Show Me MISSOURI - The Tattooed Traveler Visits The Show Me State

Intro just listen to that is that beautiful no busy airports no traffic jams no crowded restaurants that we have to make reservations for months in advance just peace and quiet I love it I'm Todd Newton welcome to the show always great to see you and welcome to my birth state of Missouri coming up I'm going to take you to a family-owned restaurant right on the banks of the muddy Mississippi River that is known for their apple pie and this apple pie is as big as my head not as round as my head as tall as my head one of Oprah's Favorite Things I think you will like it too I'm also going to take you to Branson Missouri formerly the country music capital of the Midwest still a very popular destination right there on Highway 76 the strip as they call it around here and a biker bar this biker bar has become the place for everything and everyone on two wheels here in Missouri you're not going to want to miss that and there's a lot more a lot more it's a great episode so thank you for allowing me to show you the show me state welcome to the tattoo traveler let's go welcome to Missouri [Applause] [Music] Kimswick Missouri is Middle America both geographically and culturally where history and natural beauty just converge from the Rolling Hills of the Ozarks to the big cities like St Louis Kansas City Missouri's Landscapes are as uh diverse as the state's history get over there little guy we're going to start here in kimswick Missouri a Riverside town where you can stroll the historic streets they are lined with 19th century buildings each one telling a story of the town's Rich past a lot of unique shops here handcrafted Goods antiques but this ah this is the famous Blue Owl Restaurant and bakery home of the legendary Levy high apple pie look at that you're looking at 12 layers of apples and that's just a slice each pie is made with 18 full apples it's so heavy isn't it it is wow is it bigger than my head it is kind of this is comfort food at its finest white chicken chili don't forget to grab a jar of that apple butter but the Blue Owl is all about the Levy high apple pie well the apple pies were were created After the flood of 1993 so in ' 93 we had a flood the Mississippi is right behind us and we built a levy down the whole street it was uh to the top of the deck if you were to walk around the street anyway the levy saved the town of kimswick and after that in honor of the flood and the levy being saving us we built the Levy high apple pie which has 18 apples inside and then it's topped with carmel pecan topping after it's baked to resemble 11 and you realize how famous those things are people probably come from all over the country oh all over the country this week we've had New Zealand France Mexico uh Montana everywhere they come from to see the pie it's been Oprah's favorite thing and the Travel Channel the Food Network Pine it's gotten lots of attention it deserves every bit of that attention Oprah's Favorite Things that's saying something yeah a lot of nice Ted Drews folks here in kimswick and a lot of great festivals throughout the year too now we're not going to spend a lot of time in St Louis in this episode but I do want to take you up the Mississippi River just a little bit to Ted Drew's Frozen Custard look at the crowds this place has been around since 1929 and it is now a Route 66 Landmark what makes Ted Drews so special is the rich creamy custard and of course all of those options flavors it's made fresh daily with a secret recipe that's been passed down through the generations you know it's good if they have their own gift shop and the history of the place Ted Drew has seen St Louis through the Great Depression World War II there's even Ted Drew's day because it means so much to so many since I was a little girl the gimmick here is as soon as you get it they flip it uhhuh and it stays it's called a concrete cuz it stays in the cup but so I've been coming here forever and it's it's just such good ice cream it's does it just tastes like home yeah it does it tastes like home and you can even get Ted Drews at the airport on your way out of town brings back a lot of good memories I used to go there with my grandparents good stuff okay another symbol of the American Midwest and parts of the South dating back to the 1930s is stues it all started with a pecan farmer Stuckys in Georgia named Sylvester Stucky who wanted to sell pecan candies to Travelers and now his granddaughter Stephanie Stucky is running the show she has definitely breathed new life into the brand but Stucky Still Remains is a great place to stretch your legs fill up on gas get yourself a sweet treat preferably one of stucky's famous pean log rolls these are their signature candy they tell me the recipe is secret it's kept under lock and key but I can tell you I definitely taste nougat coated in Caramel rolled in those crunchy pecans during stucky's Heyday back in the 1960s there were 350 stores across the country there are far fewer than that today but when you see one I hope you'll stop in takes you back to the Golden Age of road trips simpler times just celebrating the joy of the journey especially here on Route 66 Branson about 4 hours West on Highway 44 right around Springfield Missouri is Branson a place that back in the 80s was called the live music show capital of the world still today you'll find over 100 live shows here on Highway 76 Presley's being the most popular among them everything from country to gospel to rock and roll the area here is just beautiful nestled in between