POINTS OF INTEREST GUIDE, MO. & KS. (Copy and Print)
Communities are highlighted in Green and Items highlighted in Red are points of interest (photos on website).
NOTE: Visit 66.com welcomes you to our homebase portion of The Mother Road. This guide letter was custom made to point-out interesting places you will be passing from Carthage, MO. to Baxter Springs, Kansas.
(Read from the bottom-up if you are heading East, and reverse the directions accordingly). Additional photos and stories for each town are available to link to on the homepage.
CARTHAGE: You will be entering Route 66 to Carthage on County Road 118 East of town. The old Route 66 is located in Kellog Lake Park, but dead-ends at the bridge over Spring River, so you will turn right to Hwy. 96 and cross the bridge into town. Continue to Garrison St. (on Center St.) and turn left (turn left at this major intersection). You will see the famous Boots Motel on your right. Glark Gable once stayed here in room #6. The Motel is no longer taking overnight bookings and is for sale. Across the street is the former Boots Drive-In Restaurant, now a Credit Union. Again on your right is the Pancake Hut, open all day. They have a 30's era Band Box on display that once played "Get your Kicks...". The historic Jasper County Courthouse, built in the late 1800's, is a few blocks to your left. Check-out the Town-Square and businesses around the Courthouse.
When you return to Garrison, head west on Oak St.. There is a Braums Ice Cream Store at Garrison and Oak. There is an old car DeSoto-Plymouth dealership on the left one block west. The big hump that follows is the original Route 66 railroad overpass (also known as the "tickle-tummy" bridge). Go slow here. Further down is the interesting Powers Museum which is located across the street from a huge 1937 City Park that also has some historic buildings...so drive through and check it out. Then, continue west on 66.
The road ahead will come to a "Y" indicating that "Historic" 66 bears left, however you could proceed straight ahead on the actual original route until you must turn left to rejoin the "Historic" route just before the Route 66 Drive-In Theater (Old Road 170), as the actual, original route will dead-end. (Note: If you take this "actual" path at the "Y", proceed on the old Route and watch for a 90 degree left turn, picking up the actual path again, "before" you cross a highway overpass. Watch carefully or you will get lost. If you have a problem here, go back to the "Y" and bear to the left as directed by the sign.
Route 66 Drive-In: This 1948 outdoor drive-in was once very popular, but when 66 declined it became an auto salvage yard. It was restored in the late '90's using the original ticket booth and neon signs, and is open weekends for double features. It's sign was shown in the movie "CARS".
After leaving the Drive-In, continue west and you will pass-over highway 71 which cut Route 66 many years ago. On the other side is one of the most scenic and original portions of Route 66 remaining today. This is a good place to take photos.
CARTERVILLE: As you approach Carterville, you will come to a stop where 66 makes a right turn onto Main Street. Dreama's 66 Cafe is on that corner, and was a former Dairy Queen Ice Cream Shop. The big stone house on the diagonal corner was once rented by gangster Pretty Boy Floyd. Carterville is very old and was once a mining town.
The small grey shop on the left further down is "Superman on 66", an ice cream parlor, Superman memorabilia museum and 66 gift shop. Note the Route 66 banners on the light posts downtown. The owner of this store paid for those himself.
Just past Superman on 66 is the Carterville Route 66 Diner which is open presently closed.
As we bear left to leave Carterville you will observe remnants of the old mining areas. This area is presently being restored by the EPA. The cement pillars by the RR tracks were used to support the old trolly tracks.
WEBB CITY: You will soon cross over railroad tracks into Webb City. The cement structure on your right, near the tracks was a trestle support for the trolly car rails that connected these mining town in the early 1900's.
As you enter the downtown, the route bears left at a "Y". You might consider going straight ahead though, diverting one block to the north so you can see the '30 era Bradford-Bishop Deli and Soda Fountain that is very popular with 66 travelers. It is the brick 2-story building on the right as you stop to enter Main Street. Before you turn left onto Main Street, check out the mural of 66 on the building across from the deli. It was painted by the Mayor and has local scenes in the foreground with St. Louis and Chicago in the distance. You might want to stop to check these attractions out.
