Can you picture a town so small the “downtown†is only a few blocks long, without even a blinking red light?†Imagine a community where every business is family-owned, often spanning multiple generations. Would you be interested in visiting if the town had several unique shops, mom-and-pop restaurants, and one or more tourist-worthy attractions?
How about a weekend discovering not one, but 11 such villages, most less than 15 miles from one another, and all but two having fewer than 2,000 residents?
And none has a Walmart.
Where could you find such an area? You need not look further than a three-hour drive from ºüÀêÊÓƵ and the middle of the state, where the Central Missouri Loop connects the quintessential charming towns, each with the attributes mentioned above.
“I created the Central Missouri Loop to showcase our small communities and family-owned businesses,†says Melissa Chevalier, a resident of one of the communities, and herself the owner of two family businesses along the circular route. “Connecting our towns created an amazing loop of fun and adventures, whether you want to shop and dine, camp, see a show, visit orchards or wineries/breweries, we’ve got it but at a slower, more relaxing pace.â€
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Chevalier says she wants people to experience how residents in the area “live and breathe every day,†she says. “I want visitors to really delve into small town life, our area’s rich history, and meet the heartbeat of our communities, our people that keep our little towns going.â€
One of the loop towns is Salisbury, Missouri, where Melanie Sparr and Sean McMurtrey reside. Three years ago, while living in Utah they visited Salisbury to check out the 1898 Brummall House Bed and Breakfast, which was for sale. They purchased it one day later, and then moved to town.
“We are both retired from military service and have lived in many states and countries around the world. In the service, you make friends fast, but we have never experienced being a part of such a welcoming community as we have here,†Melanie says. “It is nice to share that experience with our guests, and spread the word how welcoming people are here, and that there is so much to see and enjoy in this area.â€
Below, we will start our journey on The Central Missouri Loop in Blackwater, just north of Interstate 70 in the middle of the state and follow the circular path counterclockwise.
As we make the journey, we will present just a few of the family-owned businesses and attractions in each community. For a more detailed listing, visit to order the 48-page Central Missouri Loop magazine. It also includes a map and a schedule of the different festivals held in each town.
Blackwater
Population: 173; founded 1887
You know you are in a small town when you see that the original town well remains, well, in the center of the street and in the center of town. It is not difficult to spot, since the windmill that pumped water to the surface is still there, as well.
While there are several antique shops in town, a very unexpected attraction is the free Mid-Missouri Museum of Independent Telephone Pioneers housed in a 1907 building once home to a telephone company. The building and collection of old telephones, switchboards and other memorabilia were donated to Blackwater in 1997 by local telephone executive Harold Jones of the Mid-Missouri Telephone Co.
In 2008, a replica of the 1888 Missouri Pacific Railroad train depot was built by the Blackwater Preservation Society and is used as a community center that hosts both public and private events.
Blackwater is the closest town to ºüÀêÊÓƵ from where to start a trip on the loop. If you choose to stay overnight and start your journey from here the next day, the nine-room Iron Horse Hotel is waiting. Built in 1889, it reopened in 2002.
Arrow Rock
Population: 62; founded 1829
Set on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River, this tiny, tiny town was named for the flint that Native Americans chipped from the bluff to make arrowheads. Lewis and Clark noted the promontory on their journey in 1804, and it subsequently became a landmark for many travelers passing westward on the Santa Fe Trail.
The only street through town includes a covered wooden plank sidewalk that fronts several quaint stores and antique shops and is part of the reason the entire village has been in several movies and a National Historic Landmark since 1963.
At the eastern end of town in a historic old church, the Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre has been entertaining audiences since 1961. Professional theater artists from around the country venture to the venue to stage Broadway-caliber productions.
In 2019 the 400-seat theater was the first in the state to receive the “Missouri Historical Theatre†designation.
Nearby is the 1834 J. Huston Tavern, the oldest restaurant in operation west of the Mississippi. Closed for renovation, it will reopen in October.
Also in the village is the 1837 George Caleb Bingham house. Known during his lifetime as “the Missouri Artist,†Bingham was also a soldier and politician elected as a delegate to the Missouri legislature. During the Civil War he was a captain of a volunteer company which helped keep the state from joining the Confederacy.
Glasgow
Population: 1,097; founded 1836.
Wine tastings are available throughout the year at the family-owned Becketts Winery. If wine is not to your liking, it is a sure thing you will find satisfying sweet treats at the Rolling Pin Bakery, which also serves lunch and breakfast.
Every year in mid-April the Glasgow Wine Walk features 10 Missouri wineries that set up booths for wine tasting on the main street. Other events throughout the year include a muscle car show and a visit by a traveling circus.
Salisbury
Population 1,578; founded 1867
The land where Salisbury is now located was first owned by Prier Bibo who was granted 360 acres by the U.S. government for his military service in the War of 1812. He later sold the property to Judge Lucius Salisbury.
Other interesting historical information on the county and town is chronicled at the free Chariton County Historical Society Museum where exhibits recall that Salisbury was once home to three tobacco factories, a cigar manufacturer and the Salisbury Opera House.
The 1898 Brummall House Bed and Breakfast is one of eight elegant homes in the Salisbury Square Historic District. Developed between 1870 and 1916, the district includes outstanding examples of Queen Anne and Prairie School home architecture.
No surprise is that among annual festivals in Salisbury is the Salisbury Steak Festival.
