Hotel at a Glance: University Plaza Hotel

Nat King Cole, Chuck Berry, and the Rolling Stones all sang about getting your kicks on Route 66. The United States’ first transcontinental paved highway, Route 66 stretches from the Great Lakes to the Pacific coast, running right through Springfield, Missouri, where the route was officially born in 1926. You can get a sense of the highway’s glory days at the mom-and-pop diners near the upscale University Plaza Hotel, a TripAdvisor 2015 and 2016 Certificate of Excellence winner. The hotel is centrally located in the Jordan Valley Park neighborhood just across from the Missouri State University campus and Springfield Expo Center.

• Where you’ll stay: Comfortable guest rooms feature complimentary high-speed Internet and 37-inch flat-screen TVs.
• Coffee shop: Opened in the fall of 2015, Q Street Perk is the hotel’s newest addition, serving Starbucks coffee, muffins, and other baked goods (there’s free WiFi, too). Select options of this deal come with a $20 credit that’s valid here and at the hotel’s restaurant.
• Relax with a dip in the indoor and seasonal outdoor pools or with a treatment in the spa.
• Earth friendly: The hotel was awarded a GreenLeaders badge from TripAdvisor for its sustainable practices.
• Onsite dining: At the hotel’s Terrace Grille, you can dine on contemporary cuisine made with local and seasonal ingredients.
• Wake up to a complimentary breakfast buffet.

Springfield, Missouri: Small City with Resurgent Downtown

Though it’s Missouri’s third-largest city, Springfield still brims with small-town charm. In recent years, the downtown area has seen a resurgence of restaurants, bars, and nightlife. For an introduction to the area, find the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge, the world’s longest pedestrian footbridge still in use.

For a day trip that includes a show or two, take the roughly one-hour drive south to Branson—a miniature, more-family-friendly version of Las Vegas. Dozens of stages and music halls line Branson’s main strip, some of which are owned by stars such as Dolly Parton. On any given night, you can watch anything from country-music performances to circus acrobatics to magic shows.

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