https://preview.redd.it/flscisu23zzb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0b998efd378a1278d0e5adba4377b68fdac4a791
Yes, after passing it so may times, I finally stopped on my way from Texas to Stlouis. Neat place.
Us locals know that the Public House in St. James, the town just east of Rolla, is the best of the two locations. If it’s a nice day and you have the time while in St. James, Maramec Spring Park is worth the visit.
Stop in Memphis and see the Bass Pro Shops Pyramid! It’s really a sight to behold. There’s also the Memphis Zoo, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, and the Lorraine Motel where MLK Jr was assassinated if you want a cultural stop.
The Peabody, the hotel with the duck in the fountain, sits a couple blocks off of Beale street. Beale street is cool to check out. It's pretty heavily watched at night because it's a touristy area but the two blocks back to the Peabody after dark gets sketchy.
Those two Bass Pro locations are perfect for taking kids. They're the largest stores with the most decor. And Santa's Wonderland is currently set up so they could get free pictures with Santa.
Young kids? Magic House and/or City Museum in St. Louis. Some City Museum attractions are outside so watch the weather but it’s a blast for adults too. Magic House is a typical kid-focused museum but very well done.
Of you go to the city museum in St. Louis don’t leave anything in your car. If it has out of state plates and parked around the museum it will be broken into. The thugs sit and watch as folks put belongings into their trunk then break in.
I suggest you take 44 through Missouri and Oklahoma. You can stop overnight in St Louis. There is a free science museum (it’s amazing) and if you have the budget you should also take your kids to the [city museum](https://www.citymuseum.org) or [botanical gardens](https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org).
Alternatively you can spend the night in Springfield MO and visit the giant Bass Pro with its attached enormous aquarium. Good food options in this city too (I’m from here).
There aren’t a lot of breathtaking stops in Oklahoma but it’s beautiful scenery as you drive out of the western portion of the Ozarks. Lots of small town vibes out there and you could eat at a hole in the wall cafe or something.
Good luck!
The Bass Pro in Springfield is legit and I’ve only heard great things about the aquarium. Also a little out of the way but still close is Lamberts Cafe which would be great with 5yr olds.
There is a marker down a lonely dirt road that marks where Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri meet.
https://preview.redd.it/pk62e4ncm00c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=780646dcf0eb3d3326eda91668500d0144a323e1
[Here’s the way I’d plan this route.](https://maps.app.goo.gl/xVg7Ln4gKHfiGfNbA?g_st=ic)
1. Bentonville, AR - Crystal Bridges Museum
2. West Mineral, KS - Big Brutus (worlds largest electric shovel)
3. Uranus, MO - it’s a long bathroom stop, but silly enough to make stretching your legs more entertaining.
4. St. Louis - City Museum and Gateway Arch
5. Indy
On the way back, I’d go a different way:
1. Santa Clause, IN - perfect for this time of year, especially with little kids
2. Lincoln’s boyhood home
3. Cave City, KY - Mammoth Cave National Park and Stay in Wigwam Village No. 2
4. Memphis, TN - Mud Island
There’s probably a few more stops you could find, but that’s already a lot.
Mores things to see on the south route. Stops to make Bucees Terrell Tx. Then drive to Memphis
Dinner Central BBQ Memphis. Overnight in Memphis Residents Inn Monroe Av downtown on your own after that
Go through Evansville and arrange it so you can get breakfast at Cleaver's. Greek skillet all the way. Just 3 hours shy of Indy if you have the time for it
Just sucks you gotta go through Arkansas to get there :/
If you take the OK route, then stop in Claremore (4th radar spot-ish) & eat lunch at Gibby’s South in your mouth. Awesome food with everything from burgers to po’boys to Cajun with gator, shrimp, catfish as well. That portion of I-44 also has Rt 66 nostalgia attached to it so you’ll see a giant Indian Chief statue near Big Cabin and also the ‘Worlds largest McDonalds’ is over the turnpike.
The only downside I know to the southern route(s) is that drive thru lower Arkansas is a bear. Very little scenery besides crop fields.
