Did Route 66 go through Rolla?

Yes. Route 66 ran through Rolla on its way across the Ozarks, and the National Bank of Rolla Building downtown is about a tenth of a mile from the old road.

What is there to see on Route 66 in Rolla?

We list 18 stops in and around Rolla, mostly ghost towns, parks and nature areas and archaeological sites. The ones our trip planner rates highest are Uranus Missouri, Arlington and National Bank of Rolla Building. Every stop is on the map above with a photo where one exists, and the distance from the old road.

How far is Rolla from the next towns on Route 66?

Rolla sits at about mile 456 of Route 66, counting from Chicago. The next town east with its own guide is Cuba, MO, about 46 miles back. Heading west, Springfield, MO is about 108 miles on. Distances are measured along the road and rounded.

Is Rolla a good place to stay overnight on Route 66?

It works for a night. Our trip planner ends a day in Rolla when the day's miles fit, and otherwise prefers a bigger overnight town nearby.

Route 66 town guide · Missouri

Route 66 in Rolla, Missouri

Rolla sits in the Missouri Ozarks about 453 miles from Chicago, roughly 44 miles west of Cuba. The stops we group under Rolla follow Route 66 southwest through Newburg, Arlington and Hooker toward St. Robert and Waynesville.

About mile 456 of 2,448 from Chicago
18 stops in and around Rolla
Small-town overnight

Tap a dot to see that stop here.

Tap a dot for the photo and a link to the stop. Open Rolla on the full map to filter by kind or add stops to your trip.

This is ghost-town country: about half of our stops here are vanished or nearly vanished Ozark communities. Hooker was a roadside town built on a newer line of Route 66 and is now gone except for its cemetery, Clementine sits right on the old alignment about fourteen miles southwest of Rolla, and Arlington is tucked where Little Piney Creek meets the Gasconade River. Most are names on a map rather than places with buildings to visit, so treat them as a scenic drive.

For a laugh, Uranus Missouri in St. Robert is a tongue-in-cheek roadside stop with a planet-pun name, a self-styled mayor and a record-setting belt buckle. In Rolla itself, the 1931 National Bank of Rolla Building is listed for its role in the town and on Route 66, and the Rolla Ranger Station Historic District keeps five 1930s buildings put up by the Civilian Conservation Corps for forest rangers. In Newburg, the 1919 Lyric Live Theater showed movies until 1955 and now hosts live shows, and the town square in Waynesville has the Old Stagecoach Stop, a hotel that has gone by five different names.

Practical note: food, fuel and motels are in Rolla and St. Robert; the ghost towns have no services at all. Lebanon is the next town west, about 53 miles on.

Top 10 Route 66 attractions in and around Rolla

Uranus MissouriA tongue-in-cheek roadside stop with a planet-pun name, a self-styled mayor and a record-setting belt buckle.
ArlingtonA near-empty railroad and Route 66 town on the Little Piney, left at a dead end when I-44 bypassed it.
National Bank of Rolla BuildingA 1931 Colonial Revival bank building in Rolla, listed for its role in the town and on Route 66.
HookerA roadside town built on a newer line of Route 66, now gone except for its cemetery.
ClementineA tiny community right on the old Route 66 alignment, about fourteen miles southwest of Rolla.
Devils Elbow BridgeA National Register road bridge on old Route 66 near Rolla, MO, beside a campground and a ghost town.
WestcottThe site of a vanished Phelps County town on a quiet state highway north of Doolittle.
MacedoniaA vanished town north of Rolla, remembered by a church and cemetery a mile up the road.
Onyx CaveA natural Ozark cave with pale cave onyx, a big main chamber and an old mining shaft from 1892.
Spring CreekA lost river-junction town straddling the Phelps and Pulaski county border, just east of Fort Leonard Wood.

Route 66 sites (1)

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Uranus Missouri

St. Robert, Missouri · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A tongue-in-cheek roadside stop with a planet-pun name, a self-styled mayor and a record-setting belt buckle.

Route 66 sitePhoto credit

Ghost towns (9)

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De Camp

De Camp, Missouri · 6.9 mi from Route 66

A vanished Phelps County town that sat along a small creek branch south of St. James.

