asher bennett author at My Family Travels
Article
Locals Say This Waterfront Area in Missouri Is One of the Most Peaceful Places to Unwind

The lake stretches out like a calm blue welcome mat. The mountains rise gently on the far shore, softened by trees and time. And...

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These 9 Classic Missouri Diners Serve Giant Comfort Food Plates With a Side of Pure Nostalgia

The coffee is bottomless. The waitress calls you "hon." And the menu has not been updated since 1987 because no one has dared to suggest a change.

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Beneath a Missouri Lake Lies a Hidden Town With a Story Most People Have Forgotten

The water looks peaceful enough on a sunny afternoon. Boats drift. Fishermen cast. Families picnic on the shore without any idea...

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Rent Is Still Under $600 in This Underrated Missouri City, and People Are Taking Notice

You read that number correctly and no, your glasses are just fine. In this unassuming corner of the Missouri Bootheel, rent still hovers under 600 dollars a month, a figure that...

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This Missouri Military Museum Is One of the State’s Best-Kept History Secrets

I have driven past the capital more times than I can count, but I recently realized I had been missing out on a world-class collection tucked just a few miles away.

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8 No-Frills Missouri Fried Chicken Spots Locals Are Obsessed With

There is a big difference between fast-food chicken and the kind of bird that has been frying in a heavy cast-iron skillet since the morning shift started.

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This Missouri Diner Serves a Pork Tenderloin So Big It Dwarfs the Bun

You have been warned about the size. You have probably seen the photos online. But nothing, absolutely nothing, prepares you...

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This Crystal-Clear Missouri River Feels Like You’re Floating on Glass

You will keep glancing down to make sure you are actually moving, because the water is that clear. This gentle Missouri river reflects the sky so perfectly that your boat seems...

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This Small Missouri Café Is Known for Pancakes So Big They’ve Become Famous Worldwide

I thought I knew what a large breakfast looked like until I sat down at this legendary Missouri spot. The plates here are basically the size of a steering wheel, and when the server...

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This All-You-Can-Eat Amish Buffet in Missouri Is a Paradise for Comfort Food Lovers

I usually think I have a handle on what comfort food means, but I recently realized I was playing in the minor leagues. I took a trip to a quiet community in Missouri where the...

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This Historic Missouri Town Feels Frozen in Time Like a Real-Life Storybook

I recently spent a weekend in a corner of Missouri that honestly made me feel like I’d accidentally walked onto the pages of a nineteenth-century novel.

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We Discovered the Crispiest Golden Onion Rings Hiding in This Charming Missouri Eatery

I do not usually write home about onion rings. You know how it goes. Soggy batter, greasy fingers, that sad feeling when the onion slides out in one piece. But these? These are...

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This Missouri Trail Leads You to Waterfalls, Natural Pools, and a Scenic Shut-Ins Gorge in One Short Hike

Some trails make you earn every bit of the view, this one skips the wait and delivers almost immediately. In this Missouri park, the landscape shifts fast into rushing water, smooth...

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This Missouri Cafe Is Serving Massive Pork Tenderloin Sandwiches and Comfort Food Locals Swear By

I am convinced that some of the best meals in Missouri are found in places where the menu hasn't changed in thirty years. I recently swung by a local favorite that serves a pork...

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This Small Missouri Town Is Home to One of the Most Remarkable Historic Villages You’ll Ever Visit

I usually expect historic sites to feel a bit like a dusty museum, but walking through this Missouri village felt more like I’d accidentally wandered onto a movie set.

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You Can See Wild Horses Roaming Free in This Hidden Missouri Valley

I did not believe it at first. Wild horses in Missouri? That sounded like something you see out west, not tucked away in the Ozarks. But then I drove down a gravel road, rounded...

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This Missouri Model Railroad Is So Massive, It Feels Like You’ve Shrunk Into Another World

I have seen model trains before. You know, the little setups in basements or hobby shops. A tiny circle track, a few plastic trees, maybe a small house.

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Bison, Waterfalls, and 8,000-Year-Old Secrets, This Missouri Canyon is Missouri’s Best-Kept Mystery

Missouri has a secret. It is a canyon in the Ozarks where bison roam like it is still the old days, waterfalls tumble down limestone ledges, and the ground beneath your feet holds...

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This All-You-Can-Eat-Style Mexican Feast in Missouri Is a Wonderland of Flavors

Imagine a place where the only hard decision is whether to hit the enchiladas first or dive straight into the tacos. That is this all-you-can-eat Mexican buffet in Sedalia, Missouri.

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This Missouri Diner Is the Kind of Place Where Breakfast Comes Big and Everyone Feels Like Family

I walked in and the person at the counter looked up, nodded like she had known me for twenty years, and poured me a cup of coffee before I even opened my mouth to order, which...

