Sightseeing Sunday: Weird Things to Do in Missouri
Looking for weird things to do in Missouri? The Show Me State delivers Midwest weird in spades — giant rocking chairs, underground business complexes, and a nuclear waste trail.
Fun Facts About Missouri
Missouri is nicknamed the “Show Me State,” reportedly after a Congressman said in 1899 that he needed proof, not just words.
The ice cream cone was invented at the 1904 World’s Fair in St. Louis.
Anheuser-Busch, whose St. Louis brewery is on this list, is the largest beer-producing plant in the nation.
Missouri has more than 6,000 known caves — more than almost any other state.
Some of these we’ve visited, others are still on our list. When we’ve been somewhere, the link takes you to our photo page with details and snark. Otherwise, you’ll head to their official site — assuming one exists, since sometimes that’s half the adventure.
Missouri Weirdness, Town by Town
Showing 47 of 47 stops
Belle
World's Largest Cow Bell — Giant cow bell sculpture. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Branson
World's Largest Roll of Toilet Paper — Inside Ripley's Believe It or Not. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Brunswick
World's Largest Pecan — Giant nut sculpture celebrating the town's pecan heritage. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Cape Girardeau
World's Largest Fountain Drink Cup — Oversized fountain drink cup. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Carthage
Precious Moments Chapel — Chapel and gardens covered in Precious Moments murals. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Chesterfield
The Awakening Sculpture — Giant emerging from the earth, plus many other sculptures throughout town. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Chillicothe
Home of Sliced Bread — The first sliced bread was sold here in 1928. Food & TV LegendsHistoric SitesNot visited yet
Cuba
World's (2nd) Largest Rocking Chair — Part of the ongoing battle for rocking chair supremacy. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Excelsior Springs
World's Largest Water Bar — Historic mineral water tasting bar. Weird Roadside & OdditiesHistoric Sites
Fredericktown
Amidon Memorial Conservation Area — Granite shut-ins and cascades on Mill Creek. Parks, Caves & TrailsNot visited yet
Castor River Shut-Ins — Pink granite shut-ins on the Castor River. Parks, Caves & TrailsNot visited yet
Glencoe
Wabash Frisco & Pacific Railway — Rideable miniature steam railway. Weird Roadside & OdditiesHistoric SitesNot visited yet
Hamilton
World's Largest Spool of Thread — Giant spool on E. Bird Street. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Hannibal
Double Heart Locks — Love locks shaped as double hearts. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Independence
Leila's Hair Museum — Museum of Victorian hair art and wreaths; closed permanently in September 2025 after founder Leila Cohoon's death, with its collection redistributed to museums nationwide. MuseumsFORMER
Kansas City
Building Painted in Books — The Community Bookshelf mural — giant book spines on the parking garage at 114 W. 10th Street. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Hallmark Visitor Center — Hallmark history, exhibits, and how cards get made. MuseumsNot visited yet
Scraps KC — Creative reuse center for art and craft supplies. Creative ReuseNot visited yet
The Rabbit Hole Museum — Walk-through museum of classic children's books. MuseumsNot visited yet
The Roasterie Coffee Company Factory Tour — Watch coffee roasting in action. Factory Tours
World's Largest Cap Gun — Oversized cap gun sculpture. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
World's Largest Shuttlecock — Giant badminton shuttlecocks on the museum lawn. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
World's Largest Underground Business Complex — SubTropolis, a massive limestone mine turned business park. Weird Roadside & Oddities
King City
Giant Fuel Pump — Oversized gas pump sculpture at 604 North Grand Avenue. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Kirkwood
Powder Valley Conservation Nature Center — Nature center with trails through the woods. Parks, Caves & TrailsNot visited yet
Middle Brook
Johnson's Shut-Ins State Park — Natural water park of chutes and pools in the East Fork Black River. Parks, Caves & TrailsNot visited yet
Pacific
Jellystone Yogi Statue — Giant Yogi Bear statue at Jellystone Park. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Ridgedale
Lost Canyon Cave & Nature Trail (Top of the Rock) — Golf cart tour past waterfalls and through a cave. Parks, Caves & TrailsNot visited yet
Springfield
Arrow Creative ReUse — Creative reuse shop for art and craft supplies. Creative ReuseNot visited yet
Fantastic Caverns — A ride-through cave tour, because walking through caves is apparently too much effort for Missouri. Parks, Caves & Trails
Huge Noodle @ The Kraft Factory — Giant macaroni sculpture. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Mizumoto Japanese Garden — A quiet, unexpected pocket of Japanese landscaping in the middle of the Ozarks. Parks, Caves & Trails
Sculpture Walk — Public art installations throughout downtown. Weird Roadside & Oddities
World's (2nd) Largest Fork — Massive fork sculpture. Weird Roadside & Oddities
World's Largest Golf Club — Located at Swing Right Golf Club, 444 E. Farm Road 192. Weird Roadside & Oddities
St. Clair
Hot + Cold Water Towers — Twin water towers labeled Hot and Cold. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
St. Louis
Anheuser-Busch Factory Tour — See how Budweiser is made. Factory Tours
Chocolate! Chocolate! Chocolate! Factory Tour — Watch artisan chocolate being crafted. Factory ToursFood & TV Legends
Herbaria Factory Tour — Soap and skincare manufacturing tour. Factory Tours
Laumeier Sculpture Park — 120 acres of giant outdoor sculpture. Parks, Caves & TrailsWeird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Museum at the Gateway Arch — Museum beneath the Arch, on westward expansion. MuseumsHistoric SitesNot visited yet
Refab — Architectural salvage and reclaimed materials warehouse. Creative Reuse
World's Largest Chess Piece — Giant chess king sculpture. Weird Roadside & Oddities
World's Largest Underwear — Inside City Museum, which features tons of unique exhibits and installations. Weird Roadside & OdditiesMuseums
Steelville
Canoe Sculpture — Oversized canoe sculpture. Weird Roadside & OdditiesNot visited yet
Sumner
World's Largest Goose — Giant concrete waterfowl. Weird Roadside & Oddities
Weldon Spring
Nuclear Waste Trail — Educational trail around a decommissioned nuclear materials site. Parks, Caves & TrailsHistoric Sites
Plan Your Missouri Road Trip
We’re always adding new weird things to do in Missouri to this list, so check back for more roadside attractions, quirky museums, oversized oddities, and future road trip discoveries.
Where to next? Check out our Ohio roadside attractions guide for more Midwest weird, browse our complete roadside attractions by state guide, get tips for traveling with pets, or head back to the Right At The Light homepage.
Interactive Map: Weird Roadside Stops We’re Tracking
This map includes weird roadside attractions, big-rig friendly stops, and places still on our running road trip list across the country.