In 2026, Missouri joins seven other Route 66 states in celebrating the famed highway’s centennial anniversary. Here’s a guide to get you going! Part two: Sullivan to Rolla.
LEASBURG
SKIPPY’S ROUTE 66 RESTAURANT
Joe and Loreta White opened Coachlight Inn in 1970. When it was sold to Skip Sheleski in 2000, he renamed it Skippy’s Route 66 Restaurant with the slogan “Good food for good people.” In 2016, a fire heavily damaged the restaurant, but it was rebuilt and reopened within a few months. It offers burgers, sandwiches, fried chicken, and chili.
• 247 Highway H, Leasburg • Skippy’s Route 66 Restaurant on Facebook
CUBA
CUBA VISITOR CENTER & OSAGE TRAIL LEGACY MONUMENT
Cuba artist Glen Tutterrow designed and managed the installation of the 35-foot-tall steel sculpture at the Cuba Visitor Center that depicts an Osage Indian family traveling westward along the Osage Trail. Also at the visitor center are paintings of the Osage by George Catlin and souvenirs, including T-shirts and local books.
• 71 Highway P, Cuba • VisitCubaMo.com
MISSOURI HICK BAR-B-QUE
Opened in 2002, this restaurant specializes in barbecued meat seasoned with a unique rub and smoked for 12 hours. Unlike other Route 66 stops, Missouri Hick Bar-B-Que offers a different kind of ambience to draw in visitors. Simple rustic charm meets homey, cozy cabin with its rough-hewn timber. Menu items include brisket, pulled pork sandwiches, and authentic German potato salad.
• 913 East Washington Boulevard, Cuba • MissouriHick.com
WAGON WHEEL MOTEL
The Wagon Wheel Motel is the oldest continuously operating motel on Route 66. When it opened in 1936, rooms were listed for $2.50 to $3 per day. Leo Friesenhan designed the three lodging buildings in Tudor-Revival style. Its neon sign was added after John and Winifred Mathis bought the property in 1947. The motel was meticulously restore in 2003 featuring the original wooden doors with glass
knobs.
• 901 East Washington Street, Cuba • WagonWheel66Cuba.com
SHELLY’S ROUTE 66 CAFE
Originally a Dairy Queen in the 1950s, this spot later became Cuba Dairy Cream before being transformed into Shelly’s Route 66 Cafe. This small, traditional diner offers classic American fare including open-faced pork roast with mashed potatoes and gravy and chicken and dumplings with green beans. The cafe is adorned with Route 66 memorabilia.
• 402 East Washington Boulevard, Cuba • Shelly’s Route 66 Cafe on Facebook
CUBA MURALS
Viva Cuba was established in 1984 with the goal of beautifying Cuba to attract new industries and jobs. In 2001, it commissioned several outdoor murals to commemorate Cuba’s 150th anniversary. Each of Cuba’s lively murals—numbering 14 in total—depicts a scene from local and national history. By 2002, Cuba was designated the Route 66 Mural City by the Missouri legislature in order to honor the work of Viva Cuba.
Downtown Cuba • CubaMoMurals.com
ST. JAMES
ST. JAMES WINERY
This highly acclaimed winery is nestled in the heart of the Meramec Highlands. Jim and Pat Hofherr opened the winery in 1970, and it is now run by their son Peter Hofherr. When Jim and Pat first started the business, they were producing 8,000 gallons of wine a year; the winery now produces 600,000 gallons of wine a year. The spacious winery features a tasting room, which attracts over 100,000 visitors annually.
• 540 State Route B, St. James • StJamesWinery.com
JOHNNIE’S BAR
John and Mabel Rose opened Rose Cafe in 1929. By 1960, John Bullock converted it into a tavern called Johnnie’s Bar, eventually giving it to his son, Russ, and Russ’s wife, Tina. After Russ passed in 2018, Tina renovated the space, adding the restaurant’s neon Stag Beer sign. Johnnie’s Bar offers hamburgers, sandwiches, and appetizers such as pickle chips, hot wings, and onion petals.
• 225 North Jefferson Avenue, St. James • JohnniesOnRoute66.weebly.com
ROLLA
OLE MULE AXES N’ FUN
Owners Nicole Hancock-Caldwell and Bobby Caldwell, with the desire to keep the spirit of Route 66 alive, opened Ole Mule Axes N’ Fun in 2024. This spot offers axe throwing, a NASCAR racing simulator, an indoor golf simulator, and several other games like pool and darts. If visitors work up an appetite, they can order farm-fresh mash burgers made with beef from the owners’ farm, Hancock-Caldwell Farms.
• 11160 Dillon Outer Road, Rolla • OleMuleAnF.com
SODA & SCOOPS
Visiting Soda & Scoops is like taking a step back in time. When owners Ted and Jenny Ruth opened the store in 2018, their goal was to create a gathering spot to pay homage to the city’s past. The shop offers fountain drinks prepared in the traditional way old-fashioned phosphate made with flavoring and soda water straight from the fountain. Also for sale are malts, shakes, sundaes, and a variety of candies.
• 819 North Pine Street, Rolla • SodaAndScoops.com
ALEX’S PIZZA PALACE
In 1964, Alex and Froso Kallas opened Alex’s Pizza Palace, which quickly became a beloved part of Rolla. After working with Alex for many years, in 1987, Ellie and Lazos Makridis took over the operation, but Alex’s original recipes for the pizza dough and pizza sauce remain unchanged. In addition to the pizza, there are fresh salads with homemade Greek dressing, gyro sandwiches, hamburgers, and pasta dishes.
122 West Eighth Street, Rolla • AlexsPizza.com
PUBLIC HOUSE BREWING COMPANY
Josh Stacy and Josh Goodridge began to brew classic world beers in their garage in 2007. By 2010, they grew a following and opened Public House Brewing Company. Since then, its beer has become award-winning, and the pub has added a location at St. James. The original Public House Brewing Company in Rolla offers local art, funky music, and, of course, good beer.
• 600 North Rolla Street, Rolla • PublicHouseBrewery.com
Opening image:
SULLIVAN
MERAMEC CAVERNS
French explorer Philipp Renault, along with an Osage Indian guide, discovered the largest cave west of the Mississippi in 1720. In 1933, Lester Benton Dill purchased the cave and began offering cave tours to the public. The caverns became known far and wide because of Lester’s advertising prowess. He pioneered the use of bumper stickers, then called bumper signs, which were given out for free and tied to the bumpers of cars, and he convinced farmers across the state to let him advertise on the roofs of their barns near highways, so that travelers could see the messages from the road. Many of the barn signs can still be viewed from the road. In addition to year-round cave tours, Meramec Caverns now offers panning for gold, a gift shop, a restaurant with 28 flavors of ice cream, a candy store, a zip line tour, a riverboat tour, and a climbing wall.
• 1135 Highway W, Exit 230, Sullivan • AmericasCave.com
Presented by Missouri Life in partnership with Visit Missouri.
This article was originally printed in the February 2026 issue of Missouri Life.