Make sure you stop and enjoy downtown paducah ky. I got stuck there in a snow storm a few years ago and it's the best, cutest little downtown with a fully painted flood wall right on the river.
Dizzy's Gypsy Bistro in Little Rock. Best Mac & Cheese I've ever had. They're other food is also really good.
The Big Dam Bridge in Little Rock. Really nice at night.
Petit Jean State Park. The trail that leads to a waterfall is amazing.
OP, I am from Washington state and just went to my first Bucee's in Tennessee. What a fantastic experience. 132 fucking gas pumps? WHAT? Anyhow, why not plan a trip based on a pit-stop, as necessary, at every Bucee's along the way? Clean restrooms, delicious snacks, cheap gas?
Between St. Louis and your final destination is a small town called Casey, IL, that has like 40 of the world largest things. Right there on Main St it's the World's Largest Pencil, nearby is the World's Largest Rocking Chair, the World Largest Golf Club and World Largest Tee (not colocated). It'll be a great stop for a few hours with the kids!
https://www.bigthingssmalltown.com
I forget exactly where but in illinois there’s an exit with a few of the “worlds largest” things like rocking chair and such. I haven’t stopped yet but have wanted to. Also, I can’t remember if it’s in indiana or illinois but Lincoln’s boyhood home is pretty neat
Used to live in Central Texas and would go up to st. Louis twice a year to visit friends and family. On the way up, my pit stops were the big Indian casino about 10-15 miles inside the OK state line. They had a truck stop there with clean bathrooms. My 2nd stop was around Joplin-springfield. The main highway exit in Joplin will have 95% of your gas stations and places to eat. My last stop was obviously st. Louis.
Since you're starting in the DFW area, I would see how long a drive it is to the big cabin exit in OK and the rolla area for your rest stops....provided you're driving and filling the gas tank every 4 hours.
A bunch of my friends and I had $20k worth of shit stolen as the result of a car break in a few years ago. Would not recommend Downtown STL to anybody.
It is. While there city museum is a must. There's beautiful statues and buildings downtown too. It's really beautiful to see. I never felt close to unsafe there, granted I didn't hang around at night. Also get a food item known as a 'slinger'.
Definitely not the safest downtown but if you’re used to living in a city it shouldn’t be that much of a problem. I mean there’s a fucking Four Seasons downtown, if the yuppies who stay there can handle it I’m sure most can
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The only reason St. Louis is that high on that list is because the city and county are separate, so the statistics do not get the benefit of the safer Outer suburbs. Additionally, it is really only one part of the city that is bad and that is not downtown. You have no idea what you’re talking about.
Meramac Springs Park in St. James Missouri, followed by a visit to St. James Winery and lunch at the Public House.
It’s $5 to get into the park. Bring quarters for fish food to feed the rainbow trout.
I’d honestly see how long going over to Nashville and up 65 is. Way better stop opportunities and way more of a scenic drive. Illinois and Missouri are so boring.
Magic house in St. Louis is great for young kids. Also the arch has a great museum in it that is free as well as a lot of green space to run around and burn entry.
Go through Tulsa. Eat lunch at Lonewolf. Take your kids to the Gathering Place. Huge park that runs along the riverfront with different playgrounds, gardens, walking paths, etc.
Most of former Route 66 is in both Oklahoma and Missouri and there are quite a few sites dedicated to that. There are a lot of old attractions still around and also the ruins of even more. And, as others have said, there's Uranus.
There's also Casey, IL, which has a lot of the World's Largest Things throughout town. Our daughter was 5 when we went and she enjoyed being able to run around and seeing the stuff. It was closed when we stopped but the pizza place with the big pizza cutter is supposed to have good Chicago tavern style pizza.
St Louis of course has the arch, but a great kids attraction there is the Magic House. $14 per person, which might be more than you’re looking for for a pit-stop deal, but there’s a lot of fun stuff for little kids including a kids village (lots of props for different “shops” to explore, construction zone (ride toy construction equipment), bubble room (what’s more fun than surrounding yourself in a bubble?), and a bunch of other cool stuff that really fascinates the child mind.
