DESTINATIONS THE US | MISSOURI
OF THE BEST
RoUTE 66 FOOD SPOTs
Salt + Smoke BBQ, St Louis
Salt + Smoke BBQ, St Louis: Missouri is famous for its barbecue and this modern, industrial-design restaurant serves some of the best in St Louis – think ultra-tender pulled pork and beef brisket doused in sweet, homemade bourbon sauce.
CLOCKWISE FROM TOP: Route 66 Neon Park, St Robert; writer Laura French at Schifferdecker Park, Joplin; Red Oak II open-air museum PICTURES: Missouri Division of Tourism/Aaron Fuhrman;
www.AmonFocus.com; Laura French
architecture that opened the year the route was inaugurated. We tour the theatre, glimpsing opulent chandeliers, intricate friezes and gold- hued pillars as we learn how Elvis Presley once hid in the back row. More recently, it’s become a favourite haunt for Missouri-born star Chappell Roan, who shot one of her music videos here. It’s these stories, and the reverence for so faithfully preserving the region’s history, that fascinate me about Route 66. And as we continue along the route to Red Oak II, an hour’s drive west, we encounter even more. Brought to life under the vision of local
artist Lowell Davis, this cluster of old-school, colourful slatted houses is a recreation of the original Red Oak, a ghost town that was abandoned after the Second World War. Many of the town’s original 19th-century buildings were moved here in the 1980s, including a schoolhouse, town hall and a ‘house of ill repute’, scattered across a 60- acre carpet of greenery. Wandering among them feels like entering a time machine, which characterises much of my trip along the route.
ADVENTURES IN JOPLIN Another half-hour drive west, we get to Joplin, where our journey on the route comes to an end. This is the home of the Tri-State
36 19 MARCH 2026
33Bonnie and Clyde hid in this apartment for 12 days in the 1930s – now you can rent it on Airbnb
Marker – standing at the crossroads of the Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri borders – and Schifferdecker Park, where huge paintings sprayed graffiti-style onto the street surface offer 3D illusions to mark the Route 66 Centennial. But the most intriguing sight comes as something of a side note, when we pull up outside a modest-looking, honey-coloured apartment. “Outlaws Bonnie and Clyde hid here for 12
days in the 1930s,” says Patrick Tuttle, director at the Joplin Convention & Visitors Bureau. “They killed two police officers in a shootout, and a metal detector found lead in the tree. I grew up next door,” he adds. “Now you can rent it on Airbnb.” It sums up just how close you can get to
the history – from the macabre to the more playful – along Missouri’s stretch of the Mother Road. For clients who want classic charm, retro style and a few Route 66 fanatics to meet along the way, this underrated state is classic Americana at its most quintessential.
TW
Elm Street Eatery, Lebanon: This local, low-key favourite is a great spot for a traditional Midwest breakfast – try the biscuits and gravy and share the cinnamon roll, a giant, warm, gooey spiced bun that was one of the best I’ve ever tasted.
College Street Cafe, Springfield: Now a Route 66 institution, this chequered roadside diner is old-school Americana at its best, with retro memorabilia and giant burgers, sandwiches and skillets served at its bar-side stalls.
BOOK IT
Purely America offers an eight-day Heart of Route 66 self-drive from St Louis to Kansas City via Lebanon, Springfield and Joplin from £1,399 per person, based on two sharing for travel in November, including compact car hire, accommodation and flights to St Louis, returning from Kansas City, via Atlanta.
purelytravel.co.uk
America As You Like It has a 14-night The Best of Route 66 self-drive from Chicago to Santa Monica from £1,925 per person, including flights, room-only accommodation and car hire in low season, including two nights in St Louis and one in Springfield.
americaasyoulikeit.com
Visit Missouri offers travel resources and information at
visitmo.com
travelweekly.co.uk
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