Table Rock Lake and the Ozark Mountains originally Branson was a quiet little settlement founded by Ruben Branson who never could have imagined what it would become he opened a general store and a post office in the early 1900s today many folks will tell you that what sets Branson apart is its warm welcoming atmosphere it has that southern hospitality entertainment that's wholesome for the whole family and you add to that the scenic Beauty really a great place for families now when I was a kid this was my favorite part of visiting Branson Shepherd of the Hills it's based on this book by Harold B Wright and has turned into a live outdoor play which is I got to say really exciting and a small theme park the book was published in 1907 immediately became a national bestseller it's been adapted into several Motion Pictures the most popular of which was in 1941 starring John Wayne it's the story of a mysterious stranger who arrives here in the Ozarks and changes the lives of all the locals either see the movie or better yet come see the live play in Branson it's really something okay let's talk the theme park that everyone is familiar with Silver Dollar City a lot of fun I have to say this is a 19th century themed amusement park and it is filled with live entertainment and traditional crafts which I'll show you in just a moment but there are also a lot of unique thrill rides here the park dates back to the 1940s when a Canadian businessman built it around Marvel cave one of Missouri's natural wonders more and more people started wanting to tour the cave so he built this 1880s themed Village around it look at that a glass blower you can watch these crafts being made and then purchase them to take home nice souvenir of your trip here's a blacksmith no matter where you go here in Silver Dollar City it's like a journey back in time and how about some homemade fudge made before your very eyes to blow your diet as if the Levy high apple pie and Ted Drew Frozen Custard wasn't enough the park features more than 100 Artisans who are happy to demonstrate traditional skills like the glass blowing or the pottery making that's all in addition to the 40 rides and attractions like roller coasters all included in your price of admission Silver Dollar City is open March through December and boy the holidays are really a beautiful time to visit now you might have noticed that Billy Gails food eating together Fellowship is a big part of Missouri's Heritage here and some of the best food especially a breakfast time here in Branson Missouri is Billy Gail's Cafe boy I am telling you they've expanded to three locations in the area now but this one right here on Highway 265 this is the original and this one's my favorite they are known for their 14in pancakes oh and the pancakes are good you can't go wrong with a stack of Billy Gail's pancakes but I am a sucker for what they call the sloppy biscuit now it's big and it is sloppy take a look at this this is a giant buttermilk biscuit covered in eggs made however you like them scrambled for me few pieces of crispy bacon some cheese smothered woo in that ozarts sausage gravy now I'm not a motorcycle guy don't let the tattoos fool you I mean I get it the thrill of the open road nothing between you and the Horizon but a little bit of Highway believe me I admire it I just don't happen to own one but when I went to this one particular biker bar about 25 miles outside of St Louis it made me rethink all of that hi I'm Amber welcome to Highridge Missouri and welcome to Johnny's Hideout when you think perfect Johnnys Hideaway biker bar Johnny's Hideout in a Highridge Missouri is it cold beer good people loud music and lot lots of motorcycles the owners of Johnny's Hideout made us feel right at home and I got to say I I'll go right back to that Midwestern Hospitality there ain't nothing like it and when you toss in a sunset like this on their Sunset deck I don't know why you'd go any place else but in all of my travels I found that a really good biker bar needs to be more than just a place to park your bike and drink you have to feel welcome there has to be great music the decor and Ambiance it has to be for lack of a better word authentic there should definitely be a sense of community and the foods got to be good look at those chicken wings look at that steak sandwich look Amber working those chicken tenders now look at you I bet you've gotten Rowdy here before huh I never have oh tonight's the night well I'm with my son who's very strict oh I understand he's keeping a close eye on you oh God Outro that beautiful lady is 90 years old just one of the many friends we made here at Johnny's Hideout and you'll make a lot of good friends too and speaking of good friends I wanted to wrap up this episode with a new tattoo which means I'm going to see Keith pops Leatherman and underground artworks in Edwardsville Illinois I've known pops for over 30 years and he slapped this outline of the state of Missouri in my hometown area code right on my leg we also had a ton of laughs loved every minute of it I hope you enjoyed Adventure here in the show me state I know I always love spending time with you hey if you're not already make sure you become a first class member you'll get exclusive content and you just might get a personalized shout out from me to you they're a lot of fun we also have those brand new tattoot traveler hoodies t-shirts luggage tags they're all waiting for you at the tattoot traveler.com from the great state of Missouri Big Mo I'm Todd new and until we meet to again a little further down the road travel safely