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Historic Route 66 in Missouri

From St. Louis to Joplin, MO is about 320 miles, plus any additional miles driving alternate alignments and side trips.
St. Louis 2
100 Washington Ave.
The 600 foot tall Gateway Arch welcomes you to the Show Me state. But that's not all St. Louis has to offer ... read more
xShrewsbury & Marlborough
Just west of St. Louis proper you pass through a tiny bit of Shrewsbury and a lot of Marlborough. Marlborough was a sort of a motel row in the heyday of Route 66 ... read more
Crestwood & Eureka
Just west of St. Louis you go through Crestwood and on to Eureka and the Route 66 State Park Visitor Center ... read more


Note:
Going west from Crestwood follow Watson onto the freeway and merge onto I-44-going west.

Pacific
Pacific sits on the 1933 - 1974 alignment of Route 66. Today Historic Route 66 still runs along Osage Street through downtown. I-44 opened in 1965 and ... read more
Gray Summit
Located at I-44 Exit 253 right where the 1926, 1932 and 1975 alignments of Route 66 meet. Check out the giant signs of the Gardenway and Diamond Inn ... read more
xVilla Ridge
The route runs through Villa Ridge from I-44 exit 251 to exit 247. The 1945 Sunset Motel is just of of the local landmarks ... read more
St. Clair
When it comes to Historic Route 66 the St. Clair and Stanton have a couple of cool landmarks, as does Sullivan ... read more
Stanton & Sullivan
When it comes to Historic Route 66 the St. Clair and Stanton have a couple of cool landmarks, as does Sullivan ... read more
Bourbon
Don't get excited, the 1925 Bourbon Water Tower only holds water! But it's a fun photo op! It's just one of a few landmarks in town ... read more
xCuba & Fanning
Cuba calls itself the Mural City, it doesn't take long to see why. Then down the road at Fanning you'll find ... read more
xSt. James
The Mother Road took three paths through St. James, 1926, mid-50s and finally I-44. There's plenty to see here ... read more
Rolla
Route 66 winds its way through Rolla on N. Bishop Ave. and Kings Hwy. between I-44 exits 186 to 184 ... read more
xMartin Spring
Martin Spring is on the old road a few miles west of Rolla ... read more
Doolittle, Arlington & Jerome
The town of Doolittle is home to the famous but fast disappearing John's Modern Cabins. Jerome has a couple of cool old landmarks ... read more
xHooker & Devil's Elbow
Checkout the Hooker Cut, the Elbow Inn, the 1923 Big Piney River Bridge, Miller's Market and the Devil's Elbow overlook ... read more
xSt. Robert & Waynesville
The George M Reed Park is the future home of a neon park. Croaker the Frog Rock welcomes you to Waynesville ... read more
xGascozark & Hazelgreen
The name Gascozark is taken from the name of the of Gasconade River and the Ozarks. Hazelgreen has an endangered old bridge ... read more
xLebanon
Lebanon has several landmarks to explore, like the Munger Moss Motel and Wrink's Market just to name a couple ... read more
Caffeyville
The old store is still there, but that's about it until you get to the Meramec Caverns barn signs ... read more
Phillipsburg & Conway
I-40, exit 118 at Hwy. C
Old Route 66 crosses over I-40 here going from the north side to the south heading west. ... read more
xNiangua
On the 1926 to 1954 alignment of Route 66 which followed the old Ozark Trail. In 1955 Route 66 was realigned to follow the newer ... read more
Marshfield
Marshfield is on the original 1926 to 1954 alignment of Route 66. I-55 became Route 66 here in 1955. The replica Hubble Telescope ... read more
xStrafford
When Route 66 came to Strafford it bypassed the main street by one block. So the businesses on the main street basically dressed up the back door to welcome ... read more
xSpringfield
Springfield is known as the "Birthplace of Route 66 and the "Queen City of the Ozarks. There were multiple alignments of 66 here over the years and there's lots to... read more
Plano & Halltown
Very little is left of Plano but it and Halltown have a couple of buildings with interesting histories ... read more
xParis Springs
MO Hwy. 266 / Route 66
Both the late Gary Turner and his Gay Parita Sinclair Station are legendary. The station is one of a few interesting ... read more
xSpencer & Heatonville
County Rd 2062 / Old Route 66
Sidney Casey bought the town of Spencer for $400.00 in 1925. Heatonville is just down the road a bit ... read more
Albatross
This little community that sits between Heatonville and Avilla at MO 39 and 96 did fairly well in the heyday of Route 66 with as many as ... read more
Phelps
A short stretch of the original 2 lane Route 66 serves as a sort of a north frontage road for the newer MO Hwy. 96 in Phelps ... read more
Rescue & Plew
There are a few photo opportunities as you pass through Rescue and Plew, but not ... read more
xAvilla
The original alignment of Route 66 (now MO 96) runs through Avilla on what was once known as Old Carthage ... read more
xCarthage
Carthage saw several alignments of the Mother Road. The town has over 600 sites on the National Register of Historic Places ... read more
xCarterville
There are several old buildings of interest here, but the SuperTams Ice Cream place may be all you need to ... read more
xWebb City
Webb City was 50 years old when Route 66 came to town in 1926. There's plenty to see in this city between Carthage and Joplin ... read more
xJoplin
There were a few routes through Joplin over the years, we take you along the 1926 alignment plus 2 short side trips the later ... read more
xCentral City
As you come to the state line between Missouri and Kansas you'll find a handful of vintage buildings and businesses ... read more

East < GO > West

xStay tuned, there's more to come!  

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x About Us We started traveling Historic U.S. Route 66 as a destination in 2009. It's like a 2,400 mile long drive back in time from Chicago to Santa Monica! more
xDid You Know: Many parts of the old 4 lane Route 66 were reverted to a 2 lane road after 66 was realigned to the interstate. In many places the abandoned lanes are still there.