Brushing A Shaggy Highland Cow Is Part Of The Visit At This Oklahoma Farm
I went looking for a quick roadside snack and ended up with cow hair on my sleeves and the biggest grin of the whole trip. Somewhere off a bumpy country road in Oklahoma, a little...
Read More 9 min read
Oklahoma Families Fill Their Fall Baskets With Crisp Apples At This Roadside Orchard
The road got bumpy, the fields got wider, and I started to wonder if a simple fruit stand was really worth the trip. Then I bit into an apple I had pulled off the branch myself,...
Read More 9 min read
Seven Oklahoma Museums Hand You Art, History And Trains Without Charging A Dime
Some of the best days out in Oklahoma start with a tank of gas and an empty wallet. You walk through a plain front door expecting a quick look, and two hours later you are still...
Read More 5 min read
These 5 Oklahoma Lakes Hide Whole Towns That Disappeared Under The Water
Picture yourself floating on a calm Oklahoma lake on a hot afternoon, with nothing but blue water in every direction. Now picture a main street, a schoolhouse, and a general store...
Read More 4 min read
Hundreds Of Vintage Motorcycles Fill An Old Barn On Route 66 In Oklahoma
I pulled off the old highway for a quick stretch and a cold soda, figuring I would be back on the road in ten minutes. Two hours later, I was still inside, sitting on a motel mattress...
Read More 9 min read
Forty Dollars Fills Your Whole Backseat At This Gigantic Oklahoma Vintage Store
I only pulled over because a giant rooster stared me down from the side of the road. Twenty minutes later I was holding a stack of old Valentine cards, a Depression glass bowl,...
Read More 10 min read
This Tulsa Art Deco Landmark Lets You Ride Up To A Rooftop View For Free
I went downtown for an ice cream cone and ended up craning my neck at a tower that looked like it wandered in from old New York. Heavy brass doors, a painted ceiling, and a peaked...
Read More 6 min read
Fried Catfish And Hushpuppies Taste Better At These 5 Oklahoma Lake Towns Than Anywhere Else
Some of the best meals in Oklahoma come from places you almost drive right past. A gravel lot, a plain sign, and suddenly you are holding a golden hushpuppy that tastes like somebody's...
Read More 4 min read
This Oklahoma Hill Falls Just One Foot Short Of A Mountain And The View Still Stretches For Miles
I expected a quick look at a hill and a shrug on the way home. Instead, somewhere in eastern Oklahoma, a twisty paved road carried me up to a view so wide I forgot to check the...
Read More 9 min read
Inside This Oklahoma Council House The Chickasaw Nation Tells Its Own Story Of Self-Government
Some of the best road trip stops in Oklahoma look like nothing special from the parking lot. I pulled in expecting a quick look around and walked out an hour later still thinking...
Read More 8 min read
Your Dinner Arrives On A Rolling Hot Cart At This Old-School Missouri Restaurant
A parking lot packed on a weekday afternoon is usually the first clue that a small-town restaurant knows exactly what it is doing. That is what I found when I pulled into a Missouri...
Read More 6 min read
Once You Shop This Oklahoma Meat Market, Supermarket Beef Stops Looking Like An Option
I only stopped in for a couple of steaks, the kind of quick errand you forget by dinnertime. Instead I walked out of a plain little Oklahoma butcher shop with a heavy bag, a new...
Read More 6 min read
This Oklahoma Christmas Market Fills A Historic German Hall In Tulsa With Holiday Crafts
I almost drove past it, a modest old building tucked on a quiet side street in Oklahoma, looking more like a neighborhood clubhouse than a holiday destination. Then I stepped inside...
Read More 6 min read
A Five-Patty Burger And Two Pounds Of Fries Are Free If You Finish In 30 Minutes At This Missouri Restaurant
Fifty ounces of beef, a mountain of curly fries, and a ticking clock. That is the proposition at a Kansas City burger joint that has been challenging appetites for years.
