7 Most Eccentric Towns in Missouri
It might be smack dab in the middle of the country, but Missouri is not middling in eccentricity. The strangeness of suburbia and the weirdness of the wilderness converge in the Midwest, of which Missouri is a major member. Its smaller settlements are especially eccentric, blending cultural oddities like Route 66 relics and Precious Moments with natural wonders like show caves and wild horses. While it is impossible to determine the "most eccentric" towns in Missouri, the following several communities make a pretty magnificent case.
Branson
It is easier to find eccentric attractions than ordinary ones in Branson, MO. This city, while home to about 13,000 ordinary people, is known for the extraordinary establishments along W 76 Country Blvd, AKA "The Strip." At 3030 W 76 Country, the Hollywood Wax Museum lets visitors pose with wax versions of famous people, ranging from Lucille Ball to Snoop Dogg. Down the way at 3326 W 76 Country, Ripley's Believe It or Not! features hundreds of unusual artifacts alongside unbelievable interactives. And, a little farther off at 1525 W 76 Country, Dolly Parton's Stampede brings the titular singer's Southern flair to nightly dinner shows. But that is just the tip of the iceberg. The rest of the iceberg serves as an entrance to the Titanic Museum Attraction at 3235 W 76 Country.
Branson rolls Vegas, Hollywood, Tennessee, and the Atlantic Ocean into the middle of the Ozarks, making it one of the oddest entertainment hubs in the world.
Uranus
Uranus is technically not a town. Rather, it is a collection of attractions along Route 66 that goes by Uranus, MO. The complex is owned by Louie R. Keen, who once ran a strip club on the property. Though he left that bawdy business and switched to a family-friendly venture, Keen, as the "mayor of Uranus," kept his bawdy sense of humor. Uranus's top attraction is the Uranus Fudge Factory and General Store, which packs fresh fudge and hocks merchandise with such slogans as "I Love Uranus" and "Straight Outta Uranus." Other sights in Uranus are the Uranus Sideshow Museum, Uranus Ice Cream Company, Uranus Putt Pirates, and the "World's Largest Belt Buckle."
Hermann
A whole community dedicated to Rhineland-style wine and Deutschland-style festivals would not be eccentric in Germany, but it is in central Missouri. Straddling the southern banks of the Missouri River, Hermann, a city of just over 2,000 people, centers the Hermann American Viticultural Area, which is part of a larger wine-growing region called the Missouri Rhineland. You can explore this region via the Hermann Wine Trail, whose contributing sites include the Hermannhof Winery and the Adam Puchta Winery, both of which stem from European settlers in the mid-1800s. After taking the trail, linger longer in Hermann for Germanic events. Besides Oktoberfest, Hermann hosts Wurstfest in March and Maifest in May.
Eminence
Though tiny, Eminence cannot be called a one-horse town. Dozens of horses, many white and all wild, roam the Ozark riverways skirting the city. How they got there is a matter of conjecture, though the leading theory is that they descend from livestock abandoned by poor farmers during the Great Depression. Once considered pests, the equines were almost removed in the 1990s. They were saved by then-President Bill Clinton, who signed them into the Ozark National Scenic Riverways, the first national park area to protect a river system and, at Clinton's behest, wild Missouri horses.
Nowadays, hordes of tourists come to spot the herds and other Ozark oddities, of which there are many. Just west of Eminence sits the Alley Spring and Mill, a red historic mill rimmed by a blue spring that stays roughly 57 degrees year-round. North of town sits Devil's Well, a sinkhole where you can see "the earth's plumbing."
Carthage
Carthage, MO, is named for an ancient empire but is known for something even more precious. Headquartered in Carthage is Precious Moments, Inc., the company responsible for those cherubic porcelain figurines that dominated living room displays during the '80s and '90s. Although Precious Moments does not hold the same cultural supremacy as it did in prior decades, you wouldn't know that if you visited Carthage! On more than 3,000 acres sit the Precious Moments Chapel and Gardens, where said figurines are treated like icons. The chapel contains over 9,000 square feet of hand-painted murals and stained glass windows showcasing Precious Moments, while the garden is graced with four-and-a-half-foot bronze sculptures of Precious Moments cherubs.
If that all seems too saccharine, get your kicks on Route 66, which runs through town and leads to the avant-garde ghost town of Red Oak II. An artist's project, Red Oak II comprises early-20th-century buildings moved from desolate Red Oak and given new life.
Sullivan
Of Missouri's 7,500-some caves, perhaps none is more eccentric than the Meramec Caverns. Carved in the Ozarks just outside Sullivan, the caverns are millions of years old, 4.6 miles long, seven stories tall, and bedecked in LEDs. Everyone from Native Americans to European explorers to saltpeter miners to outlaws are said to have occupied Meramec before it became a show cave, but good luck getting a historian's corroboration. The same goes for the Jesse James Wax Museum, a nearby attraction whose central thrust is that James actually lived until 1951. It is listed as temporarily closed at the time of his writing, so, if that is still the case when you visit Sullivan, check out the similarly eclectic Surprise Shop in its stead.
Camdenton
Another unique cavern that brings sightseers to Missouri is Bridal Cave. Sandwiched between the small city of Camdenton and the massive Lake of the Ozarks, this cave was named for its alleged history as an Indigenous wedding venue. Whether or not it was used for Indigenous weddings, Bridal Cave christens couples from around the world — to the tune of 4,000-plus ceremonies since 1949.
If not an aspiring groom or bride, you can still relish the cave and the encompassing Thunder Mountain Park. Moreover, you can head south to Ha Ha Tonka Castle, a magnate's medieval dream destroyed by fire but resurrected as a tourist attraction in Ha Ha Tonka State Park.
The Show-Me State can show you an array of awesome oddities if you let it. Leave the beaten paths in St. Louis and Kansas City to walk The Strip in Branson, eat the fudge in Uranus, drink the Rhineland wine in Hermann, spot the wild horses near Eminence, have precious moments with Precious Moments in Carthage, explore the caverns near Sullivan, and pose with modern medieval ruins near Camdenton. Better yet, find unmapped spectacles in between.