Ghost town

Macedonia

Macedonia, Missouri · 3.3 mi from Route 66

A vanished town north of Rolla, remembered by a church and cemetery a mile up the road.

Ghost town

Signal

Signal, Missouri · 5.0 mi from Route 66

A tiny Phelps County town that had a post office for just two years, and a name no one can explain.

Ghost town

Westcott

Westcott, Missouri · 1.9 mi from Route 66

The site of a vanished Phelps County town on a quiet state highway north of Doolittle.

Ghost town

Vessie

Vessie, Missouri · 7.3 mi from Route 66

A lost Ozark post-office town on a forest ridge, named simply because the word was short and unusual.

Ghost town

Arlington

Arlington, Missouri · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A near-empty railroad and Route 66 town on the Little Piney, left at a dead end when I-44 bypassed it.

Ghost town

Clementine

Clementine, Missouri · on Route 66

A tiny community right on the old Route 66 alignment, about fourteen miles southwest of Rolla.

Ghost town

Hooker

Hooker, Missouri · 0.2 mi from Route 66

A roadside town built on a newer line of Route 66, now gone except for its cemetery.

Ghost town

Spring Creek

Spring Creek, Missouri · 6.0 mi from Route 66

A lost river-junction town straddling the Phelps and Pulaski county border, just east of Fort Leonard Wood.

Ghost town

Historic hotels (1)

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National Bank of Rolla Building

Rolla, Missouri · 0.3 mi from Route 66

A 1931 Colonial Revival bank building in Rolla, listed for its role in the town and on Route 66.

Historic hotelPhoto credit

Historic bridges (1)

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Devils Elbow Bridge

Devils Elbow, Missouri · on Route 66

A National Register road bridge on old Route 66 near Rolla, MO, beside a campground and a ghost town.

Historic bridgePhoto credit

Nature & parks (2)

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Onyx Cave

Rolla, Missouri · 0.8 mi from Route 66

A natural Ozark cave with pale cave onyx, a big main chamber and an old mining shaft from 1892.

Nature & parks

Bear Ridge

Rolla, Missouri · 5.5 mi from Route 66

An Ozark ridge named for the black bears that once roamed its oak and hickory woods.

Nature & parks

Historic theaters (1)

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Lyric Live Theater

Newburg, Missouri · 1.9 mi from Route 66

A 1919 brick small-town theater in Newburg that showed movies until 1955 and now hosts live shows.

Historic theater

Historic districts (1)

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Rolla Ranger Station Historic District

Rolla, Missouri · on Route 66

Five 1930s stone and frame buildings built by the Civilian Conservation Corps for forest rangers.

Historic districtPhoto credit

Historic buildings (1)

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Old Stagecoach Stop

Waynesville, Missouri · 0.1 mi from Route 66

A historic hotel on the Waynesville town square that has gone by five different names over its long life.

Historic buildingPhoto credit

Archaeology (1)

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Gourd Creek Cave

Rolla, Missouri · 7.4 mi from Route 66

A big Ozark cave near Rolla where ancient campfires left deep ash, and locals once dug for lost gold.

Archaeology

Next towns on Route 66

Smaller towns on the way to Springfield

Lebanon, MO 7

Route 66 in Rolla: questions

Did Route 66 go through Rolla?: Yes. Route 66 ran through Rolla on its way across the Ozarks, and the National Bank of Rolla Building downtown is about a tenth of a mile from the old road.
What is there to see on Route 66 in Rolla?: We list 18 stops in and around Rolla, mostly ghost towns, parks and nature areas and archaeological sites. The ones our trip planner rates highest are Uranus Missouri, Arlington and National Bank of Rolla Building. Every stop is on the map above with a photo where one exists, and the distance from the old road.
How far is Rolla from the next towns on Route 66?: Rolla sits at about mile 456 of Route 66, counting from Chicago. The next town east with its own guide is Cuba, MO, about 46 miles back. Heading west, Springfield, MO is about 108 miles on. Distances are measured along the road and rounded.
Is Rolla a good place to stay overnight on Route 66?: It works for a night. Our trip planner ends a day in Rolla when the day's miles fit, and otherwise prefers a bigger overnight town nearby.