The Route 66 Association of Missouri’s annual Motor Tour in September will include an exclusive tour of the Red Cedar Inn building in Pacific, Missouri, that’s being converted into a Route 66 visitors center, museum and genealogy site.
“They are almost finished and we are going to be the first people to see the completed project!” the association stated in a recent Facebook post.
The Motor Tour, which runs from Sept. 23 to Sept. 25, will go from St. Louis to Lebanon. Go here if you want to register for the event. The cost is $50 for adults and $15 for children age 15 and under.
The Smith brothers built the restaurant along Route 66 in 1932, then constructed the tavern addition a few years later. Both were made from logs cut from the family farm.
The restaurant and bar were favorites for many travelers on Route 66, including local politicians and baseball legends Dizzy Dean and Ted Williams.
The Red Cedar Inn closed abruptly in 2005 — its owners citing rising insurance costs — not long after its 70th anniversary. It remains on the National Register of Historic Places.
The City of Pacific purchased the building for $290,000 in 2017 after years of talks with the owners.
In 2020, the association assisted in the restoration of the building’s neon sign.
(Screen-capture image from Rich Dinkela video of the restored Red Cedar Inn neon sign in Pacific, Missouri)