Looking for culture (book stores, record stores, anything in range...)

[midwesterner7]

You are in the right spot! On the east side of US 63 at Vienna is the Americana Antique, Art and Curio Shop. It's a house, garage, and several outbuildings filled to the ceiling with the owner's "stuff," everything you can imagine, INCLUDING more than 30,000 books. There are volumes on the Civil War, a whole wall of Life magazines in the barn, set up by year so people can find their birthday issue. The owner has been there since the 60's. I understand how everybody is like "check out the countryside." I like driving by and taking a look, but I'm not one to get out and hike and camp and stuff. But I can tell you about almost every junk and antique store in MO. Also, check out this book....."Off the Beaten Path, Missouri" by Patti DeLano. I've got the Eighth Edition and and love reading about different places to visit. Good luck and happy hunting! And remember, "not all those who wander are lost."

[DOUBLE H]

Jackhitts. Shadowcaver gives a good source on the music shop, "Stick It In your Ear". I live a long ways from you guys, and it has been a long time since I have been in there, but bought a lot of cool 60's stuff on vinyl, excellent shape too. Speaking of vinyl stores, there a quite a few in St. Louis, but if you are into good vintage jazz, there is one that stands out- Euclid Records on east Lockwood. Euclid has been around since the early 80's, has solid stock, deals in vintage rock posters, just a real cool shop. I've known the owner for some time when I frequented the Austin music meets many years ago.

Speaking of which , another source of finding vintage vinyl is the St. Louis record/cd meets, they have them every 3rd month. Check out vinyl times.com, they have a cool site regarding all the shows they have all over the states. I can't think of the St. Louis promotors name off hand, but the stores in St. Louis should be familiar with him. Good luck!

[jackhitts]

Originally Posted by adysmom

There is so much too do here without having ones nose berried in a book all the time. get out on the lakes and have some fun. But if it's books you want look at E Bay lots of used books and stop at junk sales.

Ebay defeats the purpose of used book shopping.

[jackhitts]

Originally Posted by ShadowCaver

ozarksboy hit the main ones in the Rolla & St James area good. Also, if do venture down to Springfield there are quite a few worth looking at too.

http://www.bookcastleonline.com/ [very good]
Well Fed Head Books | 417-832-9333 | New Used Rare Books | Springfield | MO | Missouri | Downtown [also very good]
Redeemed Music & Books [haven't been to this one...]

CD Warehouse [for music]

and:
Stick It in Your Ear LP's Tapes & CD's
300 E Walnut St
Springfield, MO 65806
(417) 864-0500‎

Lastly, if want to get a good feel for the Ozarks, its wondrous history & people Ozark Books has many great books on her.

Likewise, the Pageant is a very good venue [only qualm is to me personally the smoking can get quite thick], have seen quite a few shows there. Wonderful area around it too.

Oh yeah man, I've been to Stick It In Your Ear a few times. I like it, but they seem to have a lot of metal. And head shop stuff. But I've found some good stuff there.

Oh, and OA, I was referring to the size of the actual town where I went was 8,000. The school itself is more like 1,000.

Ozarksboy, do you know if I can get a Rolla Public library (or even S&T) card as a Pulaski County resident? Cause our Waynesville library is small.

[ozarksboy]

Originally Posted by jackhitts

Ozarksboy, do you know if I can get a Rolla Public library (or even S&T) card as a Pulaski County resident? Cause our Waynesville library is small.

You can get a Rolla Public Library card, but it will cost you. I'm not sure what the fee is for folks who aren't city residents, $15-$20 a year or something like that, but it's worth it. Keep in mind that the Rolla library is a tax-supported institution, so Rolla residents pay an annual property tax to the library and on the average, it is more than the fee charged for outside residents.

I'm a big fan of the Rolla library. You can get any book, video, recording, magazine you want there. Now it may take four to six weeks to get some books. The library is part of an inter-library network and it takes awhile to get a book the library doesn't have, but they will get it for you if it's possible.

They have a good collection of both non-fiction and fiction. The reference room is good. You can check out videos and DVD's. You can check out non-current magazines.