Proceed south one block to Route 66 and turn right on Broadway, then go one block to Webb St.. Turn left then right on Broadway once again. Stay on Broadway through town and make a left on Madison (first stop sign). Check out the old victorian homes along the way. (Note: Jefferson St. turns south before Madison, and is the original route, however there is not much to see here except an old closed gas station/grocery store, and crossing traffic at Madison and 71 is much safer.) As you turn south on Madison towards Joplin, you will be on 66 (Rangeline Road), which is 4-lanes now with heavy traffic for the next 4 miles. (Watch for Zora St. at a traffic light intersection).
JOPLIN: (Click here for Map) You will enter Joplin by turning right on Zora Street (original 66) and proceed to Florida Ave. where you make a left turn. As you slow to make a right turn onto Utica, the brick building on the left is being restored and was once the Joplin Little Theater, then a battered womens home, then shops with apartments upstairs. (An Ice cream parlor is planned).
A couple of blocks down Utica, a home on the right corner has many 66 signs in the window and is owned by Dale Holly, who owns the famous "Ole Route 66 Barbershop" just ahead on the left. Dale is retired now.
The Dale's Old 66 Barber Shop on the left was a 20's era Shamrock gas station owned by Phillips 66.. Called the Shamrock Inn, the station was part of a Tourist Camp with cabins and a Cafe behind the station.
You are making a left sweeping turn onto Euclid heading thru an area known as Royal Heights, which is where many Joplinites had "Summer homes" in the early 1900's, as the valley has a spring fed creek that cooled the area during hot summers. Then you turn left onto St. Louis Ave. heading south toward town. There should be Route 66 signs in this area to help you.
On top of the hill with the cemetery on your left, you will turn right onto Broadway (now Langston Hughes Blvd.), location of the original Main Street of Joplin City in the late 1800's, a rowdy mining Boomtown. There a a few old buildings remaining and the two Barbeque Restaurants are popular eating places.
You will soon be crossing the bridge into downtown Joplin. This is the "new" Broadway Viaduct, the old bridge would have entered Joplin on First street. We now enter on Second Street. Notice the old, deserted Union Depot railroad station on your right as you cross the bridge. Plans are underway to someday restore the structure with a Route 66 Museum, a Railroad museum, two restaurants, a theater and a visitors welcome center, ...or perhaps a hotel.
You will be turning left onto Joplin's Main Street where 66 runs right thru the Historic Downtown. Many of the buildings you see were built in the early 1900's and are now being converted into offices, retail stores and Loft-style apartments. You might want to stop and walk around the downtown area as this is Joplin's main attraction on Route 66. Be sure to check out Columbia Trader's Deli, the Butterfly Klatch Koffeehouse, Ardis Downtown Cafe and the historic Fox Movie Theater...all of which are located on Main Street between 4th. and 6th. streets. The Joplin City Hall overlooks historic 66 at 6th. and Main, and is located in the former Newman's Department Store. It was built in 1909 and has an interesting exhibit of Joplin's history on the Mezzanine including some murals. The Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau is located on the first floor, and has brochures and free goodies for Route travelers.
At 7th. and Main you turn right onto 7th. street heading west. An RV stopover place is to your left so merge into the left lane as soon as you make the turn off Main. You will turn onto Joplin Street, then into the large parking lot in front of Memorial Hall (which is on the National Historic Register). This is a free parking area and you can park your RV or large vehicles and check-out the downtown from here.
Heading west, about 4 block from downtown, look for a red A-frame roof on the northeast corner of 7th. & Sargent. Now a used car lot, this was the location of a "Mister Swiss" hamburger drive-in, built in the 1960"s. There are plans to restore this business in the near future. A little further west, on your left, is the "Sultan of Smoke" Barbeque Restaurant. The food is very good, and the interior walls feature numerous civic awards, old photos and worthless mining stock certificates. Across the street is a tan 2-story building that sat on the Route for many years. Word is that this was originally a gas station before becoming a small grocery and liquor store. It has recently been restored and is now an Antique store and Gift Shop.
On the way out of Joplin, you will notice a few old gas stations, but all of the Tourist Camps and Cabins have been torn down. As you pass the Wal-Mart on your right, at the next light (Shifferdecker Ave.) you will notice Shifferdecker Park, which is owned by the City of Joplin. The Joplin Mineral Museum is located here along with other park facilities, like a golf course, public swimming pool, etc.. (Turn right to enter the park). On the interior street at the corner, there is a monument to Will Rogers, naming Route 66 "The Will Rogers Highway". The open space nearby was once a place where early Route travelers stopped to camp-out.