Read More 7 min read
Locals Drive Hours Across Oklahoma For The Fried Shrimp Platters At This Old-School Seafood Joint
I almost drove right past it, a plain building near an old mall lot that looked like it had kept its secrets for decades. Then the platter of golden fried shrimp hit the table,...
Read More 8 min read
This Missouri Restaurant Serves Giant Dutch Pancakes That Nearly Cover The Entire Plate
That tiny windmills tucked around the room and tin ceilings overhead were not what I expected to find in a Missouri city. A friend had told me about a place where breakfast arrives...
Read More 6 min read
This Missouri Meat Market Makes A Best-Selling Club Loaded With Four Meats And Three Cheeses
An old Tom-Boy sign hanging above a corner market that has been feeding its neighborhood since the 1930s. That is what I found when I turned onto a side street in a Missouri city,...
Read More 6 min read
More Than 175 Homemade Pies, Jams And Candies Fill The Shelves Of This Back-Road Oklahoma Amish Store
The gravel road seemed to go nowhere, and I almost turned the car around twice. Then a plain little building appeared, with a hand-painted sign and a porch that smelled like warm...
Read More 6 min read
Twelve Dollars Buys A 45-Minute Ride Through Restored Vintage Rail Cars In Oklahoma City
I only meant to kill a slow Saturday morning, and somehow I ended up sitting in a caboose, grinning like a kid. The place looked like a quiet rail yard from the road, nothing fancy...
Read More 10 min read
Chicken Fried Steak And Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Keep Locals Lined Up At This Broken Arrow Diner
Some of the best meals in Oklahoma come from places you would drive right past without a second glance. I nearly did exactly that with a plain little diner that turned out to serve...
Read More 9 min read
The Soup-And-Salad Bar At This Rustic Oklahoma Steakhouse Is Practically A Full Supper Before The Steak
The storefront looked older than my parents, and I figured I would grab a quick steak and head home. Instead, I spent the first half hour walking back and forth to a soup-and-salad...
Read More 11 min read
This Oklahoma Drive-Through Safari Park Lets Camels And Zebras Reach Right Into Your Car
I pulled off the interstate in southern Oklahoma expecting nothing more than a gas station snack and a chance to stretch my legs. A little while later, a camel had its fuzzy chin...
Read More 11 min read
7 Small-Town Oklahoma Cafés Where The Pie Case By The Register Empties Out By Afternoon
Some of the best food in Oklahoma hides behind screen doors and hand-lettered signs on streets you'd drive past without a second thought. You walk in expecting a cup of coffee...
Read More 5 min read
This One-Room Oklahoma Jail Still Stands On Main Street With Its Iron Door Wide Open
Some of the best stops in Oklahoma are the ones you almost drive right past. I pulled off the highway expecting nothing more than a stretch of the legs, and ended up standing inside...
Read More 7 min read
A Half-Scale Lewis And Clark Keelboat Sits Inside This Free Missouri Museum
A boat inside a museum is already a good start. This free Missouri stop has a half-scale Lewis and Clark keelboat sitting right inside, and it grabs your attention fast.
Read More 7 min read
6 Oklahoma Pumpkin Patches Where Families Ride The Hay Wagon Out To Pick Their Own
Some of the best fall afternoons in Oklahoma start on a gravel road you almost drove right past. You pull in expecting a quick pumpkin grab, and suddenly you are bouncing on a...
Read More 5 min read
This Giant Blue Whale Has Smiled At Route 66 Travelers In Oklahoma Since 1972
Some of the best stops in Oklahoma are the ones nobody puts on a fancy list. You round a bend on an old two-lane highway, glance to your right, and there it is: a grinning concrete...
Read More 9 min read
This Small Oklahoma Museum Keeps Egyptian Mummies And Shrunken Heads And Opens Its Doors For Free
Some Oklahoma road trips end with a photo of a water tower, and some end with you standing eye-level with a 2,300-year-old Egyptian woman. I went in expecting a quiet little art...