Also, the Friends of the Rolla Public Library conducts a used book sale twice a year. There should be one coming up pretty soon. Click on the link I provided above and see if there's an announcement; if not, give them a call. The sale starts on a Friday and runs through Saturday. If you're a member of the Friends (which I think costs $20 or so), you can go in on Thursday night and buy books ahead of the general public. Money raised at these sales goes toward the building fund; they're going to expand the library into the paint store next door, making it a children's library.

I don't know what the Curtis Laws Wilson Library at Missouri S&T policy is regarding cards for people outside Rolla. For a time I had a card, and it didn't cost anything. There may be something on the website. The university library has a huge collection and vast resources. I like the collection of journals and magazines, especially the literary magazines.

[20yrsinBranson]

Originally Posted by OA 5599

The best advice I can give you is to explore some new hobbies. While the area definitely lacks the cultural amenities of a larger city, it does make up for it in outdoor activities. Waynesville and the surronding areas are blessed with a great deal of natural beauty...you can easily go hiking at Clifty Hollow Natural Area, which is near Dixon, or explore Kaintuck Hollow in the National Forest, just east of town. There is also a lot of fishing, both for bass on the Gasconade River, and for trout on Spring, Mill, and Little Piney creeks. There are also a lot of trails in the Mark Twain National Forest where you can hike or go mountain biking.

You will of course enjoy escaping the Ozarks for something more cultured every now and then...as I did when was going to college in Rolla, but you really can do a lot to keep busy in the area. Even if outdoor activities currently aren't your cup of tea, I strongly suggest you try a few, as it will likely result in you enjoying living in Waynesville quite a bit more.

EDIT:

Check out this website: Conor Watkins' Ozark Mountain Experience

It describes many different outdoor activities around your area, and should be able to keep you busy for awhile. I enjoy the cultural amenities in Austin, but would gladly trade a weekend or two a month here for a weekend enjoying the outdoors in the Ozarks!

Apparently, ticks and chiggers don't bother you much.

Personally, I am NOT an outdoor person, not only because of the afore-mentioned beasties, but because I simply don't care to be outside much. Maybe the OP is the same way.

In response to the OP, I might suggest the Greene County Library. The main library on South Campbell is very cool with a gift shop, coffee shop, etc., on premises. The only drawback, of course, to the library is all of the annoying children that you have to deal with.

There are some used book stores in Springfield. One on Glenstone, up around, St. Louis Street. Used book stores are ok, but I find that they don't have much in the way of non-fiction, which is what I read exclusively.

One of the best things to do in Springfield is to go to the flea markets (which have lots of used books, too, by the way). There are several in town and they are lots of fun to browse through. There is at least one roller skating rink, if you like that kind of thing, also.

I am not a big shopper myself, so I have not been to the mall for several years, but I am told it is a fun experience. There are lots of good restaurants in Springfield as well as "events" which are scheduled on a regular basis at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds. You might also check with the Chamber of Commerce or the Convention and Visitor's Bureau there to see what interesting things are being presented. I believe there is a home and garden show, a boat show, and many other things which are being held at the University Plaza that are open to the public.

And of course, there is BRANSON, which has Silver Dollar City and tons of other fun things to do.

20yrsinBranson

[OA 5599]

Originally Posted by 20yrsinBranson

Apparently, ticks and chiggers don't bother you much.

Personally, I am NOT an outdoor person, not only because of the afore-mentioned beasties, but because I simply don't care to be outside much. Maybe the OP is the same way.

Ticks and chiggers are only really a problem from late March/early April through late October. The woods are free of blood-sucking insects the rest of the year, which is also the best time to hike in the Ozarks as the leaves have fallen off the trees and the underbrush is dead, giving better views of the countryside and making caves, bluffs, and rock formations visible that would have otherwise been obscured by vegetation. Time can be spent fishing and canoeing during tick/chigger season, which are both quite fun and keep you out of the buggy woods. And no, they don't bother me that much, I love the outdoors and have gotten hundreds of tick bites over the years. I of course don't like them, but I don't let them stop me from enjoying the things I love.

The rural Ozarks do offer a lot in outdoor activities, while comparatively little in cultural amenities. The OP would be foolish not to at least see what the area does offer in outdoor activities (which he already has), as he may end up liking them and end up less bored in the area (which again, he has).