Im driving to St Louis from San Antonio....where should I stop halfway for a meal and lodging? (hotel)

[doss1]

Hi all,
I'm looking at driving from San Antonio to St. Louis this weekend. Here is my trip:

https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=U...sz=11&t=m&z=11

*the starting and ending point are fictional for privacy concerns, but this is the route I'm taking.

It seems the trip will take about 15hrs. I plan to leave Friday afternoon and I guess I'll plan about 7hrs of driving for each day. So, where should I stop for an overnight on Friday? Looks like I will be in OKlahoma near Muskogee or so. I like small towns...but also would like a decent place to eat...preferably BBQ or steak. Safe area.

Suggestions? Thanks!

[1greatcity]

It's a 923 mile trip. Oklahoma City is just under the halfway point, and Tulsa is a bit over. In cities of that size, you have a multitude of choices for meals and lodging.

[doss1]

Good point, I'll just see where my journey takes me.

[jtur88]

Google /whataburger locator map/. I think the last ones are in Stillwater and Tulsa.

[Bo]

Originally Posted by 1greatcity

It's a 923 mile trip. Oklahoma City is just under the halfway point, and Tulsa is a bit over. In cities of that size, you have a multitude of choices for meals and lodging.

If you look at the route on the map, neither of those cities is on the route. Checotah looks like the midpoint. If I were making the trip, I'd see what Travelocity suggested for lodging in Checotah. If there's lodging, there are bound to be restaurants.

[DubbleT]

Pick a city, then go to the state forum to see what the locals suggest.

[Spade]

Well it would be smart to find some place halfway between STL and SA so in that case, it would be Oklahoma. I would say Austin hill country area and get some BBQ (the best Texas has to offer IMO) but that would not make any sense.

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by Bo

If you look at the route on the map, neither of those cities is on the route. Checotah looks like the midpoint. If I were making the trip, I'd see what Travelocity suggested for lodging in Checotah. If there's lodging, there are bound to be restaurants.

This is actually an easy no brainer answer. Krebs, Oklahoma (right across highway 69 from McAlester, OK) has some of the best Italian food on the planet.

There are actually 4 quality restaraunts in this area.

1) Pete's Place- The original and probably funnest but probably not quite as good of food as the others.
They have home made (Choc- Short for Choctaw) beer there.

Isle of Capri- A block east of Pete's. The most formal (but not really) of the four. Great steaks there. They serve on large Mahogany tables so your party may share with another party. Famous for the Lamb Fries as well.

Rosanne's- further east a few blocks into Krebs. The most laid back of all the places and probably has the best actual Italian food. In an old house. Pasta melts in your mouth, however unlike the other three places it doesn't serve family style.

Giacomo's- This place is actually back south of the others about a mile and is actually in McAlester. This place is decorated to where you would expect the Rat Pack, or some famous ganster to walk in. Very 50ish motif. They have absolutely incredible Italian sausage and Italian rolls there.

All of these places are great. They are actually destination restaraunts for people in Oklahoma, Arkansas and North Texas. You can't go wrong with any of them. There are a number of places to stay in McAlester and you may not want to drive any further after stuffing yourself on their fare.

And I might mention that the Lovera's quick stop in the middle of Krebs has absolutely no ambiance but they do have the best Pizza in the state of Oklahoma (and it's not even close) If you were tired I would recommend getting a hotel room, driving over there and ordering a pizza (or sandwich) to your liking, and taking it back to your room. They also sell the Choc beer there if you want to try it.

Oh, and Krebs, (McAlester) is about 30 miles southwest of Checotah.