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Missouri Has a No-Frills Cafe Serving Coconut Cream Pie You Won’t Forget

I am not a dessert first person. Usually. But someone at the counter told me to skip the sandwich and go straight for the pie....

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The Underground Missouri Music Cellar Inside a Limestone Cave That Feels Like a Secret World

You walk down a staircase carved straight into limestone, the temperature drops, and suddenly you are not in Missouri anymore. At least, that is how it feels.

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This Easy-to-Miss Missouri Spot Serves Authentic Balkan Plates and Wood-Grilled Cevapi That Taste Like the Real Deal

You have driven past this place a hundred times and never noticed it. That is the point. Hidden in plain sight in Missouri, this...

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This No-Frills Missouri Steakhouse Has French Fries So Good, They’re Worth the Drive

Some people drive for the steak. Smart people drive for the fries. This no frills Missouri steakhouse serves up a basket of golden,...

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This Stunning Boardwalk Trail in Missouri Leads Through a Hidden Swamp Paradise

If you’ve been searching for a quiet place to disappear into nature for an afternoon, this breathtaking destination offers a perspective you won't find anywhere else.

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This Missouri Restaurant Serves the Best Homemade Breakfast You’ll Ever Taste

Mornings feel different when you know exactly where you are heading. This St. Louis spot turns breakfast into something people plan their day around without even realizing it.

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This Adorable Missouri Cat Café Lets You Sip Coffee While Cats Steal Your Heart

Here is a business model that makes perfect sense. Coffee plus cats. That is what you get at this adorable Missouri spot in Branson...

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This No-Frills Missouri BBQ Joint Hits You With Hickory Smoke Before You Even Walk In, and the Burnt Ends Are Unreal

There is something so special about those local spots where the atmosphere is defined by the aroma drifting through the parking lot long before you reach the front door.

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The Missouri Café Where They Throw Hot Rolls at You on Purpose, and the Food Keeps Coming Nonstop

There is nothing quite like a dining experience that feels like a full-blown event, and this Missouri gem has mastered the art of making a meal unforgettable.

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People Are Driving Across Missouri for the Insanely Delicious Brunch at This Homey Spot

You know those places that people can’t stop talking about until you finally go and realize the hype is actually real? This is one of those spots.

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This Missouri Diner Lets Trains Deliver Your Food Right to Your Table, and It Feels Like Pure Whimsy

You hear about a place like this and assume it has to be exaggerated, then you walk in and realize it might actually be undersold. Right in the heart of the Ozarks, this indoor...

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This Surreal Missouri Cave with Towering Rock Formations Feels Like Stepping Onto Another Planet

Deep in the southwestern corner of Missouri, near the small town of Noel, lies an underground wonder that challenges everything you thought you knew about the natural world.

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A Century-Old Missouri Candy Shop Scoops Up Old-School Sundaes People Drive Miles to Get

I stepped inside and felt like I had landed in a different decade without warning. This St. Louis spot has been around since 1913, and somehow it still feels completely alive,...

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The Low-Key Missouri Seafood Spot Serves Jambalaya So Rich and Bold with Flavor It Might Be the Best You’ll Ever Have

Some places flip your expectations the second you step inside, and this Liberty spot does exactly that. From the outside, it keeps things low-key, easy to miss if you are not looking...

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Article
11 Highest-Rated Italian Restaurants in All of Missouri

Somewhere between my third breadstick and a bowl of pasta so good it made me forget my own name, I realized Missouri might just be one of the most underrated Italian food destinations...

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10 Unassuming Missouri Restaurants With Outrageously Fresh Seafood

Nobody warned me that Missouri would be the place to ruin me for seafood everywhere else. I grew up thinking fresh fish meant you had to live near an ocean, and honestly, I felt...

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This Missouri Spring Pumps Out Water So Blue and Clear, It Doesn’t Look Real

There is a spring in the Missouri Ozarks that makes people stop mid-step and stare. It pushes out millions of gallons of crystal-clear water every day from a depth of 310 feet.

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The Best Onion Burgers in Oklahoma Might Be Hiding Inside This Tiny Hole-in-the-Wall, and They’re Absolute Legends

Locals in Oklahoma will argue all day about who really serves the best onion burgers, but this tiny hole-in-the-wall always finds its way into the conversation.

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The Oklahoma Market That Feels Like a Farm Stand and a Hippie Hideout Rolled Into One, and Locals Are Obsessed

There is a little market in Oklahoma that manages to feel like a farmer's best friend and a free-spirited shopper's paradise all at once.

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The 330-Mile Shoreline at This Oklahoma Lake Now Has Sandbars Stretching for Miles, and Sandy Beaches to Explore

About half an hour west of Tulsa, there’s an Oklahoma lake that has a way of pulling people back again and again, no matter the season. It stretches across a massive 330-mile...

