Things we saw and ate on Route 66 in Cuba, Missouri
Our next stop on the Mother Road is Cuba, Missouri. But if you’re following on a map, you might think we missed something. Well, it’s true. As you may know we’ve been up and down this road before and some of the big league highlights are ones we’ve already experienced. So rather than do do-overs, we’ve got links to these places from the last time we’ve visited.
St. Louis
You might think we’re crazy for not going back through St. Louis and we did go back through St. Louis, but we didn’t really stop. But we’ve shared our previous journeys on Route 66 through St. Louis here.
Another highlight of the trip would be Meramec Caverns and we did spend several days in Meramec State Park where the camping is affordable and you get power and water at your site. Our site happened to be right along a nice river and there’s even laundry facilities at this state park which is pretty extraordinary.
Uranus
Another place we absolutely have to stop on each of these trips is the Uranus Fudge Factory. Seems things are really stretching out in Uranus with there now being a side show attraction and they also sell hot dogs and ice cream with inappropriate references for the dogs. Of course. And, yeah, I had to buy yet another t-shirt to wow my friends with my own lack of couth.
Let’s start in Cuba
While we had zero expectations of seeing Fidel Castro, we have been to Cuba before but just the one along Route 66. Once again our journey took us past the second-largest rocking chair in the world and, of course we got to take some photos with it.
Danny’s Gas Hole, where the chair is located, has expanded significantly since we were there last in 2021. The gift shop was smaller before, now it’s quite enormous.
The Historic Wagon Wheel Motel
Our first stop along the Route was at the Wagon Wheel Motel. This vintage and iconic place has been in business since the 1930s. Like many of these locations it started out serving travelers with fuel and fixes to the old cars but added a stone cabin and then more of the same. The cabins are unusual not only because they’re stone, but also because each individual building houses two guest rooms.
Interstate 44 bypassed Cuba in 1969, reducing the importance of the old highway for through traffic. Many roadside businesses struggled as motorists moved to faster interstate routes.
The Wagon Wheel Motel survived those changes. Its continued operation is a testament to the dedication of the people who maintained the property and recognized the value of preserving its history.
In 2003, the Wagon Wheel Motel, Café and Station was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The designation recognizes the property's significance as a historic Route 66 roadside business and its distinctive architecture.
The vintage fuel pumps that sit outside the motel are part of the story this unique place tells. Just beyond those pumps is a larger gift shop with lots of Route 66 memorabilia. I believe this used to be a cafe owing to its size but today it serves-up gifts instead.
Historic buildings require ongoing care, and the Wagon Wheel has benefited from owners who understood the importance of preserving its character.
Connie Echols purchased the motel in 2009 and undertook extensive restoration work, helping renew the buildings and guest accommodations while maintaining the property's historic identity. Her years of stewardship helped introduce the motel to a new generation of Route 66 travelers.
In April 2026, Rich and Christina Dinkela took ownership of the Wagon Wheel, beginning another chapter in its history. Their stated goal is to protect its defining features while continuing to welcome guests.
That commitment to continued use is important. The Wagon Wheel isn't simply a historic building to admire from the road. It remains a working motel where travelers can experience the property as it was originally intended.
Missouri Hick Barbecue
Whether vintage or modern the taste of the Mother Road isn’t to be ignored and we decided to wait until 11am for Missouri Hick barbecue to open to have brunch. According to more than one source, Missouri Hick is legit barbecue but we arrived a bit too early.
No worries, after time well wasted in the Wagon Wheel Motel’s gift shop the hour had come and it was time for food. Good food, it turns out.
Missouri Hick smokes their meat with cherrywood which gives it an unusual, in a very good way, taste. I got the combination plate of brisket and beef ribs with German potato salad and macaroni and cheese as my side dishes.
The brisket and ribs wee outstanding and I was able to parlay those into a breakfast and a lunch the next day. Not bad for around $20.
Peggy got a pulled pork sandwich which was also quite good.
You can tell a place is a legitimate barbecue place when the meat arrives quickly but also arrives without being all sauced up.
That’s where the sauces come in, though. There were already four sauces on the table awaiting our taste buds and I noticed a mustard-based sauce available for sale at the front counter. We tried the four sauces by squirting them on a fork and found the original to be our favorite until the server kindly brought us a bottle of the mustard-based barbecue sauce.
The high praise Missouri Hick’s barbecue restaurant has earned seems well deserved and is a great stop on Route 66 while visiting the historic Wagon Weel Motel.
Cuba Missouri is home to the world's second-largest rocking chair
Giant Rocking Chair
Once again our journey took us past the second-largest rocking chair in the world and, of course we got to take some photos with it.
Danny’s Gas Hole, where the chair is located, has expanded significantly since we were there last in 2021. The gift shop was smaller before, now it’s quite enormous.
Route 66 Car Museum
We’re back enjoying Harvest Hosts once again and, this time, spending two nights at the Route 66 car museum near Springfield, Missouri. While this isn’t a large museum, there is a lot to see and definitely a must stop if you have any interest in cars.
And speaking of cars, the first thing they have right at the entrance is a replica of the Batmobile. George Barris’ iconic Batmobile from the 1960s television series has always been a favorite of mine and I’ve actually never seen one in person, although I had multiple toys as a kid including one that would shoot little rockets out of the exhaust pipes and had a saw blade on the front.
The original Batmobile was most recently sold at auction for $4.62 million so you can see why there are replicas. There were several other Barris-built examples which have sold for the affordable price of half a million buckaroos, buckaroo.
But there is so much more to see here including a screen-used Ecto-1 from Ghostbusters: Answer The Call. This is not the one based on the 1959 Miller-Meteor combination but is based on the later car but it’s still cool.
There are an incredible collection of unusual, historically-significant and iconic cars in this museum. The best way to describe them is to encourage you to flip through the photos I’ve shared here which I tagged.
One of the reasons I love these Harvest Hosts stays is that on one morning I heard the sound of Corvettes and opened the door of the trailer to see a parking lot full of them. There’s nothing better than waking up to a car show right outside your door and knowing you get to see more cars in a few moments.
You meet the coolest folks
By chance Percy von Mutterstraße happened to be at the Route 66 car museum. Percy is a 1972 VW Super Beetle that’s being driven the entirety of Route 66. Larry Russo from Hot Springs, South Dakota, is traversing the entirety of the Mother Road
The back story is that her battle cry is Perchow and she was an original love interest of Lightning McQueen. Russo is doing a bit of car camping and also staying in some of the motels along the Mother Road.
