Branson Bound

A national Civil War battlefield, a frog-shaped rock, and a devil’s elbow are some of what can be seen on the way from St. Louis to Branson!

Our family vacation this year was Branson, Mo. It is about a four-hour drive. In long rides like this, I usually look for places to stop along the way to break up the trip on the way there or coming back.

Devil’s Elbow

The name for this location along Route 66 which can be detour along Interstate 44 is due to the fact that Ozark lumberjacks sent their logs downstream on the Big Piney River but the sharp “U” shaped bend jammed the logs leading them to call that point “A devil of an elbow”, the name became “Devil’s Elbow.”

Sadly, the restaurant Elbow Inn Bar & BBQ has recently closed, which has been a place to eat along this route.

St. Robert

Uranus Fudge Factory and General Store

It is a general store with Route 66 knick-knacks, mugs, t-shirts, taffy, candy and of course fudge. Fun tourist trap sites include a dinosaur or a stuffed bear.

Hours: 8 am – 9 pm daily

Address: 14400 State Hwy Z, St Robert, MO 65584

The fast-flowing water at Roubidoux Spring

Waynesville

On the main road Highway 17 towards downtown, you can see Frog Rock, which is shaped of course like a frog and painted that way in many colors. You will find only shoulder parking, so if you stop to see it you will need to pull off the road and hike up on the hill.

We did a drive-by of Frog Rock then had a picnic near the spring at Roy Laughlin Park. David had bought a street taco package at Costco for lunch. The park includes the clear water of Roubidoux Spring with a flow of 37 million gallons per day out a rock cropping.

Picnic tables were found near the first parking area. Just note the road is gravel. If you head to the right there is a small play area. We went left and Andrew and I went hiking to the spring and all around it. Although not picturesque since it has been cemented in, but Andrew and I enjoyed watching the fish swim in the stream below from the walkway. Not swimming water, it is ice cold.

Sadly, the spring has a tragic history the Cherokee Trail of Tears migration stopped here. This was the march of the Cherokee people from their lands in the southeastern U.S. to Oklahoma in the 1830s in which many died.

The downtown has the Old Stagecoach Stop Museum and the Route 66 1903 Courthouse Museum, which is only open on Saturdays.

Lebanon

The town has a few Route 66 sites. Venturing off the interstate on the old Route 66 there is Munger Moss Motel with its original sign from these early highway days.

Wink’s Market was also a popular restaurant. It is now the location is Taylor’s Dairy Joy and you can have diner food and ice cream here.

Route 66 Museum

This museum is in the town’s library. You can see a recreated indoor gas station with vintage gas pumps. A 1950s car parked under a service awning and Route 66 memorabilia.

Hours: 8 am – 8 pm Monday – Thursday, Friday – Saturday 8 am – 5 pm, closed Sundays.

Admission: Free, donations welcome

Address: 915 S Jefferson Ave, Lebanon, MO 65536

Marshfield

Hidden Waters Park

If you need to stretch out your legs you can head to Hidden Waters Park. A trail through the park leads past ponds, waterfalls, woodland gardens, many native plants, and over bridges. The park includes the Callaway Cabin, which was built in 1853 and is one of the few surviving structures after the devastating 1880 tornado.

Hours: 5 am – 10 pm daily

Address: 716 W Hubble Dr, Marshfield, MO 65706

In the downtown, on the grounds of the courthouse, you will find a replica of the Hubble Space Telescope. Edwin Hubble was born in Marshfield. The space telescope was named after him. He was an astronomer who confirmed that the universe is expanding.

Ozark

Finley River Park

Park to walk around Finley Creek that includes a historic metal bridge and a mill across the river. Nearby is Smallin Civil War Cave with historic artifacts and a spring flowing through it.

Springfield

We didn’t have a lot of time to check out all there is to do in Springfield, MO., such as Bass Pro’s Wonders of Wildlife, Fantastic Caverns or Dickerson Park Zoo. So we stopped at a Civil War battlefield.

Electric board displaying lights representing the engagements on the battlefield with flashing lights for explosions.

Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield

Fought on August 10, 1861, the Battle of Wilson’s Creek was a pivotal battle in Missouri and the second major battle of the Civil War. When the smoke cleared, more than 2,500 Union and Confederate soldiers were killed, wounded or missing in five hours of intense fighting.

The visitor center features a 27-minute film, a museum and changing exhibits. A five-mile self-guided tour road allows visitors to explore the battlefield at their own pace. Walking trails lead to various battle sites, including Bloody Hill, the Historic John Ray House, and the Edwards Cabin.

We didn’t do the tour of the battlefield grounds since we didn’t have time and it is a bit expensive. We checked out the visitor’s center, which included an electronic board of the battlefield where you could listen about what happened. The center also had a number of relics from the Civil War era.

On the way heading to the visitor center in the pavement are important dates of the Civil War in this area and in the broader scope of the war.

I am not sure what you will see if you come here since they are redoing the visitor’s center with an improved facility in the summer of 2020.

Hours: Visitor Center 8 am -5 pm – check the website for hours for the park tour road.

Admission: Vehicle entrance $20, individual entrance $10

Address: 6424 W Farm Rd 182, Republic, MO 65738

Quick Ice Cream Stop

On the way from the battlefield, we stopped at Braum’s which I miss from living in Tulsa. The restaurant has burgers, a small grocery section and most of all great ice cream. My favorite is the vanilla with chocolate peanut butter cups!