East of Kansas City, the roadside along fast, four-lane US-50 is endless open, rolling prairie, most of it planted in wheat and corn. As in most of the West, early development here occurred along the railroad lines, which were constructed beginning in the 1850s. Towns boomed when the trains arrived, but most went bust as the tracks were extended westward to Kansas City and beyond.
Sedalia (pop. 20,339), 75 miles east of Kansas City, was one of the few that survived, growing into a small city thanks to its position straddling the main line between St. Louis and Kansas City. Sedalia reached its peak of prosperity around 1900, an era evoked by the ragtime music of Sedalia’s own Scott Joplin. The tracks through town, and most of the way across Missouri, have been converted into the hiking and bicycling Katy Trail.
Along with ragtime music and railroad history, Sedalia offers many great places to stop and eat (all of them are cash-only). Eddie’s Drive-In (660/826-0155), on US-50 at 115 W. Broadway, has been a Sedalia establishment since 1937, serving steak burgers—with meat ground fresh each day. Le Maire’s Cajun Seafood (660/827-3563), at 3312 S. US-65, has great fried catfish, boiled shrimp, crab legs, frog legs, crayfish, and other swamp, creek, and seafood fare; for a taste of Cajun country, it saves the 600-mile drive down US-65 to the Louisiana bayous. Last but not least is the Wheel Inn Drive In (660/826-5177), at 1800 Broadway at the US-50/US-65 junction, which since 1947 has been serving the unique specialty “Guberburgers”—hamburgers slathered with peanut butter.
At the heart of the historic downtown, a few blocks from the Katy Trail, the Hotel Bothwell ($60 and up; 660/826-5588), 103 E. 4th Street, is a nicely restored 1920s hotel, now part of the Clarion Hotel group.
The old railroad depot downtown has been brought back to life as the town’s visitors center (660/826-2222), at 600 E. 3rd Street.