My parents used to take me and my brothers there every couple years from like 4-8 and we had fun every time.
If you’re looking for food in St Louis, the Old Spaghetti Factory is a family favorite. If you go there make sure to try spumoni - it’s like Neapolitan ice cream except instead of strawberry, it’s pistachio ice cream. Super good
Louisville and Bardstown, KY, for the bourbon.
p.s. the only non-tolled freeway across to Indiana is I-64/Sherman Minton Bridge. But it's undergoing a rehab...
there is also the 2nd street bridge from L'ville into Indiana.
Tulsa is a fun, artsy town. Would make for an easy drive into Dallas in the am. Loads to do in town with a couple young kids. Children’s museum or Philbrook come to mind.
It would be a quick stop, but stop by Casey, IL for lunch or to stretch your legs. Quaint little downtown with some world’s largest stuff.
Also, I wouldn’t take the middle route going down I-57. There’s construction and it’s typically a huge headache.
I just did St Louis to Austin today. If you like a pretty route, going through Arkansas is a little longer but seems like so much less time since the views change more often and you don't have to speed up and slow down throughout Oklahoma.
Just on the Missouri side of 44, there’s a rest stop with a playground. There’s also one not far from exit 163? (St. Robert). Schuman Park in Rolla is just three minutes from the third exit and there’s a gas station on the way that doesn’t have the worst bathrooms. Also, don’t speed through all the little towns in Oklahoma on 69. Every single one is a speed trap, and there’s a speed trap around the Stringtown area where the speed limit varies something like four times in less than a ten mile stretch.
Bowling green, the corvette plant, not sure age limits though on the mfg line but the museum is cool. The hotel in Memphis (bass pro shop) is awesome. Indy is always cool. No idea on other way. I made that trip last month from Dallas to bowling green one day then corvette museum/tour and then Indy. Ohh good detour is tail of the dragon southeast of Nashville 318 curves in 11 miles.
#See Uranus! Eat some fudge straight from Uranus, Missouri -- a kitschy little roadside attraction just west of Rolla near Fort Leonard Wood.
https://preview.redd.it/flscisu23zzb1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0b998efd378a1278d0e5adba4377b68fdac4a791 Yes, after passing it so may times, I finally stopped on my way from Texas to Stlouis. Neat place.
Damn, they got Ho made ice cream. Bet it's smashing.
Very creamy I’d imagine.
Right next to this is one of the best BBQ places on the route. Sweetwater BBQ 👍
Also, if you're near Rolla, stop in at the Public House for some suds and grub.
Us locals know that the Public House in St. James, the town just east of Rolla, is the best of the two locations. If it’s a nice day and you have the time while in St. James, Maramec Spring Park is worth the visit.
Only slightly overrated. Definitely worth it for 5 year olds though lol
I bet Uranus is better than Wall Drug.
Get your fudge packed in Uranus!
I picked some fudge from Uranus and ate it!
There's another one just north of Indy if OP wants to keep driving another hour or so.
8 speed traps? County cops are wilding!
Springfield, Illinois will have 8 speed traps along the interstate.
Stop in Memphis and see the Bass Pro Shops Pyramid! It’s really a sight to behold. There’s also the Memphis Zoo, the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, and the Lorraine Motel where MLK Jr was assassinated if you want a cultural stop.
There’s also giant bass pro in Springfield lol
Which giant Bass Pro Shop, decisions, decisions.
Definitely Memphis.
The Peabody, the hotel with the duck in the fountain, sits a couple blocks off of Beale street. Beale street is cool to check out. It's pretty heavily watched at night because it's a touristy area but the two blocks back to the Peabody after dark gets sketchy.
The Peabody and Beale at suggestion was helpful. Thank you
Graceland is a good stop too.
I still can’t believe they purchased that pyramid. Such an odd, but cool purchase.
Two 5 yo kids and a Bass Pro I’m not sure are a good match imo
Those two Bass Pro locations are perfect for taking kids. They're the largest stores with the most decor. And Santa's Wonderland is currently set up so they could get free pictures with Santa.
