Anything Interesting To See On I-64?

August 5, 2014 6:11 PM

Next week my wife and I will be driving our daughter from the DC area to Missouri to start college. It's I-64 almost all the way. We are going to hoof it going west, but coming back we thought we'd take our time and only drive 5 or 6 hours a day, turning it into a 3 day trip. That will leave us several hours a day to stop.

Are there any good or goofy roadside attractions near I-64 between Missouri and Virginia? I'm thinking 'World Largest Ball of Twine" types of things, or small, niche museums that would only take an hour or two to visit.

posted by COD to Travel & Transportation (13 answers total)

Just to the east of St. Louis, on the Illinois side, literally like one mile into I-64, you can see the Cahokia Mounds, which are definitely worth a look.

It also goes through Hoosier National Forest when you get to Indiana but I have never actually stopped there so I don't know what's cool.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:25 PM on August 5, 2014

The Frontier Culture Museum is in Staunton, visible from the junction between I-64 and I-81. Easily the best living history museum on the east coast, in this Mefite's humble opinion.
posted by fifthrider at 6:40 PM on August 5, 2014 [1 favorite]

For a complete Staunton itinerary, incidentally, the Blackfriars Playhouse is a must-see, if you're there in the evening. Even if you don't have that much time, though, it's worth driving into town for The Split Banana, arguably the mid-Atlantic's best ice cream shop. (And one of the most affordable, too, surprisingly.)
posted by fifthrider at 6:44 PM on August 5, 2014

A great place to stop for lunch after you get out of St. Louis is the Firefly Grill in Effingham, Illinois, a town that's home to a giant cross by Interstate 64... We stop at the restaurant just about every time we drive through, and the food's always completely original, local, and delicious.
posted by limeonaire at 6:58 PM on August 5, 2014

OBVIOUSLY you want to go up in the arch before you leave the STL area!
posted by oh really at 7:20 PM on August 5, 2014

oh there's also the delta dental health theatre in downtown stl--i believe that's still operational!
posted by oh really at 7:22 PM on August 5, 2014

Blenko Glass in Milton, WV! I was thoroughly fascinated by the glass-blowing, and the gift shop has some bargains.

I was also impressed by Tamarack in Beckley, WV. Lots and lots of hnadcrafted items for sale.
posted by Gridlock Joe at 7:30 PM on August 5, 2014 [1 favorite]

Shaker Village at Pleasant Hill Kentucky (Shaker Town to locals :)) has a nice restaurant and a nice hotel (rooms are in old Shaker houses). So it would be a good place to stop for a meal or to stay the night. It's in the middle of Kentucky horse country so the surroundings are beautiful. Highly recommended.

http://www.shakervillageky.org/
posted by duoshao at 8:12 PM on August 5, 2014 [1 favorite]

Forgot to mention: after getting off I-64 there's a bit of extra driving to get to Shaker Village (30 mins?), but if you have a few extra hours each day and don't mind a bit more driving...
posted by duoshao at 8:15 PM on August 5, 2014

It is a detour off of the Interstate but the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. They offer a tour of the facility and a very nice presentation.
posted by mmascolino at 8:39 PM on August 5, 2014 [1 favorite]

Lots of good stuff in Louisville, KY. Hillerich/Bradsby bat factory, lots of nice parks, Slugger field if there's a game (AAA baseball), several good museums.
posted by Billiken at 12:02 PM on August 6, 2014

I-64 between Lexington and Louisville is the heart of the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. Even if you aren't huge fans of that spirit, the tour of Woodford Reserve is excellent and the buildings/grounds are very beautiful.
posted by mmascolino at 4:52 AM on August 7, 2014

I just remembered, four days later, that Effingham (and hence the Firefly Grill) is off Interstate 70, not 64. So that might be terribly out of your way! Sorry for the confusion! (I think I was just overly excited to recommend that to someone yet again, 'cause it is awesome.)
posted by limeonaire at 9:06 AM on August 9, 2014