Read More 7 min read
This Small-Town Oklahoma Bakery Turns Out Fruit And Sausage Kolaches That People Order By The Dozen
Some of the best food in Oklahoma hides behind a lit menu board and a row of numbered parking stalls. I drove past this one for years, figuring it was just another burger stand,...
Read More 6 min read
5 Oklahoma Ghost Towns Where Empty Storefronts Still Line The Old Main Street
Some of my favorite Oklahoma afternoons have started with a wrong turn down a county road, the kind where the pavement gives up and a row of brick buildings appears out of nowhere....
Read More 4 min read
Southern Fried Chicken Meets Mediterranean Flavor At This New Missouri Restaurant
Fried chicken gets a nice little shake-up here. This new Missouri restaurant keeps the crispy, comforting Southern side of the meal, then works in brighter Mediterranean flavors...
Read More 6 min read
Missouri’s “Little Grand Canyon” Is Actually A Collapsed Cave With 130-Foot Walls
At first glance, this looks like a canyon dropped into the middle of Missouri. The real story is even stranger. The huge chasm...
Read More 6 min read
This Oklahoma Quarter-Mile Drag Strip Lets Families Run Their Own Cars on Test-and-Tune Friday Nights
Somewhere south of the Oklahoma City metro, past the grain silos and the two-lane blacktop, there is a strip of asphalt where regular people line up their daily drivers and find...
Read More 9 min read
This Oklahoma Amish-Style Buffet Sets Out Fried Chicken, Noodles And Pie For One Flat Price
Some of the best meals in Oklahoma hide behind plain brick storefronts on Main Streets you could drive past without blinking. I pulled into one of those towns expecting a quick...
Read More 9 min read
Dozens Of Old Prairie Windmills Still Turn In The Wind At This Western Oklahoma Field
Somewhere out in the wide open corner of northwestern Oklahoma, a field full of steel and wooden wheels spins all day long, and almost nobody driving by expects it. I pulled over...
Read More 8 min read
This Downtown Tulsa Church Hides Carved Wheat And A 255-Foot Tower You Can Tour For Free
Some buildings in Oklahoma sneak up on you. You turn a corner downtown expecting brick and parking meters, and instead there's a limestone tower pointing straight up like it wants...
Read More 9 min read
Mounds Rise From The Grass At This Oklahoma Site Where A Whole Civilization Once Traded And Built
Some places in Oklahoma don't announce themselves at all. You turn off a two-lane road, park on gravel, walk out into a field of tall grass, and slowly realize the gentle green...
Read More 7 min read
More Than 60 Alpacas Roam This Missouri Farm You Can Actually Tour
It is hard not to smile when an entire field of alpacas starts looking back at you. This Missouri farm turns that into a full visit, with guided tours that let guests feed, pet,...
Read More 7 min read
This Colorful Oklahoma Pottery Store Is Packed With Chimineas, Planters, And Mexican Decor
Color has a way of stopping you in your tracks, especially when an entire shop seems to be filled with it. This Oklahoma pottery...
Read More 7 min read
This Missouri Cave Opens With A 100-Foot-Wide Entrance And Leads To An Underground Adventure
You know a cave is going to be interesting when the entrance is about one hundred feet wide. This Missouri spot starts big, then keeps going with an underground tour that is easy...
Read More 7 min read
This Historic Oklahoma Botanical Garden Is A Beautiful Free Escape
Free places are always worth knowing about, especially when they offer this much beauty in the middle of the city. This Oklahoma botanical garden combines lush landscapes, peaceful...
Read More 6 min read
Missouri Towns Are Being Quietly Bought By Investors
Missouri’s housing market is seeing a shift that is easy to miss until you look closer. Investors are buying properties in towns across the state, adding more rental homes and...
Read More 8 min read
This New Missouri Cafe Serves Breakfast Beside An Urban Garden In A Former 1890s Blacksmith Shop
A breakfast stop gets a lot more interesting when the building once had horses and carriages passing straight through it. This...
Read More 7 min read
One Of Oklahoma’s Coolest Free Stargazing Experiences Comes With A Telescope
You do not need your own telescope to get a closer look at the night sky. This Oklahoma observatory gives visitors a chance to join public observing nights and see stars, planets,...