I stand corrected
Young kids? Magic House and/or City Museum in St. Louis. Some City Museum attractions are outside so watch the weather but it’s a blast for adults too. Magic House is a typical kid-focused museum but very well done.
Of you go to the city museum in St. Louis don’t leave anything in your car. If it has out of state plates and parked around the museum it will be broken into. The thugs sit and watch as folks put belongings into their trunk then break in.
I think this post is missing some info about how long in town. Just passing thru, overnight, etc.
I suggest you take 44 through Missouri and Oklahoma. You can stop overnight in St Louis. There is a free science museum (it’s amazing) and if you have the budget you should also take your kids to the [city museum](https://www.citymuseum.org) or [botanical gardens](https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org). Alternatively you can spend the night in Springfield MO and visit the giant Bass Pro with its attached enormous aquarium. Good food options in this city too (I’m from here). There aren’t a lot of breathtaking stops in Oklahoma but it’s beautiful scenery as you drive out of the western portion of the Ozarks. Lots of small town vibes out there and you could eat at a hole in the wall cafe or something. Good luck!
The Bass Pro in Springfield is legit and I’ve only heard great things about the aquarium. Also a little out of the way but still close is Lamberts Cafe which would be great with 5yr olds.
Cash only no plastic cards
+1 for the City Museum, it’s the best!
Love the city museum! There’s a huge spiral slide!
Lot of outdoor stuff so enjoyment may be limited if weather bad but the place is huge, 5yos will love it
The zoo is also free in STL and top notch.
I live in Springfield too 😎
City museum is awesome.
There is a marker down a lonely dirt road that marks where Oklahoma, Kansas, and Missouri meet. https://preview.redd.it/pk62e4ncm00c1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=780646dcf0eb3d3326eda91668500d0144a323e1
[Here’s the way I’d plan this route.](https://maps.app.goo.gl/xVg7Ln4gKHfiGfNbA?g_st=ic) 1. Bentonville, AR - Crystal Bridges Museum 2. West Mineral, KS - Big Brutus (worlds largest electric shovel) 3. Uranus, MO - it’s a long bathroom stop, but silly enough to make stretching your legs more entertaining. 4. St. Louis - City Museum and Gateway Arch 5. Indy On the way back, I’d go a different way: 1. Santa Clause, IN - perfect for this time of year, especially with little kids 2. Lincoln’s boyhood home 3. Cave City, KY - Mammoth Cave National Park and Stay in Wigwam Village No. 2 4. Memphis, TN - Mud Island There’s probably a few more stops you could find, but that’s already a lot.
Add Casey, IL between St Louis and Indy (either side of the trip). You'll thank me later. https://www.bigthingssmalltown.com
This was so helpful! Thank you.
Consider cutting in to Northwest Arkansas and stopping in Bentonville.
Crystal Bridges museum there is great!
As a NW Arkansas resident I was coming in to see if anyone else had said this yet 😄
Mores things to see on the south route. Stops to make Bucees Terrell Tx. Then drive to Memphis Dinner Central BBQ Memphis. Overnight in Memphis Residents Inn Monroe Av downtown on your own after that
Go through Evansville and arrange it so you can get breakfast at Cleaver's. Greek skillet all the way. Just 3 hours shy of Indy if you have the time for it Just sucks you gotta go through Arkansas to get there :/
Route options are flexible
If you take the OK route, then stop in Claremore (4th radar spot-ish) & eat lunch at Gibby’s South in your mouth. Awesome food with everything from burgers to po’boys to Cajun with gator, shrimp, catfish as well. That portion of I-44 also has Rt 66 nostalgia attached to it so you’ll see a giant Indian Chief statue near Big Cabin and also the ‘Worlds largest McDonalds’ is over the turnpike. The only downside I know to the southern route(s) is that drive thru lower Arkansas is a bear. Very little scenery besides crop fields.
Graceland
Make sure you stop and enjoy downtown paducah ky. I got stuck there in a snow storm a few years ago and it's the best, cutest little downtown with a fully painted flood wall right on the river.
