ROUTE 66 AREA ATTRACTIONS: SPRINGFIELD, MO TO AMARILLO, TX
CARTHAGE, MO:
JASPER COUNTY COURTHOUSE, 302 S. Main St.; 417-359-8181; www.Visit-Carthage.com. Now on the National Register of Historic Places, the elegant courthouse was built 1894-95 of limestone from Carthage mines. Said to be the state’s second-most photographed structure (after the Gateway Arch), it features turrets, towers and arches.
KELLOGG LAKE, 1215 Esterly Drive; 417-237-7035; www.Visit-Carthage.com. The man-made lake, created when Route 66 was realigned, lies along a stretch of the original road. The lake, popular for fishing and boating, includes a small boat dock.
PRECIOUS MOMENTS CHAPEL AND GARDENS, 4321 Chapel Road; 800-543-7975; www.PreciousMomentsChapel.org. The chapel is among Missouri’s loveliest attractions. The grounds also include a visitor center, gift shop, museum, snack shop and extensive gardens. Free tours are offered.
STONE’S THROW DINNER THEATRE, 796 S. Stone Lane; 417-358-9665; www.stonesthrowdinnertheatre.webs.com. This dinner theater in a country setting generally features comedies, also offers a special holiday presentation. Tickets must be purchased in advance.
JOPLIN, MO:
COUNTRY CABOOSE RAILROAD MUSEUM, 1100 N. Prosperity Ave.; 417-624-3861; www.CountryCaboose.com. The museum features a large collection of railroad memorabilia, mostly from the Santa Fe line displayed in a Santa Fe caboose and Jersey Central passenger car.
JOPLIN MUSEUM COMPLEX, 504 Schifferdecker Ave.; 417-623-1180; www.JoplinMuseum.org. The five museums here depict the history of southwest Missouri, featuring the area’s role in the tri-state (MO-OK-KS) mining district.
ROUTE 66 CAROUSEL PARK, 32834 W. Seventh St.; 417-626-7710. Fun for all ages, the park includes a mini-golf course, go-karts, an arcade, batting cages, bumper boats and amusement rides. Open March-October.
THOMAS HART BENTON MURAL, 602 S. Main St.; 800-657-2534. The mural, on display in the city hall, is Benton’s last signed large-scale work. It depicts Joplin in 1900. Benton, who grew up in nearby Neosho, worked as a cartoonist in Joplin.
MIAMI, OK:
COLEMAN THEATRE, 103 N. Main; phone 918-540-2425; web site www.colemantheatre.org. The Spanish mission-style theater, new in 1929, has been restored to its original opulence, offers classic films and a variety of live entertainment, including ballets, light operas and performances on the original “Mighty Wurlitzer.”
CLAREMORE, OK:
J.M. DAVIS ARMS AND HISTORICAL MUSEUM, corner of 5th and J.M. Davis Blvd., phone 918-341-5707; web site www.thegunmuseum.com. This is the largest private gun collection in the world, with more than 50,000 firearms; also collections of knives, steins and Native American artifacts.
WILL ROGERS MEMORIAL MUSEUM, 1720 W. Will Rogers Blvd.; phone 918-341-0719 or 800-324-9455; web site www.willrogers.com. The museum, which opened in 1938 on Rogers’ 59th birthday, three years after his death in a plane crash, tells the life story of the humorist/humanitarian/actor/philosopher/athlete through a variety of memorabilia, radio broadcasts, films, quotes and much more. His gravesite is also here.
OOLOGAH, OK:
WILL ROGERS BIRTHPLACE (DOG IRON RANCH), 9501 E. 380 Road; phone 918-275-4201; web site www.willrogers.com. Rogers was born here in 1879 in a two-story log-walled house that can be toured. Vintage movies and newsreels are shown in the nearby barn.
TULSA, OK:
ART DECO LANDMARKS WALKING TOUR in the city’s downtown includes many buildings on the National Register of Historic Places; phone 918-585-1201; web site www.visittulsa.com.
GILCREASE MUSEUM, 1400 Gilcrease Museum Road; phone 918-596-2700; web site www.gilcrease.org. The museum, which claims the world’s most comprehensive collection of American Indian and Western art, also includes 23 acres of themed outdoor gardens, a discovery center and restaurant. A variety of programs and events are offered.
TULSA ZOO AND LIVING MUSEUM, 6421 E. 36th St. N; phone 918-669-6600; web site www.tulsazoo.org. The zoo is home to more than 1500 animals living in natural habitats; there is also a discovery center, train, carousel and gift shop.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK:
NATIONAL COWBOY AND WESTERN HERITAGE MUSEUM, 1700 NE 63rd St.; phone 405-478-2250; web site www.nationalcowboymuseum.org. The fine collection includes works by Charles Russell, Frederic Remington and Albert Bierstadt.
OKLAHOMA CITY MUSEUM OF ART, 415 Couch Dr.; phone 405-236-3100 or 800-579-9278; web site www.okcmoa.com. With 15 galleries, a theater, café and gift shop, the museum also includes a large collection of Chihuly glass.
OKLAHOMA CITY NATIONAL MEMORIAL AND MUSEUM, 620 N. Harvey; phone 405-235-3313 or 888-542-4673; web site https://memorialmuseum.com/. This memorial to the victims of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building bombing in 1995 includes symbolic chairs and a Survivor Tree.
OKLAHOMA CITY ZOO AND BOTANICAL GARDEN, 2101 NE 50th St.; phone 405-424-3344; web site www.okczoo.com. Considered one of the country’s top ten zoos, this 110-acre facility is home to more than 2500 animals, including the Oklahoma Trails exhibit with 800 native animals.
ROUTE 66 PARK, 9901 NW 23rd St.; phone 405-297-2211; web site www.okc.gov. Located at Lake Overholser, the park includes a playground, interpretive plaza, watch tower, wetlands with boardwalks, and an amphitheater.
CLINTON, OK:
OKLAHOMA ROUTE 66 MUSEUM, 2229 W. Gary Blvd.; phone 580-323-7866; web site www.route66.org. The newly renovated, first-rate museum still tells the story of Route 66 by decade, but now also includes numerous interactive exhibits to be enjoyed by all ages.
ELK CITY, OK:
NATIONAL ROUTE 66 AND TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM, 2717 W. 3rd St. (Hwy 66); phone 580-225-6266; web site www.elkcity.com. The museum features all eight states the old highway crossed. An array of artifacts, antique cars and historical documents are part of the collection; there’s also a 15-minute film documenting history of the Mother Road.
AMARILLO, TX:
PALO DURO CANYON STATE PARK is southeast of town off I-27; phone 806-488-2227; web site www.tpwd.state.tx.us/park/paloduro or www.palodurocanyon.com. The magnificent 30,000-acre park offers camping, horseback riding, picnic areas, a restaurant and miles of hiking and mountain biking trails.
TEXAS AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM, 10001 American; phone 806-335-9159; web site www.texasairandspacemuseum.org. Among the attractions at this museum which honors Amarillo’s and the Panhandle’s history of flight, are a NASA trainer, P-51 Mustang and DeHaviland Beaver, plus photos and other exhibits.
AMERICAN QUARTER HORSE HALL OF FAME & MUSEUM, Quarter Horse Drive, 2601 I-40 East; phone 806-376-5181; web site www.quarterhorsemuseum.com. The museum displays a variety of artifacts, also histories of horse breeds and the people who made them what they are today.
