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    Recommended Reviews - Route 66 Cruisers

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    10 months ago

    Helpful 7
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    Joplin History & Mineral Museum - My favorite kind of dinosaur

    Joplin History & Mineral Museum

    4.2(9 reviews)
    4.8 mi

    When I was "getting my kicks" on 66 a few years ago, I went by this museum and it was closed due to…read moreCovid. But I was recently back in town for an event and they gave everyone a free admission on one day - so of course I took advantage of it. It is somewhat divided into three parts, plus there is a large conference/meeting room. And they have a gift shop with some collectibles stuff. You can go into the mineral museum which celebrates the regional mining industry. There is also the part where all things Joplin are paid tribute upon. Within that part is the National Cookie Cutter Museum, which is small but sure to bring a smile to anyone's face. A long hallway celebrates Joplin's status as the "Crossroads of America" (one of several cities that has that title) with the meeting of Route 66 and Jefferson Highway.

    We LOVE little museums like this! Lots of great mineral displays. Really nice. Upstairs are some…read moremodels of mining history - what my daughter and I were completely enthralled with were vintage panoramic group photos of the miners. Literally could have spent hours here, though for the record we are super nerds. Then, there's another wing of the museum that is all about Joplin history. But as a bonus this also includes the National Cookie Cutter Museum! Who knew? Loved it here. Staff was super friendly and helpful. I think admission was $5, a great bargain!

    Photos
    Joplin History & Mineral Museum - Fluorescent minerals display

    Fluorescent minerals display

    Joplin History & Mineral Museum - National Cookie Cutter Historical Museum; includes a free cookie cutter

    National Cookie Cutter Historical Museum; includes a free cookie cutter

    Joplin History & Mineral Museum - Bonnie and Clyde photos - these are from film in a camera they left behind in Joplin!

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    Bonnie and Clyde photos - these are from film in a camera they left behind in Joplin!

    Big Brutus

    Big Brutus

    4.5(21 reviews)
    21.2 mi

    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.]

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    Big Brutus
    Big Brutus - Big Brutus, West Mineral

    Big Brutus, West Mineral

    Big Brutus - Big Brutus, West Mineral

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    Big Brutus, West Mineral

    Coleman Theatre - Green room

    Coleman Theatre

    4.9(15 reviews)
    19.4 mi

    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.

    Beautiful building and great tour. Glad we got to see it. Only downside was the little 80 something…read moreyear old docent with white hair in a ponytail was wearing so much perfume that it was hard to breath. Please tell her that less is more. Or better yet don't wear any. Ugh

    Photos
    Coleman Theatre
    Coleman Theatre
    Coleman Theatre - View

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    Route 66 Cruisers - landmarks - Updated October 2026

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