Keytesville
Population: 447; founded 1833
A monument in Gen. Maxwell Taylor Park honors a native son who had an exceptionally distinguished career. He commanded the 101st Airborne Division during World War II, was superintendent of West Point and later chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Before retiring from public life, he served as ambassador to South Vietnam.
The historic 1853 First Presbyterian Church was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. The one-story, Classical Revival style frame building features a turn-of-the-20th century Romanesque Revival style addition, and a two-story belfry tower.
You may not think you need a reservation at a restaurant in a town with fewer than 500 residents, but you will if you dine at the 1820 Family Restaurant. Gourmet entrees are featured, served with side dishes presented family style.
Brunswick
Population: 816; founded 1829.
You cannot get to Brunswick and the Pecan Capital of Missouri without driving through the pecan orchards that dot the landscape, and in town you cannot miss the town’s mammoth pecan set in its own mini park. The concrete replica measuring 7-feet-by-12 feet and weighing 12,000 pounds attracts visitors from all over the world. An annual pecan festival has been held in town every October since 1980.
Located on the Grand River, Brunswick also offers outdoor enthusiasts access to camping, fishing, hunting, and trapping, as well as boating and kayaking opportunities.
Brunswick is about halfway along the Loop, and if an authentic country retreat on a working farm and the sweet smell of hay accompanied by the steady drone of tractors are to your liking, the Sycamore Valley Farm will meet your needs. Matt Reichert’s great grandfather settled the farm with his wife and 12 children in 1870, and Matt and his family continue to farm the land while also welcoming guests to their bed-and-breakfast.
Carrollton
Population: 3,637; founded 1833
Carrollton has not changed much since 2005 when the community earned the All-American City Award. Presented annually by the National Civic League, the award is made by a jury of nationally recognized community leaders.
As the largest small town in the loop, Carrollton can also claim the highest number of family-owned businesses, and just their names are enough to kindle a desire to visit.
For shopping there is the Corner Store, Starks Countryside Garden, Shirley’s Shoes and Boots, Glenda’s Creative Corner, Crybaby Farm Gifts and the Carroll County Mercantile.
Downhome cooking awaits at the River Bottoms Brewing Co., the Lavender Tea Room, the Folger Street Coffeehouse and the Wing Dive.
And then there is the Burger Bar Dari Maid. In July local resident Pauline Plackemeier bought 1,103 ice cream cones for every customer who came in to wish her a happy 98th birthday.
Overnight accommodation includes the Wabash Junction Cottage and the Folger Street Inn.
Waverly
Population: 837; founded 1840
There is a good reason Waverly has the title of the Apple Capital of Missouri. Two competing orchards, still owned and operated by the current generations of the founding families, are each over 100 years old and both have roadside stands.
Apples have been sold since 1919 at the Schreiman Orchards, and since 1908 at the 500-acre Peter’s Orchards.
Other crops grown and sold between June and October at both stands include strawberries, blackberries, peaches, watermelons and cantaloupe.
If you cannot get enough fruit at the orchards, the tasting room at the family-owned Baltimore Bend Vineyard has apple wine, peach wine or blackberry wine made from the grapes on their seven-acre vineyard.
Malta Bend
Population: 221; founded 1867
This village earned its name due to its proximity to a bend in Missouri River where the steamboat Malta sank in late August 1841 loaded with American Indian trading supplies bound for the American Fur Co.
Today two family-owned businesses in the tiny village are destinations for deer and pheasant hunters.
Conner’s Pheasant Prairie is a hunting preserve owned and operated by Seth and Diana Conner who have been farming for 30 years. This refuge holds hundreds of thousands of geese during the spring migration.
Central Missouri Wildlife is also a family-owned business with 3,000 acres of excellent whitetail deer habitat. On the property the Summerland Flats Inn is a hunting lodge with 10 guest rooms wired for every major hunting channel. At the end of each hunting day meals served include fried chicken, prime rib, smoked pork butt, and ribs served along with “all the fixings.â€
Concordia
Population: 2,351; founded 1868
During the Civil War, the largely German population of Concordia was well-known for its opposition to slavery and loyalty to the Union. The position attracted followers of Confederate guerrilla leader William C. Quantrill who massacred 90 local citizens in raids conducted in 1863 and 1864.
The sad events are memorialized with markers in Concordia’s Central Park and elsewhere in the community, and the history of the area is presented at the free Concordia Area Heritage Society Museum in town.
Outside of town, stop in at the Hasselbring’s Harmony Ranch if you are interested in purchasing an alpaca. Inca’s Lace and Mango Sorbet are the names of two among the herd of 100 Suri alpacas for sale at the ranch, which specializes in the breed known for silky and lustrous wool, and the owners are experts in helping interested new owners start their own alpaca herd.
Sweet Springs
Population: 1,422; founded 1838
The natural springs that were considered a health remedy for various illnesses and were responsible for the town’s name are no longer flowing, but the Cheese Store in town is thriving. Offering specialty cheeses made by the local Hemme Brothers Creamery, the store also sells locally grown meats and pork products, as well as T-shirts that read “Who Cut the Cheese.â€
Alongside the original cobblestone street through town, 26 buildings constructed between 1875 and 1920 have been listed in the National Register of Historic Places since 1997.
Outside of town the one-sixth mile dirt oval at the Sweet Springs Motorsports Complex has held weekend races since 1995 and is recognized as one of the finest dirt track facilities in the Midwest.