St. Robert

St. Robert, a city of 5,200 (2020) city in Central Missouri, is a gateway community to the US Army base at Fort Leonard Wood.

Understand

St. Robert is named for the local Catholic parish, whose patron saint Robert Bellarmine was an important early Jesuit. The community, which largely houses soldiers and their families, is located on the former US Route 66. As a scenic route through the area, Route 66 passes through Devil's Elbow, St. Robert, Waynesville, Buckhorn and Hazelgreen under various names (Teardrop Road, Highway Z, Old Route 66, Historic Route 66 and Highway 17).

Efforts to bypass the original two-lane road date to World War 2, when 66 was re-aligned and widened through Arlington (a former resort on the Gasconade River opposite Jerome, now a ghost town). US66 in Missouri has now been entirely bypassed by I-44; state-posted signs mark most of the alignment of the old road. The beautiful Ozarks landscape is home to numerous recreational opportunities, including swimming, fishing, hunting, hiking, horseback riding, canoeing and spelunking.

  • Pulaski County Tourism Bureau, 137 St Robert Blvd. Suite A (North of I-44, Exit 161), ☏ +1 573-336-6355, toll-free: +1-877-858-8687. M-F 8AM-5PM. Visitors Center with information on Pulaski County (Fort Leonard Wood, St. Robert, Waynesville, Dixon, Crocker, Richland, Laquey and Swedeborg) and free brochures on attractions across the state of Missouri. 
  • Ft Leonard Wood Visitors Center/Main Gate, North Gate @ 847 Missouri Ave, Bldg #100 (2 mi south of Exit #161 of I-44 along Missouri Ave (Bus I-44).), ☏ +1 573-596-0590. Daily 24/7 at North/Main, West & South Gates; East Gate M-F 5-9AM & 2-6PM. All visitors without regular U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) permits/passes must stop in at the visitors center to obtain the necessary permits or passes before entering the military installation. (updated Jun 2021)

Get in

By car
  • Ft Leonard Wood, St Roberts and Waynesville are located just off of I-44 and are accessed from Exits #159 (St Robert) and #161 (Ft Leonard Wood). The main gates into Ft Leonard Wood is another 2 mi (3.2 km) south of the freeway along Missouri Ave (BUS I-44). Visitors and personnel seeking to enter into Ft Leonard Wood Military Installation must present a valid US DoD ID card/pass, drivers license, vehicle registration and proof of insurance.
  • to Going north, Missouri Ave (Business Spur 44) becomes SR Y going towards Dixon 17 mi (27 km) north.
  • & The old Route 66 runs parallel as a separate road or concurrent along I-44 between between St Louis and Joplin, MO. Segments of Old US Hwy 66 between St Robert and Gascozark (Jct SR-133/I-44 at Exit #145) is SR-17 and as SR-Z between St Robert(Exit 161) and Exit 169 of I-44.

By bus
  • Greyhound, (bus station) 839 VFW Memorial Dr Suite #2 (VFW Cir & Missouri Ave, 1.7 miles south of the freeway and outside of the main gates into Ft Leonard Wood; nearest bus station to Ft Leonard Wood), ☏ +1 573-336-5913, toll-free: +1-800-231-2222. Travels primarily on Interstate 44 between St Louis, Rolla, Ft Leonard Wood/St Robert, Springfield, Joplin, Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Some schedules may require a transfer in Tulsa to continue towards Oklahoma City. 

By plane

Get around
  • Harrison Rentals & Investments, 617 Old Route 66, ☏ +1 573-336-3221. Car, truck and van rentals; closed Sundays. 
  • Post Cab Co, 736 Missouri Ave, ☏ +1 573-336-0111. Su-Th 5AM-9PM; F 5AM-10PM; Sa 5AM-11PM. Local cab company to shuttle visitors and locals (who don't drive) around town and onto the military installation on request. (updated Jun 2021)

Do
  • Old Stagecoach Stop, ☏ +1 573-435-6766. Apr-Sep: Sa 10AM-4PM. Nine of the ten rooms in this two-story structure are restored to various periods in the building's history (1854-now). A guide in period costume leads a 45 minute tour. 

Buy
  • The Craftbox (Scrapbooking), 360 Old Rte 66 Suite 2 (Copperfield Center), ☏ +1 573-336-2700. Learn a new craft or hang out with other crafty people. 
  • 🌍 Uranus General Store, 14400 Highway Z, ☏ +1 573-336-8758. 8AM - 9PM. A cluster of small, kitschy store fronts established around the turn of the millennium include a Uranus Fudge Factory packed with double entendres, a tattoo shop, the Chicken Bones Party Bar & Grill, Big Louie's Saloon, Mission Outpost Outdoor Outfitters and The FunkYard on Route 66. (updated May 2017)

Eat
  • Adonia's Steak and Seafood, 819 Highway Z (South Outer Rd. Z Hwy about 1/2 mile), ☏ +1 573-336-5110. Choices include fresh seafood and pasta, Veal Marsala, Breast of Lemon Chicken, Poivrade, Chateau Briand (for two), Steak Dian, and Fettuccine Primavera. Vegetables are served crisp and all soups, dressings and desserts are made in-house. 

Sleep

Nearby

Devil's Elbow

A tiny community near a particularly awkward bend in the Big Piney River. A once-common stop for Route 66 voyagers and canoeists, the buildings were listed on the national historic register in early 2017. Later that year, spring flooding pushed water levels eight feet beyond previous record levels, with substantial property damage. Attractions were a small store (the market housed the local post office) and the Elbow Inn, which has reopened.

  • Elbow Inn, 21050 Teardrop Rd, Devils Elbow, ☏ +1 573-336-5375. 11AM-1:30AM. Quirky local eatery (beer, sandwiches, BBQ) established in the 1930s as the Munger-Moss Sandwich Shop. The original owners left for Lebanon (Missouri) at the end of World War II, expecting this location to die once Route 66 was bypassed by I-44. Oddly, it's still here, with the ceiling supported by a collection of bras tacked up by passing voyagers on US 66 - now a destination for nostalgia tourism. (updated Oct 2017)

Go next
Routes through St. Robert
Springfield ← Lebanon ←  W  E  → Rolla → St. Louis
Springfield ← Lebanon ←  W  E  → Rolla → St. Louis
Dixon ← St Robert ←  N  S  → becomes → Fort Leonard Wood



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