Overview
Baxter Springs population 4250, is a city on historic Route 66 in Southeastern Kansas. During the US Civil War, it briefly hosted a US fortress (Fort Baxter, aka Fort Blair, abandoned 1863) and was the site of the Baxter Springs Massacre battle.
3 sights · 1 things to do · 3 places to eat · 2 places to stay
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Best things about Baxter Springs
Baxter Springs Independent Oil and Gas Service Station
This 1930s service station dispensed first Independent Oil and Gas and later Phillips Petroleum; the building was restored in 2007 as the Kansas Route 66 Visitor Center.
Baxter Springs Heritage Center and Museum
Local history including Quantrill's Battle & Massacre, US Civil War, both world wars, the retail main street in the 1870s and 1930s, a Lincoln school room, US Route 66, the local tri-state mining district, native and…
Soldiers' Lot, Baxter Springs City Cemetery
A place of burial and Civil War memorial for those who fought in the 1863 Battle of Baxter Springs.
Cowtown Days
Annual summer festival with entertainment, arts and craft fair, gospel music, contests and a car show.
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Mar–May, Sep–Oct. Summer highs reach about 94°F; winter lows dip to about 28°F. Very hot (Jul, Aug) — plan outdoor time for mornings. Wettest: May and Jun. (climate data from nearby Tulsa)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- JLN Joplin Regional Airport, Joplin — 16 mi away. Directions
- XNA Northwest Arkansas National Airport, Fayetteville/Springdale/Rogers — 56 mi away. Directions
- TUL Tulsa International Airport, Tulsa — 86 mi away (major hub). Directions
Baxter Springs is accessible by motorcar on the former US Route 66, where it is sixteen miles (22 km) west of Joplin, Missouri. There is no local transit service.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Budget & where to stay
- Places to stay listed here: about $5–$5 a night (typical $8), from 2 listed prices.
- Estimated daily budget per person (room, two meals, local transport and an activity): budget ~$50, mid-range ~$80, comfortable ~$170.
See the Sleep guide ↓ for places to stay.
Sample 1-day itinerary
Day 1
- Morning Baxter Springs Heritage Center and Museum, Baxter Springs Independent Oil and Gas Service Station
- Lunch Route 66 Soda Fountain
- Afternoon Soldiers' Lot, Baxter Springs City Cemetery, Cowtown Days
- Dinner Weston's Route 66 Café
Stops are grouped by area so each day needs little backtracking. Check opening hours before you go.
Food for you
Cuisine (tap to filter)
What to ask about, for your diet
Diet labels come from each listing's description and cuisine; “likely” means the cuisine usually has good choices, not a promise. Check with the restaurant. Open the food finder
Photos
Map
Every listing with a location. Tap a pin for its Google Maps link.
Understand
The area from Joplin, Missouri through Galena, Riverton and Baxter Springs, Kansas to Picher, Oklahoma was lead and zinc mining country, extracting galena (lead sulphide) ore until the 1960s. The closure of the mines, followed by the bypassing of US Route 66 by Interstate highways, led to a decline in the local economy and a drop in local population.
As mining was never permitted within the Baxter Springs city limits, the town escaped the ecological damage which turned nearby Picher into a ghost town. The original motels and campgrounds which served motorists on the dozen miles of US Route 66 in Kansas are now gone, but portions of the city's Route 66 legacy live on to attract visitors today.
Get in
Baxter Springs is accessible by motorcar on the former US Route 66, where it is sixteen miles (22 km) west of Joplin, Missouri. There is no local transit service.
When Interstate 44 bypassed Route 66, it avoided Kansas entirely by crossing directly from Missouri to Oklahoma. To get back to Route 66 (Alternate US 69) from I-44, exit to US Route 400 at the Missouri state line and drive 8 miles (13 km) west to Baxter Springs.
See
See Baxter Springs Heritage Center and Museum
Local history including Quantrill's Battle & Massacre, US Civil War, both world wars, the retail main street in the 1870s and 1930s, a Lincoln school room, US Route 66, the local tri-state mining district, native and black American history. Souvenir shop.
Do
Do Cowtown Days
Annual summer festival with entertainment, arts and craft fair, gospel music, contests and a car show.
Buy
Eat
Eat El Cabrito
Mexican, steakhouse.
Eat Weston's Route 66 Café
Rebuilt/reopened after an April 27, 2014 EF2 tornado hit.
Sleep
Stay Baxter Inn
Stay Riverside Park
Park with local campground on Spring River. Fishing, boat ramp, RV electrical hook-up, shelter houses, tables, grills and rest rooms. Contact the Baxter Springs Police Department (121 W 11th St.) for a permit to camp.
Nearby
Riverton
An unincorporated Route 66 community, population 930, at what is now the junction of K-66 and U.S. Route 69 Alternate.
Place Eisler Brothers Country Store
1925 country store with groceries, produce, flowers, deli sandwiches, souvenirs and memorabilia. One of the stops on Pixar's US 66 research trip for 2006 film "Cars", where Route 66 Association president Dean Walker showed the film's makers his ability to twist his feet around 180° and walk backwards. (The corresponding character in the animated film, a rusty tow truck, teaches how to drive backwards.) According to route 66 historian and guide Michael Wallis, "As luck would have it, we had just eaten a sandwich at the Eisler Brothers when we met Dean, He was proud as punch to show them his exorcist feet and regale them with stories of the Ghost Light."
Place Rainbow Bridge
Sole surviving single-span concrete Marsh arch bridge on Route 66. Built in 1923.
Nearby
Galena
City / town · 6 listings · 7 mi away
Miami
City / town · 13 listings · 12 mi away
Joplin
City / town · 17 listings · 13 mi away
Wyandotte
City / town · 6 listings · 16 mi away
Neosho
City / town · 5 listings · 23 mi away
Carthage
City / town · 20 listings · 25 mi away
Grove
City / town · 9 listings · 30 mi away
Vinita
City / town · 7 listings · 35 mi away
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