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This Indie Bookshop Turns Pages into Community Roots with Shelves That Speak Louder Than Words

Some bookstores sell books. This one does something far bigger. Sitting in the heart of northeast Oklahoma City, this independent...

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This Rustic Oklahoma Steakhouse Serves Hand-Cut Ribeyes With Bold, Fire-Kissed Flavor

This Oklahoma steakhouse is the kind of place that earns a permanent spot in your food memory. From the moment you step inside, there is something undeniably special about the...

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This Historic Oklahoma Bridge Feels Straight Out of a Forgotten Horror Movie

Standing on the northeast edge of Chelsea, Oklahoma, this historic bridge looks like something a film director would choose for a late-night thriller scene.

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This Hidden Oklahoma Amusement Park Feels Like a Family Dream

Somewhere along Interstate 40 in western Oklahoma, there’s a place that makes road trips come to a full stop in the best way. It’s the kind of surprise that gets everyone excited...

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Oklahoma Lake That Used To Stretch For Miles, Now Reveals Mud Flats

This Oklahoma lake was once a sprawling giant, covering roughly 100,000 acres at normal levels, and lately it’s been getting attention for a very different reason. As the water...

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This Oklahoma Bakery’s $5 Giant Cinnamon Rolls Are So Good, Locals Think They’re a Total Steal

There are food finds that make you stop and rethink everything you thought you knew about “simple,” and this Oklahoma spot is exactly that kind of surprise. A small town bakery...

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This Oklahoma State Park Has A Secret World You Can Only Find Beneath The Surface

Most people think of Oklahoma as wide-open prairies and red dirt roads, but tucked away near the small town of Freedom is a place that completely flips that picture. This park...

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This Stylish Oklahoma Café-Boutique Combo Serves Aesthetic Drinks, Sweet Treats, and Picture-Perfect Vibes in One Stop

I walked in thinking I’d grab a quick coffee and be on my way, and that plan fell apart almost immediately. This Oklahoma spot has a way of pulling you in the second you step...

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People Wait All Week Just for the Thursday Special at This Oklahoma BBQ Spot

There are BBQ spots you stumble into, and then there are the ones you start planning your week around. This one lands firmly in that second category.

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People Skip the Ribs for This Insanely Good Fried Bologna Sandwich in Oklahoma

Some meals just stick with you, and the fried bologna sandwich at this spot in Oklahoma City is exactly that kind of meal. The moment you step inside something about the energy...

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The No-Frills Mexican Kitchen In Oklahoma Serving Wet Burritos Smothered in Sauce Locals Can’t Get Enough Of

I pulled up to this little Mexican kitchen in Oklahoma not expecting much, just a quick bite and back on the road. Then I saw what people were ordering, these massive burritos...

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This Underrated Oklahoma Lake Hides Remote Coves And Marshy Wildlife Shores

Most people driving through northeastern Oklahoma have never stopped at Oologah Lake, and that is exactly what makes it so worth your time.

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This Scenic Oklahoma Lake Is the Mountain-Framed Escape You Never Knew Existed in the Sooner State

Okay, let me be honest with you. Before I made the drive out here, I had zero idea Oklahoma could look like this. I mean, mountains?...

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We Ate at a Hidden Cajun Kitchen in the Oklahoma Hills and It Blew Us Away

Nobody warned me. That's the honest truth. One minute I was driving through the Cherokee hills of eastern Oklahoma, hungry...

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Wisconsin Lakefront Villages Struggling To Keep Up With Visitor Influx

What happens when a quiet getaway spot suddenly turns into a tourist hotspot? That’s the reality facing Wisconsin’s lakefront villages. Once known for calm weekends, fishing...

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The Under-the-Radar Oklahoma Collectibles Store With Over 80 Vendors You Could Browse For Hours

You walk through a door and suddenly time collapses. Old wood, warm lighting, and shelves stacked with objects that each carry a story.

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This Oklahoma Adventure Lets You Glide Above the Osage Hills Like a Bird

Imagine standing on a wooden platform high above the treetops, the wind picking up, your heart doing something between a drumroll and a full sprint. Below you, the Osage Hills...

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This Oklahoma Hilltop Steakhouse Serves Food That Tastes as Epic as the Panoramic Views

I was driving through the wide open plains of western Oklahoma, nothing but sky and horizon in every direction, when something on a hill caught my eye. A building perched up there...

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True Oklahomans Remember the Nightly Ice Cream Runs at This Local Favorite

There's something about a warm Oklahoma evening that makes you crave something cold and sweet. Maybe it's the heat that lingers long after the sun dips below the horizon, or maybe...

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10 Gorgeous Small Towns In Oklahoma You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

Oklahoma is not the state most people picture when they think of breathtaking scenery or charming small-town streets. But honestly, that is exactly what makes it so worth exploring.

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