Uranus Fudge Factory, St. Robert, MO: Same Elephant, Different Face

The billboards start early, and they do not let up. “The Best Fudge Comes From Uranus!” — sign after sign after sign, all of them on the same side of I-44, all of them pointing at Exit 163. Twelve of them, on one side of the highway. We passed this place four or five times before Zach took me seriously about stopping.

Potty humor is not my thing. It is totally Zach’s thing. But I had a personal reason for wanting to stop at Uranus, and it had nothing to do with the name.

My parents stopped here twice. The first time, they did the usual — took the pictures, went inside — and found out Uranus was selling funnel cakes. They got one, and they LOVED it.

So the next time they passed by, of course they stopped again, specifically for that funnel cake. Except Uranus didn’t make it anymore. My dad was so disappointed that he never went back.

Growing up, fudge was not a norm in our house. Chocolate, candy, cakes, snacks of all sorts — but just never fudge. So without the funnel cake, there was no reason for my dad to stop. His exact words: “No reason to stop if they have no funnel cake, I already shoved my face through the elephant’s ass, I’m good.”

Same Elephant, Different Face

So when we finally stopped, there was one thing Zach had to do. My dad shoved his face through the elephant’s ass on that photo board years ago. Zach shoved his face through the same elephant’s ass this time. And now, we good.

We stopped “real quick” in the bus, parked it in their lot, went inside, and were back on the road the same day. So just like my dad, we went, we saw, we bought the fudge, we took the pics. And they still don’t have funnel cake!

Butttttt, let’s unpack the goods from Uranus!

Outside of Uranus Fudge Factory

The building wears a Route 66 map with enough bling to give you a clue that it’s just the beginning. Rockets on the building, huge rocket on the ground, along with enough huge things to keep you busy for a minute or 20.

There’s a hot dog statue I posed with, because of course there is. (There is a whole Hot Dog Guy world out there, because he is not the only one putting condiments on himself!)  Roosters…dirty gnomes… this place has the weird covered.

Inside the General Store

As soon as you walk in, the jokes start. I would name a few, but that is part of the fun, not knowing what you are in for when you walk in! From the greeter, to the stockers, to the cashiers, they all had jokes. Dirty #2 jokes. And Zach was there for it.

We also did not do the Sideshow Museum because there is no reason we didn’t, and I don’t sugarcoat. We just didn’t go in and see that side of the weird.

Also, we did not get ice cream — we’d had ice cream at the Pink Elephant the day before, and there’s a limit.

We did not play the mini golf either. It was cold, windy and we just didn’t want to deal with that. Okay, I didn’t want to deal with that. I am a wimp in the cold.

The Fudge Itself

When we went to the fudge counter, we wanted to get some samples. Zach got his (blueberry cheesecake) and when I went to request my sample, she asked me how much.  Weird. But I answered “just a small amount.” Because, again, I don’t eat fudge.  She proceeded to put a whole square on a piece of parchment. And I thought “Wow, must be a special offer, that is a huge sample??”

So, we bought two squares 🤣 – chocolate caramel praline for me and blueberry cheesecake for Zach. Because that was, in fact, NOT A SAMPLE. She was just doling out a purchased piece for me. And I rolled with it.

So my chocolate caramel praline square went in the fridge when we got home, and it is still there. Fudge lasts FOREVER in this house.

A Little History

Uranus is the work of Louie Keen, the self-styled Mayor of Uranus. The property started as a roadside mall aimed at the soldiers at Fort Leonard Wood, about ten minutes away. Keen turned it into the family roadside stop he wished had existed when he was a kid, and the Uranus Fudge Factory & General Store opened on July 2, 2015.

It has kept growing since: a Sideshow Museum with more than 100 exhibits and a sword swallower, Putt Pirates mini golf, an escape room, axe throwing, life-size dinosaurs, and a World’s Largest Belt Buckle. Two more Uranus locations have opened since, in Anderson and Richmond, Indiana — but St. Robert is the original.

🧐 Fact Check

Guinness certified that World’s Largest Belt Buckle back in 2017, so it’s not just a sign painter’s opinion.

Their billboards call Uranus “Voted Missouri’s #2 Attraction.” It says so right on the signs.

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🧭 Keep Exploring

Uranus is an easy stop if you’re running Route 66 through Missouri, with room to park a rig. If you’re collecting the corridor like we are, the Red Rocker over in Cuba is the natural next stop, and our Missouri page has the rest of the state’s weird in one place. Planning your own run? The Road Trip Route Finder will line the stops up for you.

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