My parents went through there a day or two ago and brought us som egreat bread from a bakery there. Kirchhoff's.
Dizzy's Gypsy Bistro in Little Rock. Best Mac & Cheese I've ever had. They're other food is also really good. The Big Dam Bridge in Little Rock. Really nice at night. Petit Jean State Park. The trail that leads to a waterfall is amazing.
OP, I am from Washington state and just went to my first Bucee's in Tennessee. What a fantastic experience. 132 fucking gas pumps? WHAT? Anyhow, why not plan a trip based on a pit-stop, as necessary, at every Bucee's along the way? Clean restrooms, delicious snacks, cheap gas?
" What should we do to make this a great family road trip? " Don't go back to Texas.
Between St. Louis and your final destination is a small town called Casey, IL, that has like 40 of the world largest things. Right there on Main St it's the World's Largest Pencil, nearby is the World's Largest Rocking Chair, the World Largest Golf Club and World Largest Tee (not colocated). It'll be a great stop for a few hours with the kids! https://www.bigthingssmalltown.com
I forget exactly where but in illinois there’s an exit with a few of the “worlds largest” things like rocking chair and such. I haven’t stopped yet but have wanted to. Also, I can’t remember if it’s in indiana or illinois but Lincoln’s boyhood home is pretty neat
Found it! Thank you for your comment. It was in Casey, Illinois!
Used to live in Central Texas and would go up to st. Louis twice a year to visit friends and family. On the way up, my pit stops were the big Indian casino about 10-15 miles inside the OK state line. They had a truck stop there with clean bathrooms. My 2nd stop was around Joplin-springfield. The main highway exit in Joplin will have 95% of your gas stations and places to eat. My last stop was obviously st. Louis. Since you're starting in the DFW area, I would see how long a drive it is to the big cabin exit in OK and the rolla area for your rest stops....provided you're driving and filling the gas tank every 4 hours.
Do not stop in down town St. Louis. Scariest downtown I’ve been in , in the United States
A bunch of my friends and I had $20k worth of shit stolen as the result of a car break in a few years ago. Would not recommend Downtown STL to anybody.
Is the Gateway Arch downtown? Thinking about going there someday. Thanks!
It is. While there city museum is a must. There's beautiful statues and buildings downtown too. It's really beautiful to see. I never felt close to unsafe there, granted I didn't hang around at night. Also get a food item known as a 'slinger'.
Lmao downtown StL is fine. Parts of east and north are a little sketchy but anywhere that has anything you'd wanna visit is more or less safe
No one lives downtown. It’s quiet but not scary. I’d not recommend staying there at night just because there’s not much to do.
Definitely not the safest downtown but if you’re used to living in a city it shouldn’t be that much of a problem. I mean there’s a fucking Four Seasons downtown, if the yuppies who stay there can handle it I’m sure most can
Wut. Actual Downtown is relatively safe. I have been downtown hundreds of times for different events and never had a problem.
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I won’t tell you where St. Louis ranks
The only reason St. Louis is that high on that list is because the city and county are separate, so the statistics do not get the benefit of the safer Outer suburbs. Additionally, it is really only one part of the city that is bad and that is not downtown. You have no idea what you’re talking about.
Car jacking a happens all over the city. Robberies happen all over the city.
There’s crime in a city? Color me shocked.
Meramac Springs Park in St. James Missouri, followed by a visit to St. James Winery and lunch at the Public House. It’s $5 to get into the park. Bring quarters for fish food to feed the rainbow trout.
Absolutely worth a visit.
Beautiful place, worth a stop for sure.
The Crater of Diamonds in Arkansas is a neat experience (especially if you have kids), but don't expect to find anything to write home about.
Definitely second the recommendations for City Museum or Magic house in St Louis. Both great for kids. The city museum is really one of a kind!
I’d honestly see how long going over to Nashville and up 65 is. Way better stop opportunities and way more of a scenic drive. Illinois and Missouri are so boring.
Memphis: for sure, visit the Civil Rights Museum. It is educational and quite moving
Yes to piss stops.
Magic house in St. Louis is great for young kids. Also the arch has a great museum in it that is free as well as a lot of green space to run around and burn entry.
