Travel the Ozarks: 65 South to Highlandville, MO
As we continue south on highway 65 to Branson, we are going to stop at Lambert’s, Heather Hill Farms and see the world’s smallest cathedral. Just on the outskirts of Ozark you will pass a big church on the left. That is the James River Assembly of God. Springfield is the home of the national headquarters of the Assembly of God
Just past the church is the CC exit. You will want to take the exit and then turn left to go back over highway 65. If it is close to a meal time, you might want to consider stopping here at Lambert’s for a bite to eat. I have a love/hate relationship with Lambert’s
I love them because the food is good, and I can always get great fried okra there, and I hate it because there is WAAAY too much food and if you are there around a normal meal time, you can expect a looong wait. If the place has a huge parking lot, you can guess the outcome. The nice thing is you can kind of size up the crowd when you get there, as the café has a wonderful deep porch with lots of nice shade on a hot day so a crowd accumulates as they wait.
Lambert’s claim to fame is their “throwed rolls”. And they are great! I love them with honey, and they also have sorghum. The really unique part is, as the name implies, the rolls. When they come out of the oven hot, a guy comes around with a cart full and throws them to whomever throws up a hand. I make my husband catch mine, to save the diners around me from having a roll drop in their supper. The other fun thing about Lambert’s is you can get food that is fairly “hillbilly” and not on everyone else’s menu. They serve hog jowl, chicken gizzards, fried okra, and black-eyed peas, along with the usual fried chicken, meatloaf, and hamburgers you can get at other establishments. My favorite is the veggie plate, but I have never been disappointed by anything there. A word about the pass arounds, a server will come around with big pots of food to give you a spoonful. This is a wonderful time to try okra if you have never had it, or didn’t think you liked it. I can eat them like popcorn! I do not like “slimy” food and sometimes when okra is fixed and it is slimy. This is not. It is crunchy and delicious!
We don’t go to Lambert’s very often in part because getting my husband to stand around waiting to eat for 45 minutes just isn’t worth the amount of grumping I have to listen to, even with the gift shop to look at. But if you are looking for something different and fun, you can’t go wrong here. I have included a link so you can look at the menu and get directions. http://www.throwedrolls.com/shopcontent.asp?type=Ozark
Also off the CC exit is another of my favorite spots: Heather Hill Farms. It is right behind Lamberts, so it is convenient to check it out if you are going to Lambert’s and the wait is long. The cheeses there are from Osceola Cheese from Osceola, Missouri. They have 80 or so different cheeses and you can taste most of them. The tastes are little, tiny so you can sample several different kinds and still not spoil your meal at Lambert’s. The cheese is a great little snack to take with you to your hotel room after you have been out all day playing in Branson and you need just a tiny little something to nibble on. And if you are traveling with kids the cheese curds are a must. They are great little snacks that are just the right size. My favorites are the dill curds and the green onion which is wonderful when sliced and put on a sandwich or just plain.
If you are looking for a great gift to take home to someone from the Ozarks, you might want to consider a Missouri wine. Wineries used to be big in Missouri before prohibition, and it is making a come back. I have the wine palette of a tennis shoe, so I really don’t have any recommendations for you unless you like sweet, red wine. The St. James Winery makes Velvet Red which is wonderful. The folks at Heather Hills do know their wines and they have wine tasting everyday and a great selection of dry and sweet and everything in between. It is one of my favorite places to get an eclectic gift. Here is their link: http://heatherhillfarms.com/mainmenu.shtml
After your trip to Heather Hills, it is time to get back in the car and continue south on 65. We are going to take a small detour off of 65 to the WORLD’S smallest cathedral. And it is tiny. Just 15 feet by 17 feet, but was home to a Bishop so it qualifies as a cathedral. Bishop Pruter who was responsible for the Prince of Peace Cathedral has since past on, but this lovely little place to pray remains.
After you pass through Ozark on highway 65 you will want to watch for EE exit to Highlandville. As you take the exit you will want to turn right towards Highlandville which is only about 3 miles away. There are only a couple of streets in Highlandville, so you can’t really get lost. Mapquest says you are going to take a slight right off of EE to Kentling; the address is 405 Kentling road. The cathedral sits almost at the intersection of Kentling road and Highlandville road. Just look for the onion dome and there you are. There is only a “parking” driveway, there is no parking lot. Inside you will find a tiny little spot to commune with God. There is a beautiful little stained glass window, an alter, and three rows of pews. I suppose you might get 12 folks in there if they weren’t corn fed. There is a movement to buy back the cathedral from the folks who have been kind enough to watch over it and preserve it after Bishop Pruter retired. If you have a little extra jingle in your pocket, kindly drop it in the donation box at the back of the cathedral. Here are a couple of links to this fascinating little spot. A great place to slow down for just a minute on a busy vacation, the world’s smallest cathedral, only 3 miles off of highway 65.
http://free-catholic.org/blog/?p=55
http://christcatholicchurch.com/location.html
You can either return to highway 65 to continue on the Branson, or you can get back on EE to highway 13 south to Branson West. It really depends upon where your hotel room is located as to which way you want to go into Branson.