Further along you will pass a bunch of auto salvage yards. Because Joplin is a "hub of transportation" in the United States, there are many places to buy a new or used car...and even more places to salvage it!
Also, as you pass the Amusement Park on the left, then the 66 Speedway, watch for a huge Mansion and Estate with waterfalls, lake and horses grazing (overlooking 66). This is a private home and horse ranch!
Now, at the curve ahead, watch for the Old 66 signs, and get ready to turn right off the 4-lane onto (and into) one of the oldest, most original parts of Route 66. You're on your way to Galena, Kansas, and you will see several "Stateline" businesses on your right that sit just inside the Missouri border. Once you pass those, you are in Kansas, and in these few miles of bumpy old road you will feel as if you are "Oakies a' headen' for the promised land of Californee." You can slow down here to take the experience in, as traffic is light.
GALENA: , HEADS-UP: We'll pass over the original railroad on an old bridge and turn south onto Galena's Main street. The old gas station on the left is where Michael Wallis and "Cars" director John Lassiter spotted the old tow truck that inspired the "Tow Mater" character, and across the street is an old brick building with old signs painted on the right side, so look here first. These signs inspired the "Town of Radiator Springs" location in "Cars". Slow down so you have time to take both in. The old gas station has been restored as an original "Kan-O-Tex" filling station of the 1940's. Called "4 Women on the Route", the station has a nifty snack bar and gift shop, but the visitors also come to see "Tow Tater", the old boom truck that inspired Pixar's TOW MATER character!
Galena was a mining town that never fully recovered from the bust that followed the boom. Here, even Route 66 traffic barely kept Galena alive. At least it still has the old buildings with onrnate trim to preserve. The rear apartments recently collapsed into an old mine shaft.
On the right are more old buildings and the new Route 66 community park. Next block you turn right heading for Riverton (the sign shows state 66). The Galena Fire Station and Railroad Depot/Museum are on the right...just look for the army tank and train engine. This is an excellent mining-era museum.
RIVERTON: As you approach Riverton, KS., you will cross over "Spring River". The large facility on the left is the Empire Distric Electric Company power plant which was here before Route 66 was. It supplies power to the "Tri- States of Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma.
The 1925 Eisler Brothers store is on your right just ahead, and you really should stop here. This store is still doing what it did before Route 66 was commissioned, and except for the 66 Gift Shop, it is today what it was in the 20's. Scott Nelson is the "HMIC" (head man in charge), and have him sing the song "Get your Kicks on Route 66" for you. Check-out the original outhouse out back. The food is good here, especially the sandwiches which are "hand-crafted just for you"!
As you leave the Eisler Brothers store for Baxter Springs, you continue westbound thru a traffic light and the 2 intersections, going straight into a sweeping left turn and thus remaining on Old Route 66. A mile or so after you turn south, look for the white bridge to your right. You will turn right off the updated road's curve to drive across the last remaining cement Marsh Arch bridge on Route 66. Once covered in graffitti, and called "Graffitti Bridge" by the locals, the bridge has been painted white and is a popular photo stop. Several Route 66 weddings have occurred here as well as numerous small events. Photograph your vehicle as it "travels" across this bridge.
BAXTER SPRINGS: A few miles south of the bridge, as you come closer to town, you will see an old DX gas station. 66 curves to the left where you will rejoin the main road into town. As you go downhill, you will see a sign for the Baxter Springs Museum, which is also a great place to visit, especially considering the town's Civil War battles. On the left at 10th. Street you will see an old Phillips 66 gas station. The unique design of this building has been restored as a Visitors Welcome Center, partly funded by the National Park Service, and is now open.
One block later, on the right, is the "On the Route" Cafe. Upstairs is the "Bed" part of the Bed and Breakfast, with guests dining in the Cafe below. There are other interesting Route attractions here, and the Visitors Center can point them out for you.
Shortly after you leave town, you can honestly say "We're not in Kansas anymore!" You are in Oklahoma, and on your way to more adventures on "The Mother Road". Have a great trip, and come back again.
