Travel Guide Springfield

Springfield is the third largest city in Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. It has a population of 160,000, excluding the urban area. The name of the future Route 66 was proposed here on April 30, 1926, and one of its residents, John T. Woodruff, was elected in 1927 as the first president of the U.S. Highway 66 Association (now dissolved). Springfield is home to many educational institutions including several universities: Missouri State University, Drury University and Evangel University. Its nickname is Queen City of the Ozarks. Springfield was originally called Campbell and Fulbrigh Springs, too complicated a name for a town... So in 1833, the residents decided to hold a vote to choose a new name. A certain James Wilson proposed Springfield, in memory of his hometown in Massachusetts. The cunning character had the idea to convince his fellow citizens to offer them whiskey if they voted for his proposal! Which was done.. In 1861, during the Civil War, Springfield witnessed the battle of Wilson's Creek (at Republic, southwest of the city), the first battle to take place west of the Mississippi; then, in 1863, Springfield had to fight against the Confederate army (2nd battle of Springfield). In the downtown area, twelve markers along what was once an urban battlefield indicate the sites where defenses were organized, wounded soldiers were hospitalized, and homes were destroyed. In 1870, Springfield took off thanks to the train that connected St. Louis to San Francisco. A railroad museum, the Railroad Historical Museum Inc (open seasonally and only on Saturday afternoons), is partly dedicated to it. Springfield has seen a resurgence in its downtown in recent years. Many old buildings have been and continue to be renovated. After several years of work, a new museum stands since 2019 on Park Central Square: History Museum on the Square. Next door, you can admire the façade of the Fox Theatre, a performance venue opened in 1916, originally known as the Electric Theatre, which closed in 1982 and later became a church. This theater, currently included in the History Museum complex, may soon return to its original function. Other historic theaters that have been restored to their original condition include the Gillioz Theatre (325 Park Central East - Route 66) and the Landers Theatre (311 East Walnut Street). Bass Pro Shops is a huge store dedicated to outdoor sports and activities (mainly hunting and fishing). Its owners have built the Wonders of Wildlife Museum & Aquarium on the same site and next to the store. This museum, recently renovated, is one of the most immersive aquariums in the country. You can also visit the upper floors of the Bass Pro Shops, which has a beautiful gun display in the NRA National Sporting Arms Museum. Finally, be sure to check out the architecture of the Abu Ben Adhem Shrine Mosque, which is not a mosque but a beautiful building of Arabesque design on Route 66 (601 Saint Louis Street), built in 1923. At the exit of Springfield, we find Route 66 in a rather bucolic environment and the forest gives way to meadows. The road is lined with old farms and it sometimes follows the railroad. It is nicknamed Old Wire Road, because the telegraph lines installed during the Civil War are still there, and form a superb alignment of poles. The road offers many remnants of the time when it was heavily used in a rich mining region. One can also head south to visit Branson, which is very touristy and looks like a gigantic amusement park. One then moves away from 45 miles of the Route 66.