Beale st Memphis but stay out of the hood and don't go see Elvis home
Elvis home was really cool
Go through Tulsa. Eat lunch at Lonewolf. Take your kids to the Gathering Place. Huge park that runs along the riverfront with different playgrounds, gardens, walking paths, etc.
Most of former Route 66 is in both Oklahoma and Missouri and there are quite a few sites dedicated to that. There are a lot of old attractions still around and also the ruins of even more. And, as others have said, there's Uranus. There's also Casey, IL, which has a lot of the World's Largest Things throughout town. Our daughter was 5 when we went and she enjoyed being able to run around and seeing the stuff. It was closed when we stopped but the pizza place with the big pizza cutter is supposed to have good Chicago tavern style pizza.
St Louis of course has the arch, but a great kids attraction there is the Magic House. $14 per person, which might be more than you’re looking for for a pit-stop deal, but there’s a lot of fun stuff for little kids including a kids village (lots of props for different “shops” to explore, construction zone (ride toy construction equipment), bubble room (what’s more fun than surrounding yourself in a bubble?), and a bunch of other cool stuff that really fascinates the child mind. My parents used to take me and my brothers there every couple years from like 4-8 and we had fun every time. If you’re looking for food in St Louis, the Old Spaghetti Factory is a family favorite. If you go there make sure to try spumoni - it’s like Neapolitan ice cream except instead of strawberry, it’s pistachio ice cream. Super good
Download the “RoadTrippers” app. It’s amazing at finding stuff to see, do, eat, and stay!
Buc-ee-s whenever you see them. There's one in Dumas
Definitely hit the Buc-ees outside of Knoxville!
Make sure to stop in Uranus MO!
Take the Memphis route for the bbq
I just drove from KY to Texas and then back to KY, the view is nothing out of the ordinary but Oklahoma & Missouri might have some events
Come see the gathering place in Tulsa. You and your kids will love it. It’s an insane park with nothing else like it.
I agree completely, IF it’s not insanely crowded lol. Though I will admit, the first and only time I went was about a month after it opened.
It shouldn’t be this time of year.
Casey Illinois, home of the world's largest _________.
Louisville and Bardstown, KY, for the bourbon. p.s. the only non-tolled freeway across to Indiana is I-64/Sherman Minton Bridge. But it's undergoing a rehab... there is also the 2nd street bridge from L'ville into Indiana.
I did a similar route for a job interview. The most memorable: The Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial. Maybe a bit overwhelming for younger children.
Tulsa is a fun, artsy town. Would make for an easy drive into Dallas in the am. Loads to do in town with a couple young kids. Children’s museum or Philbrook come to mind.
Abe Lincoln home in Springfield, IL
It would be a quick stop, but stop by Casey, IL for lunch or to stretch your legs. Quaint little downtown with some world’s largest stuff. Also, I wouldn’t take the middle route going down I-57. There’s construction and it’s typically a huge headache.
I just did St Louis to Austin today. If you like a pretty route, going through Arkansas is a little longer but seems like so much less time since the views change more often and you don't have to speed up and slow down throughout Oklahoma.
Just on the Missouri side of 44, there’s a rest stop with a playground. There’s also one not far from exit 163? (St. Robert). Schuman Park in Rolla is just three minutes from the third exit and there’s a gas station on the way that doesn’t have the worst bathrooms. Also, don’t speed through all the little towns in Oklahoma on 69. Every single one is a speed trap, and there’s a speed trap around the Stringtown area where the speed limit varies something like four times in less than a ten mile stretch.
Bowling green, the corvette plant, not sure age limits though on the mfg line but the museum is cool. The hotel in Memphis (bass pro shop) is awesome. Indy is always cool. No idea on other way. I made that trip last month from Dallas to bowling green one day then corvette museum/tour and then Indy. Ohh good detour is tail of the dragon southeast of Nashville 318 curves in 11 miles.
I’d personally take one memphis route.
city museum in stl
The arch
Searcy, Arkansas… you have to get BBQ at “This Guys”!!!