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4.5
93 votes

Red Oak II

County Loop 122, Carthage, Missouri 64836 USA

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“back to a simpler time”

"The 1930's seemed to be a much simpler time. Neighbors helping neighbors, everyone had a garden and canned their own food. They had a milk cow and they even made their own clothes. By today's standards, they were poor ... they just didn't know it!"These words from Lowell Davis recall a vanishing way of life for the people of thousands of little towns across America --- and it was just this sort of life that Lowell experienced during his early years in the town of Red Oak, Missouri.But all this began to change shortly after World War II when folks began moving to the cities in search of the good life. Now some sixty years later, most of these rural communities are ghost towns. When Lowell returned to his boyhood home from one of those "good life" careers in the Dallas/Fort Worth area - that's just what he found.It was then that he began buying the homes and businesses his beloved Red Oak - moving them twenty-three miles to his Fox Fire Farm near Carthage, Missouri and restoring them to their original grandeur - a place now known as Red Oak II.Back in 1987, Red Oak II was just a cornfield, but to Lowell, it was a blank canvas."I don't believe that an artist should be restricted to use only paint or clay. It can be anything including junk, wood, even an old building. To me, Red Oak II is a combination of a painting and a sculpture, and it is just made from things that someone else threw away."A visit to Red Oak II is a visit to the past. You'll see Grandpa Weber's Blacksmith Shop, where Lowell's great-grandfather practiced his trade, the Feed and Seed Store, the Old Phillip's 66 Station which was originally located on old Route 66 near Red Oak and the General Store which was originally located in Red Oak, was run by Lowell's father and was where Lowell learned to sculpt and paint. DIRECTIONS: Take HWY 96 goin east out of Carthage, pass Kellog Lake, turn left on CR #130 to Kafir Rd. Turn rt on Kafir TAKE kAFIR 1/2 MILE Red Oak ll is on your right. ADMISSION is FREE: Donation box located at the rt side of the Gen. Store.

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Reviewed by
Maikolo

  • 24 Reviews
  • 13 Helpful
May 26, 2017
Rated 5.0

Red Oak II is probably the most underrated attraction on Route 66. This is literally THE BEST attraction on the mother road. The story of how this town was created is very charming. If you had only one stop on Route 66, Red Oak II is the one.

2 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
Ariiyana

  • 3 Reviews
  • 2 Helpful
September 04, 2016
Rated 4.0

It's a neat stop for pictures and has a lot of old-style homes set up. According to a local we had talked to, some of the homes were lived in but supposedly all were open to be viewed. There were some buildings that were obviously lived in, but we did not feel comfortable attempting to look inside. Just taking a walk around we got plenty of pictures of exteriors and art.

2 people found this review helpful

Reviewed by
leahstuck

  • 5 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
June 18, 2021
Rated 5.0

Wow!! This place is amazing. It's a must see, do not pass this up! People do live in some of the houses, there is a gravel road that goes all the way around the town that you can walk to see everything.

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Reviewed by
original21

  • 14 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
July 20, 2020
Rated 5.0

I find it interesting and odd that Red Oak II is barely mentioned anywhere. We could find very little info and we only came here on the recommendation from George at Gary’s Gay Parita. We’re thrilled we came. We were the only people there, though we crossed paths with a perplexed older gentleman as we left. He also couldn’t believe that this place was utterly deserted. Wonderful photo ops. Be sure to leave a donation as the place is immaculate.

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Red Oak II

County Loop 122
Carthage, Missouri
64836 USA
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