Cuba, Missouri

Cuba, Missouri, is one of our favorite stops on Route 66! Our only regret is visiting on a Sunday afternoon in October, when the Visitor Center at the I-44 intersection and many of the shops downtown were closed.

We drove into town on Historic Route 66 (East Washington Boulevard), and the first thing we saw was our lodging for the night: the adorable and beautifully restored 1936 Wagon Wheel Motel. It's on the National Register of Historic Places.

Former restaurant of the Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Missouri

The former restaurant, pictured above, is now a gift shop and registration desk. To the left of it, the former service station is now an office. Behind the gift shop are the motel units.

Some of the units of the Wagon Wheel Motel

Car service was once provided outdoors!

Car service bay at the Wagon Wheel Motel

We arrived at the Wagon Wheel before check-in, so we spent the afternoon exploring Cuba’s historic district. Cuba has 17 murals celebrating its history (get a map of them here or at the Visitor Center). The Missouri legislature has designated Cuba a “Route 66 Mural City.” But there are great historical buildings here too. In this post I’m sharing a few of our favorite murals and buildings.

A couple of blocks past the Wagon Wheel, a mural commemorates Bette Davis's visits to Cuba in 1948.

Mural commemorating Bette Davis's visits to Cuba

On the southwest corner of Washington Boulevard and Franklin Street is a former 1932 Phillips 66 Service Station. Some resources call it Carr’s Service Station.

Former 1932 Phillips 66 Service Station in Cuba, Missouri

The service station is now a restaurant called Weir on 66. Some of Cuba’s murals are where the garage doors used to be.

Three blocks west on Washington Boulevard, just before Fillmore Street, is another former gas station. This one was a Conoco station, built in the 1930s.

Former 1930s Conoco station in Cuba, Missouri

Two blocks further, at the corner of Washington Boulevard and South Smith Street, is Hayes Family Shoe Store with a great mural facing Washington Boulevard.

Mural at Hayes Family Shoe Store in Cuba, Missouri

 Around the corner on South Smith Street is another mural called “Properity Corner.” 

"Prosperity Corner" mural in Cuba, Missouri

We went two blocks south on South Smith Street, crossing the railroad tracks, then turned left (east) on South Main Avenue. On the southwest corner of South Main and Prairie Street is the 1908 City Jail.

1908 City Jail in Cuba, Missouri

We could take a peek inside.

Interior of City Jail in Cuba, Missouri

We then backtracked across the railroad tracks to Main Street and went several blocks west to see two old hotels at the corner of NE Main Street and Clay Street. On the northeast corner, at 601 NE Main Street, is the former Southern Hotel. This is where Bette Davis spent a night in 1948.

Former Southern Hotel in Cuba, Missouri (from theroute-66.com)

On the northwest corner, at 509 East Main Street, is the 1915 Hotel Cuba.

1915 Hotel Cuba (from theroute-66.com)

In the years before Route 66, Cuba was a stop on the Frisco Railroad. Both hotels were built facing the (now gone) railroad depot to serve passengers. When Route 66 came through behind them, the owner of the Hotel Cuba built a new entrance on the rear of the building to attract motorists.

Rear of Hotel Cuba (from Google Maps)

Back to the Wagon Wheel, where we checked into our adorable, super-clean room.

Our room at the Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba, Missouri

No TV, no closet, no easy chair, no data ports, no blackout drapes—we loved it! Our stay gave us a real sense of what it was like to stay on Route 66 in the early 20^th century.

In the evening we walked next door to the Missouri Hick Bar-B-Q for dinner.

Floor at the entrance to Missouri Hick Bar-B-Q in Cuba, Missouri

We wound up the evening enjoying the Wagon Wheel’s incredible neon.

I hope you can see why Cuba is one of our favorite Route 66 stops!