Ride shotgun with the author of Haunted Ozarks on this scary road trip across Missouri’s stretch of the “Main Street of America.” Alongside the nostalgic appeal of Route 66 lurk ghostly roadside hitchhikers, the Goatman of Rolla, amusement park spirits, the Civil War–dead, and the shadows thrown by the mighty Thunderbird. Spanning three hundred dangerously curving miles, the stretch of the Mother Road in Missouri earned the title of “Bloody 66,” and some of its stopping places are marked by equally grim history. The Lemp Mansion saw family members commit suicide one by one. Springfield’s Pythian Castle was an orphanage before becoming a military hospital and housing World War II prisoners of war. Follow Janice Tremeear as she takes a detour down Zombie Road, peers into the matter of the Joplin Spook Light and even stays overnight in Missouri’s most haunted locations to discover what makes the Show Me State such a lively place for the dead.

Tracing Route 66 through Missouri represents one of America's favorite exercises in nostalgia, but a discerning glance among the roadside weeds reveals the kind of sordid history that doesn't appear on postcards. Along with vintage cars and picnic baskets, Route 66 was a conduit humming with contraband and crackling with the gunplay of folks like Bonnie and Clyde, Jesse James and the Young brothers. It was also the preferred byway of lynch mobs, murderous hitchhikers and mad scientists. Stop in at places like the Devil's Elbow and the Steffleback Bordello on this trip through the more treacherous twists of the Mother Road.

For southwest Missouri, the Civil War was an unparalleled period of violence, sorrow and anger. As the torches burned the physical landscape, the depredations inflicted were also scorched upon the psyche of the people who lived through fires. Survey Carthage's battlefield for stubborn holdouts or hold vigil at the Kendrick House for innocent bystanders who were swept up into the stratagems of bushwhackers and guerrillas. Meet the Bloody Spikes, Rotten Johnny Reb and scores more figures from the region's past who continue to trouble its present.

From Native American societies to the Civil War to the crime spree of Bonnie and Clyde, Joplin’s history leaves spirited legends in its wake . . . The barrier between Joplin’s boisterous past and its present is as flimsy as a swinging saloon door. Lisa Livingston-Martin kicks it wide open in this ghostly history. In her expert company, tour a hotel with a reputation made from equal parts opulence and tragedy. Visit that house of horrors, the Stefflebeck Bordello, where guests regularly got the axe and were disposed of in mine shafts. Navigate through angry lynch mobs and vengeful patrols of Civil War spirits. Catch a glimpse of Bonnie and Clyde. Keep your wits about you—it’s haunted Joplin. Includes photos! “There may be as many non-living residents of Joplin as there are live ones, according to Haunted Joplin.” —The Morning Sun

Tired of the same old tourist traps? Whether you’re a visitor or a local looking for something different, Missouri Off the Beaten Path shares with you the Show Me State with new perspectives on timeless destinations and introduces you to those you never knew existed—from the best in local dining to quirky cultural tidbits to hidden attractions, unique finds and unusual locales. So if you’ve “been there, done that” one too many times, get off the main road and venture Off the Beaten Path.

Route 66 Adventure Handbook is your personal guide to the vanishing American roadside, with all of its exuberance, splendor, and absurdity. For this updated and expanded fourth edition, Drew Knowles has included it all: magnificent architecture, natural wonders, Art Deco masterpieces, vintage motels and cafes, unique museums, offbeat attractions, fascinating artifacts and icons, and kitschy tourist traps. The addition of city maps, showing the multiple paths of Route 66 and displaying the exact locations of points of interest, is a major improvement over the already critically acclaimed third edition of the book. The fourth edition also includes hundreds of beautiful new photographs and the addition of dozens of new attractions. Filled with wonderfully quirky side trips and fun bits of trivia, Route 66 Adventure Handbook is the most authoritative resource for anyone looking to explore the Mother Road. Fasten your seatbelts!

A crossroads energy is the heart and soul of the Missouri Ozarks, where earthquakes, monster lore, and UFO sightings are as familiar as limestone bluffs along historic Route 66. Join Cynthia Carroll -- author, tour director, and sixt-generation native -- as your guide throguh the magic of the Missouri Ozarks.

Each fun and intriguing volume in the award-winning series offers more than 250 illustrated pages of places where tourists usually don't venture: the oddball curiosities, ghostly sites, local legends, crazy characters, cursed roads, and peculiar roadside attractions.

Featuring new listings and new information on existing haunts, thhis book offers supernatural tourists a guide to points of interest through the eyes of the world's leading ghost hunters.

The Ghost Hunter's Field Guide features over 1,000 haunted places around the country in all fifty states that you can investigate yourself. Experience ghostly activity at battlefields, theaters, saloons, hotels, museums, resorts, parks, and other spooky sites—all of which are completely safe and accessible. From Alabama to Wyoming, you'll find out where to go to glimpse the unquiet spirits of Civil War soldiers, plantation slaves, criminals, and other entities. This alphabetized reference guide features over 100 photos and, for each location, includes the fascinating tales behind the haunting. Flip to your state to see what kind of paranormal phenomena commonly occur at each site: apparitions, shadow shapes, phantom sounds and scents, residual hauntings, psychokinetic activity, and more. Ford's Theatre The Whaley House Museum The Lizzie Borden Bed and Breakfast Alcatraz Island The Queen Mary The Bell Witch Cave