Everything OddWay knows about. Narrow it down by what you're after, or where you're going.
Giant objects, odd monuments and things built for no clear reason.
Ste. Genevieve, MO
Pickle Springs protects an extraordinary concentration of sandstone arches, slot-like passages, hoodoos and weathered rock forms. The Trail Through Time loops through the natural area and gives OddWay several strange formations within one routeable stop.
Montreal, MO
Portuguese Point is an exposed Ozark overlook with dramatic rock shelves above the surrounding river-and-lake country. Its unusual name and rugged stone viewpoint make it a worthwhile short geological detour when conditions are safe.
Carthage, MO
Artist Samuel J. Butcher transformed his famous teardrop-eyed Precious Moments characters into an elaborate chapel covered with murals, stained glass and monumental devotional scenes. The surrounding gardens and statues create a uniquely immersive branded religious-art environment.
Carthage, MO
Artist Lowell Davis rebuilt a version of his vanished hometown by relocating and restoring old rural buildings on his property outside Carthage. The result is a deliberately recreated ghost town filled with vintage structures, roadside art and a surreal sense of displaced history.
Cassville, MO
A deep blue spring emerges from a cavernous opening beneath a cliff and forms the headwaters of Roaring River. The spring is immediately accessible inside the state park and pairs natural geology with the park's historic trout-hatchery landscape.
Eminence, MO
Rocky Falls spills over billion-year-old rhyolite in a broad stair-step cascade. The National Scenic Riverways site is reached by road and short foot access, making the unusual volcanic geology especially easy to visit.
Eminence, MO
Round Spring rises in a nearly circular blue basin and flows directly toward the Current River. The spring itself remains a valid public stop even though Round Spring Cave is closed for the 2026 season, so OddWay should route only to the spring area.
St. Robert, MO
A collection of restored and recreated neon signs preserves the look of businesses that once lined Missouri's stretch of Route 66. The outdoor display is especially effective after dark and gives travelers a concentrated dose of Mother Road visual history.
Fanning, MO
This 42-foot steel chair was erected at Fanning on April 1, 2008 and once held the Guinness title for the world’s largest rocking chair. Casey, Illinois later surpassed it, and it was repainted red and renamed the Route 66 Rocker; travelers still find it beside old Route 66 west of Cuba as a free roadside landmark.
Eureka, MO
The park occupies land once belonging to Times Beach, a Route 66 community evacuated after dioxin contamination and later demolished. Its visitor center interprets both the Mother Road and the extraordinary environmental history of the vanished town, while park trails cross portions of the former street grid.
Ozark, MO
Smallin Cave has a massive entrance and a human history tied to Native use, settlement and Civil War-era stories. Guided tours combine geology with regional history, and seasonal lantern programs go deeper into the cave's folklore.
St. Louis, MO
Two castle-like stone intake towers rise directly from the Mississippi River near the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge. They are no longer used for water collection and are not open for public entry, but they can be safely viewed from the pedestrian bridge.
Branson West, MO
Talking Rocks Cavern descends through a tightly packed collection of cave formations near Branson West. Guided tours use stairs and walkways to reach richly decorated rooms that feel very different from Missouri's larger horizontal cave systems.
Ironton, MO
A short trail leads to the highest natural point in Missouri at Taum Sauk Mountain. The high point itself is subtle, but the surrounding St. Francois Mountains are among the oldest exposed mountain rocks in North America.
Chesterfield, MO
A 70-foot aluminum giant appears to claw his way out of the earth in Chesterfield Central Park, with separate hands, head, knee and foot emerging from the ground. The installation is a second casting of Seward Johnson's famous The Awakening and is freely viewable in the park.
Sturgeon, MO
A narrow limestone ridge rises sharply between two creeks at this Boone County park, creating fins, cracks and elevated scrambling routes unusual for central Missouri. Visitors should stay on established public access and use caution on exposed rock.
St. Louis, MO
A family of gigantic concrete turtles forms an outdoor playground near Forest Park, with shells large enough for visitors to climb and sit on. The sculptures were designed as both public art and functional play structures, making the site stranger than a standard city playground.
St. Robert, MO
The intentionally absurd Uranus complex combines Route 66 humor with a real sideshow museum containing two-headed animals, circus artifacts, oddities and live performers. The attraction is operating year-round and is one of Missouri's clearest modern examples of deliberately weird roadside tourism.
Cuba, MO
The Wagon Wheel has served Route 66 travelers since the 1930s and preserves stone cottages, vintage neon and a classic motor-court layout. It remains an operating motel, making it a rare roadside landmark where travelers can actually stay in the historic property.
St. Louis, MO
A curved arch inside historic Union Station carries whispers from one side to the other, allowing two people standing far apart to hear each other clearly. The simple acoustic trick is hidden within one of the city's grandest railroad-era interiors.
St. Louis, MO
A towering Amoco sign near Forest Park rises far above the surrounding streets, a survivor of an era when oversized petroleum advertising dominated American roadsides. The sign remains visible from public areas and works best as a quick exterior stop.
Springfield, MO
The giant fork is in Springfield, not Battlefield. Noble & Associates created the 35-foot, roughly 11-ton stainless-steel fork in 1990 for a restaurant, and after the restaurant closed it was moved to its current office-property setting at 2215 W. Chesterfield Street; visitors can pull in for a quick photo.
Hamilton, MO
A 22-foot spool outside the Missouri Quilt Museum is wrapped with more than one million yards of thread. Visitors can photograph the oversized sewing landmark and, when museum programs permit, contribute additional thread to the ever-growing display.
