Joplin:  Some of Our Favorite Attractions

Downtown Joplin

What's the fastest approach to get to know Joplin? Take a walk downtown. With its unique shops, vibrant art galleries, diverse restaurants, and lively night hang outs, downtown Joplin draws folks in with its energy. This is the Sunshine Lamp District, so called after the lamps that miners wore on their helmets back in Joplin's thriving mining days. While the facade exteriors of these solid brick structures remind us of Joplin's prosperous past, their interiors embody contemporary, metropolitan elegance. Downtown Joplin is where people come to collect; it's the heart of our city.

Historical Murphysburg District

Sergeant and Moffet Avenues, between 1st and 7th Street is likewise known as the Murphysburg District.

Be carried over 100 years back in time as you walk the tree-lined streets of Joplin's Historical Murphysburg District. This residential area, west of downtown, is where the founding fathers of Joplin constructed the manor houses which embodied their success. A variety of architectural styles are represented here, including Craftsman, Queen Anne, American Foursquare, and Eclectic, and there are historical markers in front of lots of homes detailing their names and when they were developed, making it simple for self-guided tours.

Throughout the year, there are special occasions in the district which include home and garden trips. Put on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015, this district extends from Byers to Jackson Avenues, and from Second to 7th Streets.

Get your kicks on Route 66

Cruise along historical Route 66 as it winds its course through the center of Joplin, by means of Main Street downtown, then toward the Kansas state line on 7th Street. Our city is even featured in the lyrics of the renowned song "Get Your Kicks On Route 66," and we have a park devoted to Joplin's special place in the history of this major highway.

Referred to as the Mother Roadway, Route 66 was established in 1926, reaching from Chicago to Santa Monica, California. By the 1950s, it was heavily traveled by tourists making their way out west. While larger interstate highways have subsequently made the journey out west more effective, each year countless tourists - much of them from around the globe - still elect to take a more sentimental journey on the famous Route 66.

A cruise down Path 66 brings you through the heart of Joplin, enabling you to experience our city with awakened senses. Channel your inner Siskel-and-Ebert after seeing an independent movie at a unique theater. Savor the made-from-scratch goodness of premium chocolates that have been crafted in Joplin for over 40 years at a local candy factory. Check out Main Street's boutiques and galleries for unique items and local art, then feast your eyes on our lively downtown murals, along with the amazing examples of architecture in Murphysburg, our city's first residential district. Delve into backstory of our city at the Joplin museum, where you'll discover how the discovery of important minerals turned this picturesque Ozark spot into a growing town, a town that has actually been- and continues to be- traveled by countless Mother Roadway tourists each year.

Precious Moments Chapel & Gift Shoppe

Located in Carthage, MO east of Joplin and called the "American Sistine Chapel," the walls of this tourist attraction are covered with murals featuring the wide-eyed, angelic characters of artist Samuel J. Butcher. Established in 1989, the chapel consists of 84 hand-painted murals and 30 works of stained glass, all crafted by Butcher himself, which retell time honored Bible stories.

Butcher developed the chapel as a method of stating "thanks" to God for everything good in his life. In 2015, Timmy's Tower was added to the Precious Moments complex as a homage to Butcher's late child.

Collectors of {Precious Moments figurines will take pleasure in browsing the world's largest Precious Moments Gift Shoppe, which features the present collection along with the Archive Collection and Christmas Shoppe. If you get hungry during your tour of the complex, you can get a fast meal or a sweet treat at the Royal Delights Cafe.

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