Just north of the “Missouri Bootheel,” the city of Sikeston is one of Missouri’s little-known top-notch destinations.
The city is also a historic American town since Spanish explorers had traveled to the Sikeston area as early as 1541 when it was still forests and swamplands.
Hundreds of years later, John Sikes acquired the town after marrying into the Stallcup family; he gave his name to the city.
Today, Sikeston is a pleasant stopover for tourists.
You’ll never go wrong spending a weekend, or longer, in the city.
Its various amenities and attractions should spell a memorable trip for you and your family.
Besides, Sikeston’s brand of southern hospitality will make you feel right at home.
Do you want to know more about Sikeston, MO? Check out the list below.
Dazspell, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The Sikeston Depot was a significant building in the city since John Sikes himself made sure to reserve some property near the railroad track.
Likewise, during the Civil War, the depot became an essential link in the supply chains, bringing critical supplies between Sikeston and Charleston.
However, the depot you can visit today is a restored version of the 1916 building, which the Iron Mountain Railroad managed.
This version of the depot closed in 1985.
Concerned Sikeston citizens banded together to transform the depot into a museum and gallery.
Inside the museum, you can find artifacts from the Native American tribes in the Mississippi area.
You’ll also see objects detailing the history of Sikeston.
Likewise, the gallery shows artworks by local and regional artists.
Visit the Sikeston Depot Museum & Gallery at 116 West Malone Avenue, Sikeston, MO.
Sometimes, a fun movie is all you need for a good time.
There’s no beating going to the theater to see the latest blockbuster after a long day looking at museum displays or traveling the city.
At Sikeston, the Malco Cinema & Grill caters to all your moviegoing needs.
You’ll enjoy the latest movies more because of the cinema’s comfortable seating, tasty food options, and immersive audio technology.
Grab some popcorn at the Malco Sikeston Cinema & Grill, located at 1218 Cinema Drive, