What a gem in little ole Ottawa county Oklahoma! If you've never been on a tour of the Coleman…read moreTheatre, it's a must see! I can't believe this was my first time. The history is fantastic! It's stunning inside. I hope to come back and see some kind of production in the future. They give excellent tours. Definitely check this out if you're cruising Route 66!

Absolutely Gorgeous!…read more This theater was built in one year by businessman George Coleman Sr. because he wanted vaudville to come to Miami, OK. That's pronounced "My-am-uh" The outside is notable. The inside is palacial. Gifted to the city by the decendant of the original owner, the city thought to knock it down. It was in need of restoration and the city did not have the funds. Local citizens banded together to save this theater from demolition doing repairs themselves, a little at a time as the money trickled in. Boy has that labor of love been worth it! The original 1928 Wurlitzer organ was sold after the advent of modern movies when it was no long necessary for live music to accompany films. During the restoration process a stranger overheard a conversation about locating the origial organ to reinstall it at the theater. This stranger knew who owned that organ! After much fundraising, the original organ is back in it's place. The theater has remained open through the years for vaudville, stars of stage and screen performed here, movies from silent era to today, community theater group performances and they host the local elementary school Christmas concerts. Volunteer docents give tours of the lobby and theater to visitors. There is no fee, but they accept donations toward continued restoration. Definitely worth a visit.

Somber memorial in a park…read more The Memorial was erected in honor of of the citizens who perished during the tragic tornado that ripped through Joplin MO on the evening of May 22, 2011. The category EF-5 rated multiple-vortex twister devastated Joplin and killed 158 people. All their names were inscribed alphabetically by last name on the plaque. It was the deadliest U.S. tornado since 1947 causing billions in damages. The tornado was a mile-wide wall of black swirling wind... I couldn't even imagine. It's so sad. There were 1,150 injuries caused by the tornado as well. Next to the memorial is a fountain enclosed by a white fence. It was a little tricky to find it but near the children's park parking lot you have to go down a small slope and you will see the small memorial. It wasn't immediately visible to the eye as we were driving to look for it. Review #1950

Stopped here on our way out of town. It's a fun place to stop and realize you're in different…read morestates at one time (the girls thought that was super cool). Definitely worth a stop! Only reason I gave it 4 stars is because you almost don't realize it's there and not much signage.

I've been in two states at the same time before. That's easy. I've been in the east and the west at…read morethe Royal Observatory in London https://www.yelp.de/biz/royal-observatory-greenwich?hrid=1QtILqtPjHye7oSXzIIR_w. I've not been in four states at the same time I didn't make it to the four corners https://www.yelp.com/biz/four-corners-monument-teec-nos-pos?uid=hWDybu_KvYLSdEFzGrniTw but now I can say that I've been in THREE states at the same time! Located where the Oklahoma Turnpike crosses over into Missouri and that's conveniently next to Kansas as well. It's ten minutes to get off the highway, drive around the roundabout and then go about a half mile down a dirt road. Circle around at the end and park near the big stone tower. Oklahoma and Missouri and Kansas. Pretty neat and worth the detour. Note that the road and the marker are not illuminated at night. [Review 16287 overall - 109 in Missouri - 1793 of 2021.]

My wife knew that Bonnie and Clyde spent time here in Joplin. What she didn't know was that the…read moreactual place is still standing. So we stopped by to check it out! They were here for nearly two weeks in 1933, resting and planning. It ended in a violent shootout where two police officers were killed. In the quick escape, the crime due left behind personal belongings, including a camera with undeveloped film that later provided iconic images of Bonnie and Clyde. The apartment was built around 1927 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Yes, it's a real place and real people live here so be respectful of the private property. Still, you can walk around the front of the exterior. [Review 370 of 2025 - 429 in Missouri - 23932 overall]

We found the apartment was a little hard to find but a great place to find a part of our history…read moreand was nice to have the house on the National Register, we didn't go in but the building looks to be in good shape .

fascinating history, sadly the corps of enineers tore down the old hotel tower a couple years ago…read more the amphitheater can be seen. moreso when the water is down, and a few foundations. nice to imagine, sad to actually see..

This is most certainly a local gem. Seeing a sunset here is truly magical - the gritty, spray…read morepainted building contrasts with the light reflecting off the water. The building itself is gated and locked off, so you can't explore inside, but it's still a very unique view from afar.

Wandering across western Kansas, I happened upon this incredible piece of machinery. Operated from…read more1963-1974, this is still the largest electric shovel in the world with a 90 cubic yard bucket. Pictures don't do the size of this any justice. They even let you climb inside, wander through, and sit in the operator's chair. There is a nice little museum with lots of great information. I had no idea there was (and still is) a very large coal field running under the middle of the country. A great piece of history, well preserved and worth a detour if you are in the area.

I knew this thing was going to be big but it wasn't until I spotted it soaring over the treeline…read morethat I understood. Oh, and it's a little below grade. Big brutus is a Bucyrus-Erie model 1850B electric shovel. Yes, electric. Massive powerlines would be fed into this monster so that it could clear "overburden" and make it possible for other, smaller devices to mine the coal. At 160 feet high and weighing 11 million pounds, the draw makes 15,000 horsepower and could lift 150 tons of coal. It is therefore the largest existing electric shovel on the planet. Open for climbing (the boom is since closed because of insurance limitations), you can go inside the operator's cabin, walk around the interior body and take selfies in the massive shovel or next to one of the huge crawler tracks. Look out over the lake in front of it - Big Brutus cleared all of that in its heyday before it finally shut down due to environmental concerns. The attached museum has other mementoes telling the story of local mining and there is a movie that shows the machine in action. [Review 19773 overall - 40 in Kansas - 745 of 2023.]

Hard to miss this beautiful building near downtown Bentonville with a historical marker out front…read more The marker reads, "Built in 1890 by Captain NH Henry. Captain Henry served in the Civil War as a member of General Stonewall Jackson's artillery. After the war Henry moved to Bentonville where he helped build Bentonville's first steam railway and served as a Treasurer for Benton County. The Henry House is built in the Italianate style and the main façade has been unaltered since construction. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988." It is a two-story brick structure with Italianate architectural details like trusses in the front-facing gable, a scrollwork balustrade on the main porch, and scrolled brackets on the hood over a side entrance. This 1890 construction is a good example of the late Italianate style brick homes that were constructed in Bentonville in large quantities between 1870 and 1895. I was able to find the Henry House on an apartment/short-term rental site. [Review 19801 overall - 277 in Arkansas - 774 of 2023.]

stayed 2 days in recently built, fabulously comfortable 2-bedroom apartment above garage. wish it…read morewere longer, we'll have to come back! Pristine, lovely, thoughtfully equipped, quiet, spacious. whoever did your design work, rose petals in their path!

First thing's first: adjust your expectations. This is a historic venue. Sometimes the showers…read moretake a long time to heat up and sometimes they stay lukewarm. Sometimes it's hot or cold because there are no individual thermostats. Fans and heaters are provided aa needed. I haven't stayed in the winter, but in the summer, once the sun goes down, with the fans, it's quite pleasant. I stayed in the king bed two story suite. It's airy, full of light, roomy, beautiful. I adore the tall windows. There is a TV upstairs and downstairs. The bed is plush and comfy and the linens crisp, fresh, and clean. The bathroom is quite small, but inline with FLW and the times. The facility gives tours and they are interesting and enlightening! There is a restaurant on site, open Tuesday through Saturday (reviewed separately). It's the closest thing you get to elevated in Bartlesville. They have trivia Tuesdays, wine Wednesday, live entertainment Thursday, karaoke Friday, and regular Saturdays. Staff is always wonderful. Highly recommended. But please don't rate this unique, historical site on the same plane as four seasons.

