Route 66 State Park

About this park

Route 66 State Park lets visitors travel through history along The Mother Road, the legendary highway that captured the American imagination and exposed millions of travelers to small towns across the country during the mid-20th century. The park's visitor center occupies the former Bridgehead Inn, a 1935 roadhouse that once sat directly on the original Route 66 alignment, now repurposed with displays and exhibits showcasing the highway's cultural legacy. Located close to the St. Louis metro area, the park offers visitors a genuinely quick escape into nature without requiring a long drive, making it a popular after-work or weekend destination for area residents. More than 175 bird species have been documented within the park's boundaries, reflecting a surprisingly rich wildlife habitat tucked into a landscape shaped as much by highway history as by natural ecology. Picnic sites and hiking trails are sprinkled throughout the grounds, giving visitors a way to combine a quick nature walk with a stop at the historic roadhouse-turned-visitor-center. With a major Route 66 Centennial Celebration planned as the famous highway approaches its 100th anniversary, the park continues to serve as one of Missouri's primary physical monuments to the road that once defined American cross-country travel.