Just past the church is the CC exit. You will want to take the exit and then turn left to go back over highway 65. If it is close to a meal time, you might want to consider stopping here at Lambert’s for a bite to eat. I have a love/hate relationship with Lambert’s
I love them because the food is good, and I can always get great fried okra there, and I hate it because there is WAAAY too much food and if you are there around a normal meal time, you can expect a looong wait. If the place has a huge parking lot, you can guess the outcome. The nice thing is you can kind of size up the crowd when you get there, as the café has a wonderful deep porch with lots of nice shade on a hot day so a crowd accumulates as they wait.
Lambert’s claim to fame is their “throwed rolls”. And they are great! I love them with honey, and they also have sorghum. The really unique part is, as the name implies, the rolls. When they come out of the oven hot, a guy comes around with a cart full and throws them to whomever throws up a hand. I make my husband catch mine, to save the diners around me from having a roll drop in their supper. The other fun thing about Lambert’s is you can get food that is fairly “hillbilly” and not on everyone else’s menu. They serve hog jowl, chicken gizzards, fried okra, and black-eyed peas, along with the usual fried chicken, meatloaf, and hamburgers you can get at other establishments. My favorite is the veggie plate, but I have never been disappointed by anything there. A word about the pass arounds, a server will come around with big pots of food to give you a spoonful. This is a wonderful time to try okra if you have never had it, or didn’t think you liked it. I can eat them like popcorn! I do not like “slimy” food and sometimes when okra is fixed and it is slimy. This is not. It is crunchy and delicious!
We don’t go to Lambert’s very often in part because getting my husband to stand around waiting to eat for 45 minutes just isn’t worth the amount of grumping I have to listen to, even with the gift shop to look at. But if you are looking for something different and fun, you can’t go wrong here. I have included a link so you can look at the menu and get directions. http://www.throwedrolls.com/shopcontent.asp?type=Ozark
Also off the CC exit is another of my favorite spots: Heather Hill Farms. It is right behind Lamberts, so it is convenient to check it out if you are going to Lambert’s and the wait is long. The cheeses there are from Osceola Cheese from Osceola, Missouri. They have 80 or so different cheeses and you can taste most of them. The tastes are little, tiny so you can sample several different kinds and still not spoil your meal at Lambert’s. The cheese is a great little snack to take with you to your hotel room after you have been out all day playing in Branson and you need just a tiny little something to nibble on. And if you are traveling with kids the cheese curds are a must. They are great little snacks that are just the right size. My favorites are the dill curds and the green onion which is wonderful when sliced and put on a sandwich or just plain.
If you are looking for a great gift to take home to someone from the Ozarks, you might want to consider a Missouri wine. Wineries used to be big in Missouri before prohibition, and it is making a come back. I have the wine palette of a tennis shoe, so I really don’t have any recommendations for you unless you like sweet, red wine. The St. James Winery makes Velvet Red which is wonderful. The folks at Heather Hills do know their wines and they have wine tasting everyday and a great selection of dry and sweet and everything in between. It is one of my favorite places to get an eclectic gift. Here is their link: http://heatherhillfarms.com/mainmenu.shtml
After your trip to Heather Hills, it is time to get back in the car and continue south on 65. We are going to take a small detour off of 65 to the WORLD’S smallest cathedral. And it is tiny. Just 15 feet by 17 feet, but was home to a Bishop so it qualifies as a cathedral. Bishop Pruter who was responsible for the Prince of Peace Cathedral has since past on, but this lovely little place to pray remains.
After you pass through Ozark on highway 65 you will want to watch for EE exit to Highlandville. As you take the exit you will want to turn right towards Highlandville which is only about 3 miles away. There are only a couple of streets in Highlandville, so you can’t really get lost. Mapquest says you are going to take a slight right off of EE to Kentling; the address is 405 Kentling road. The cathedral sits almost at the intersection of Kentling road and Highlandville road. Just look for the onion dome and there you are. There is only a “parking” driveway, there is no parking lot. Inside you will find a tiny little spot to commune with God. There is a beautiful little stained glass window, an alter, and three rows of pews. I suppose you might get 12 folks in there if they weren’t corn fed. There is a movement to buy back the cathedral from the folks who have been kind enough to watch over it and preserve it after Bishop Pruter retired. If you have a little extra jingle in your pocket, kindly drop it in the donation box at the back of the cathedral. Here are a couple of links to this fascinating little spot. A great place to slow down for just a minute on a busy vacation, the world’s smallest cathedral, only 3 miles off of highway 65.
http://free-catholic.org/blog/?p=55
http://christcatholicchurch.com/location.html
You can either return to highway 65 to continue on the Branson, or you can get back on EE to highway 13 south to Branson West. It really depends upon where your hotel room is located as to which way you want to go into Branson.
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