Read More 7 min read
A Missouri Italian Restaurant Serving House-Made Meatballs With Pomodoro Sauce
Some Italian dishes never need much introduction. A plate of tender meatballs with rich pomodoro sauce is one of them, and this Missouri restaurant gives the classic combination...
Read More 7 min read
Traditional Iraqi Sweets And Cardamom Tea Fill This Tiny Missouri Bakery
One cup of cardamom tea and suddenly your usual coffee run feels a little boring. This tiny Missouri bakery leans into traditional...
Read More 7 min read
More Than 4,000 Pieces Of Disney History Fill This Restored Missouri Train Depot
Before the castles, characters, and theme parks, there was a small-town train depot and a boy with a big imagination. This Missouri museum brings that earlier chapter into focus...
Read More 7 min read
This Family-Owned Missouri Lake Resort Has Been Welcoming Guests Since 1954
Lake trips are a lot easier when almost everything you want is already right outside your door. This Missouri resort keeps the whole stay simple with cabins, motel rooms, boat...
Read More 6 min read
More Than 75 Vendors Fill This Sprawling Missouri Antique Market With Vintage Treasures
If you like digging through booths until something weird, beautiful, or completely unexpected catches your eye, this Missouri market gives you plenty to work with.
Read More 6 min read
This Tiny Missouri Town Has 16 Quilt Shops Packed Along One Main Street
You do not expect one small town to have enough quilt shops to turn a quick visit into an all-day browse. This Missouri town does exactly that, with shop after shop packed along...
Read More 7 min read
This Missouri University Just Earned A Top-20 National Ranking
A national ranking can put a university on the radar for students far beyond its home state. This Missouri university has earned a spot among the country’s top twenty, adding...
Read More 6 min read
Highest-Rated Italian Restaurants In The St. Louis Area Right Now, According To Diners
How many Italian restaurants can one city possibly need? St. Louis seems happy to keep finding out, with neighborhood favorites, old-school dining rooms, and busy kitchens serving...
Read More 8 min read
This Missouri Deli’s Massive Muffuletta Feeds Two And Still Draws A Line At Lunch
Old blues records playing near the ceiling, the scent of cured meats and briny olive salad hitting before the door even closes, and a room full of people happily waiting for something...
Read More 6 min read
This Mile-Long Missouri Cave Tour Has No Steps And Stays 53 Degrees Year-Round
That air rolled out of the cave entrance like someone had left a refrigerator door open in the middle of an Ozarks summer, and I actually laughed out loud. I had driven out on...
Read More 6 min read
This Missouri Burger Counter Has Been Grilling Its Famous Onion-Topped Burgers Since 1907
The smell of grilled onions decided my lunch before I even saw the menu. That modest brick building with a green awning in Sikeston, Missouri has been flipping burgers since 1907,...
Read More 6 min read
This Free Missouri Park Hides Massive Sculptures Along Its Woodland Trails
A giant eyeball staring back at me across a green field made me laugh out loud in my car the moment I pulled into the lot. That was my introduction to a Missouri sculpture park,...
Read More 6 min read
You Can Tour One Of America’s Last Hand-Cranked Rotating Jails For Free In Missouri
A jail that spun its cells like a lazy Susan sounded like a joke the first time I heard about it. Then I found myself parked on a quiet Missouri street, looking up at a squat brick...
Read More 6 min read
This 1.6-Mile Missouri Trail Climbs To A 120-Foot Bluff Above The River Valley
That view from the top of a Missouri bluff caught me completely off guard. The drive out runs past farm fields and quiet county roads, so the moment the land starts folding into...
Read More 6 min read
This Family-Owned Missouri Mexican Restaurant Makes Fresh Tortillas From Scratch Every Day
The smell of warm corn masa hit me before I even reached the door of that Missouri spot. I had pulled off the road expecting a quick lunch, and instead I found a place I keep thinking...
Read More 6 min read
