Missouri Cave Earns Spot Among America’s Best Roadside Stops

When you think of roadside attractions, do caves come to mind? I'm asking because a famous Missouri cave was just ranked among the best roadside attractions in the nation.

A roadside attraction makes me think of a destination where you pull off the road and the "attraction" is right there. That's why I was a little surprised to see that a new 18 classic roadside attractions in America list just shared by Cheapism includes one of the most famous caves in Missouri which is more than a little off-the-road.

Yes, Meramec Caverns near Stanton, Missouri is one of America's best roadside attractions and I understand why they chose to include it. As they mentioned, it's located off of famous Route 66 in Missouri which is synonymous with roadside attractions. If you look at it from overhead, you can see why the roadside part mystified me. To reach the caverns, you will be traveling quite a ways off the road, but yes it's more than worth it.

There are many that tell tales of Jesse James and his gang staying in Meramec Caverns, but the so-called "experts" don't think that we in Missouri have enough history to prove it. That's fine. Let them doubt. Even without the outlaw connection, Meramec Caverns deserves its rightful place on the list of best places to stop in America - roadside or not.