Red Cedar Inn, Pacific
February 2024
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.