The Soda Museum, St. Charles

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One man’s passion for soft-drink paraphernalia has led to the newest museum in the greater St. Louis area. The Soda Museum and Main Street Arcade opened in the historic district of St. Charles in December, showcasing the astonishing personal collection of Tom Smith, Jr. Well, actually, it features about half of Smith’s collection, which had grown to fill three warehouses and a garage before the museum became reality.

Smith’s love affair with all things soda related began when he bought a 1937 tray advertising Coca-Cola at the age of 10. The tray, which is in the museum, showed a woman in a yellow swimsuit running on a beach, holding a Coke in each hand.

Today the thousands of items in the museum include bottles, trays, vending machines, coolers, syrup cans, crates, toys, neon signs, games, wooden tubs and much more. The brands range from the familiar—Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Dr Pepper, 7-Up, Sprite, etc.—to the less familiar: Moxie, Devil Shake, Sunburst, Goldenmoon, Five-O, Bubble Up, Kickapoo Joy Juice, Brownie Root Beer, Squirt, Rio, White Cap and others.

“It has been my lifelong dream to share my passion and extensive collection of memorabilia in St. Charles,” says Smith, museum director and lifelong resident of St. Charles. “This museum is not just about the beverages; it’s about the stories, the innovations and the memories associated with sodas that have touched lives globally.”

The museum occupies a fully renovated building that dates to 1896. It was originally a hardware store. From 1939 to 1979, it was a J.C. Penney store, then from 1980 to 2018, it was home to Gene’s Shoes. The museum displays are on the main floor, mezzanine and top floor.

The basement houses an arcade with dozens of classic games collected by Smith’s father. There are pinball machines, bowling machines, air hockey, classic video games and more. Also in the basement, there’s a refreshment area where you can buy and taste almost 100 types of bottled soft drinks and enjoy a snack.

The museum is a fizzy walk down memory lane for soda lovers. History buffs will appreciate the effervescent tale of carbonated beverages from the 1880s onward. And arcade enthusiasts will find plenty of games to pass the time.

The Soda Museum and Main Street Arcade is located at 126 North Main Street in St. Charles. The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $10 for the museum; $15 for unlimited arcade game play; or $20 for a combo ticket. The Museum of Soda History is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and accepts deductible donations of old soda items.

Red Cedar Inn, Pacific

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A Route 66 landmark has been born again.

The famed Red Cedar Inn in Pacific, which lured travelers on Route 66 with its fried chicken, was a popular stop from its opening in 1934 until its closing in 2005. The City of Pacific purchased the building and, after extensive renovation, reopened it as a museum and visitor center in August of this year. It is well positioned for the upcoming Route 66 centennial in 2026.

Crossing the threshold is a bit like time traveling. On the outside, the building looks much the same as it always has—logs with chinking in between, a shady porch with rocking chairs —but the inside is bright and open, with museum display cases, neon signs, a gift shop area and much more. Remnants of the original building are incorporated, such as the wooden booths and bar counter in the side room, and a section of the original exterior wall.

The business opened in 1934 as the Red Cedar Tavern, advertising steaks, fried chicken, frog legs and fish. The two gasoline pumps in front enabled travelers to fill up their tanks when they stopped to fill up their stomachs.

In the 1940s, the name was changed to Red Cedar Inn. With the addition of an outdoor brick barbecue pit, the restaurant added barbecued ribs to the menu, served with a special Red Cedar Inn sauce. In the 1950s, according to the museum signage, “Business was so good it was difficult to make a left turn into Red Cedar traveling east.”

Then I-44 opened in the 1960s, and traffic along Route 66, or Osage Street, declined. The Red Cedar Inn went through several phases and was leased to various tenants with varying success until the third generation of the Smith family decided to take the reins in 1987. In the 1990s and early-2000s, the Red Cedar Inn was featured in Route 66 books, magazines, calendars and documentaries and was recognized as a roadside attraction by the Route 66 Caravan. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003. It closed on March 7, 2005.

Today you can see the original neon sign, a place setting of dishes, a uniform and cap and other Red Cedar mementoes. A time line walks you through the inn’s history.

Other museum exhibits focus on Route 66, the Meramec River watershed, the history of Pacific and the Union Pacific and Burlington Frisco railroads that run through town. A large room in the back is the children’s museum area, with lots of hands-on activities.

Red Cedar Inn Museum and Visitor Center is located at 1047 East Osage Street and is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free. Visit PacificMissouri.com/324/Red-Cedar-Inn-Museum-Visitor-Center or call 636-271-0500 for more information.