Day 5 of our spring break trip was filled with Route 66 stopped on our way from Springfield to St. Louis where we would spend the next few days visiting with old friends. Our first stop was right down the road from the Rail Haven. In an old abandoned parking lot there’s a stretch of what looks like frontage road but is actually the Mother Road. It’s right across the road from the new Walmart. We of course had to drive on it twice to get a feel for what it would have been like.
Still in Springfield there is also the old Rest Haven Court which is still in business. If I visited again I think I would try one night here even though I enjoyed my time at the Rail Haven Best Western so much.
Our next stop was at the Route 66 Museum in Lebanon, MO. The museum is located in the same building as the public library. It has several nice displays mainly about Route 66 in Missouri but also features some artifacts from each state along the way. While at the museum, we learned of the Munger Moss Motel which is still in use in Lebanon to this day so we made a stop off to take a few pictures of the old place.
Our final Route 66 stop on the day was what is now the World’s 2nd Largest Rocking Chair in Fanning, MO. I’m surprised this is still there because they general store that used to be there isn’t open anymore. The rocking chair is still standing nice and tall as it has since it was built there.
As I said the rest of our trip was spent in St. Louis with friends, but I do have to mention the one new restaurant we tried while we were there. The Hi-Pointe diner has been brought back after closing following it’s 1980’s heydays. The people who own Sugarfire Smokehouse worked to reopen the Hi-Pointe Diner. Our previous two years spent living in St. Louis, I always drove past this old restaurant and wondered what used to be there and now I know! The new Diner offers a variety of sandwiches and burgers, usually with a special twist. Your order at the counter and then they bring the food to your table. Seating inside is limited and you can’t save seats until after you’ve ordered at the counter. The also have outdoor seating available. We really enjoyed it and will be back when we move back to St. Louis for Andrew’s final year of grad school in just a few months!
Sites & Bites 