Route 66 State Park occupies the former site of Times Beach on the Meramec River east of Eureka, Missouri, uniting recreation with the history of Route 66 and a major environmental disaster. After widespread dioxin contamination was discovered in the 1980s, Times Beach was bought out, dismantled, and cleaned up by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, leaving behind traces such as deserted streets. Today the 424-acre park offers trails, picnic areas, and river access, while its visitor center in the old Bridgehead Inn presents exhibits on lost Saint Louis-area Route 66 landmarks and the 20-year cleanup that transformed this vanished town into a landscape of memory.

Parkdale, Missouri · USA