hi there! We're Laurence and Jessica Norah. We've been running this site since 2010 as full time professional travel bloggers. We visit all the places we write about personally, and all our content is based on our own first hand travel experiences. We also take all the photos you see on our sites. So grab a drink, dive in, and read on! You can also find out more about us here. Comic included.
Photography course
monthly giveaway
Carbon Neutral Policy

SUBSCRIBE BY E-MAIL

Want to keep up to date with us and our latest travel tips? Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.

Being a subscriber also makes you eligible to enter our monthly travel and photography giveaways!

Thank you!

Please check your e-mail to confirm your sign up.

Affiliate Information

This website contains affiliate links to products and services that generate a small income to us if you choose to use them, at no cost to you. We only recommend products and services that we use ourselves, and will always link to relevant information, regardless of whether or not there is an affiliate program. See our Code of Ethics for more information.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Sitemap
  • About Us
  • Work with us
  • Contact us
  • Blog
  • Destinations
  • Travel Resources
  • Photography Tips
  • Monthly Giveaway
  • Web Stories

© Copyright 2010 - 2021 Finding the Universe®· All Rights Reserved ·
Part of Travel Cats Media Ltd. Registered in England and Wales. Company Number: 11524454.