Are you a Frank Lloyd Wright aficionado? Keep reading…read more.. The Inn at Price Tower is a Wright time capsule and well worth the time and expense to visit this building and immerse yourself in the architectural experience. I'm a retired architect and a big FLW fan. The "hospitality side" (ie: what normal consumers expect from a hotel property) is pretty non-existent. Let me explain: Not to get into mechanical engineering weeds, but the building has a 2-pipe HVAC system. This means that the entire building is either heating or cooling depending upon the season. No matter how hot or cold you may be in your hotel room, if the system is in heating mode (wintertime) there is no A/C available. Likewise, if the system is in cooling mode (summertime), there is no heating available. We stayed 2 nights in early May so the heating was still on (kind of between seasons), but since there was an oscillating fan available in our room, we were fairly comfortable sleeping. Not really a biggie, just be aware of the building's heating/cooling limitations. The other thing really perplexing was that there was no coffee service available in the morning. The in-house restaurant did not offer breakfast, the Lobby area provided no guest coffee service and there was no in-room coffeemaker provided - weird! In the last 30 years of business travel I can't recall a similar situation. In order to get coffee, guests are required to walk 2 blocks to a local coffee shop that opens at 6am weekdays and 7am weekends. Super inconvenient from a "hospitality" standpoint. So, if you're familiar with Wright's design sensibilities, you'll recall that he never had much use for bathrooms and elevators - both of which are super small by modern standards and current building codes. Don't expect the spa level experience you may have enjoyed at other boutique hotels - they 'aint there, lol! If you go into the Inn at Price Tower experience with a "Wright state of mind", you'll enjoy your stay and be able to forgive the limitations of the design. The tour is well worth the price, and I highly recommend participating. Our group consisted of only me and my wife, so it was basically a private tour. It was advertised as a 60-minute tour, but our Dosen gave us nearly 2 hours! Really interesting. Take-a-ways: Bring you own coffee maker and breakfast items. Be prepared for the seasonal interior heating or cooling situation and be sure to have reasonable expectations for living in a Wright-designed building for a night or two. If you have these, your experience will be a lot of fun. Enjoy!

The Blue Whale of Catoosa has been on my Route 66 bucket list for quite a while, and I'm glad we…read morefinally made the stop. At first glance, you might wonder why people travel miles to see a giant blue whale. Then you get there, walk through it, read the story behind it, and it all starts to make sense. What began as a whimsical anniversary gift from Hugh Davis to his wife Zelta has become one of the most recognizable landmarks on the Mother Road. The recent restoration is impressive. The visitor center does an excellent job sharing the history, the grounds are clean and well maintained, and the whale looks fantastic. Walking through the whale's mouth and out the tail brought out the kid in me, while the historical displays gave me a new appreciation for the people who created it. This isn't a place where you'll spend half a day--20 to 30 minutes is about right--but it's absolutely worth the stop. It's fun, nostalgic, family-friendly, and one of those Route 66 attractions you'll be talking about long after you leave. One piece of advice for fellow Oklahoma Route 66 Passport travelers: don't get so caught up exploring that you forget to get your passport stamped...like I did! ‍ No worries--the Blue Whale gave me the perfect excuse to plan another trip down Route 66.

The Blue Whale is a historic landmark along Route 66 in Catoosa, OK. It was a stop we wanted to…read moremake rain or shine during our Route 66 Centennial Celebration road trip in the Midwest. My eldest daughter and I did just that. Yes, it was raining cats and dogs. Unfortunately, we didn't get a chance to walk outside to be closer to the Blue Whale. We did our best to capture some photos from a far of its 20 feel tall and 80 feet long frame. There is a visitor center that holds the history of its loving story. We didn't get to walk inside the center either. It was slightly disappointing to come from a far and we didn't get to experience it the way we would have liked. Yes, we could have gotten out of the car and walked on over to the whale and center. However, we didn't bring an umbrella or any covering to keep us dry from the pouring rain. Lesson learned... bring an umbrella rain or shine! LOL No regrets... just fond memories of our wonderful experiences as it is meant to be. We just weren't meant to see the Blue Whale up close and personal. All good! I didn't know until after our trip that the Blue Whale of Catoosa was built in 1972 by zoologist Hugh Davis as an anniversary gift for his wife Zelta. It evolved from a private family swimming hole into a beloved free public attraction. If you ever get a chance to visit here, please give the Blue Whale a hug for me. Thank you!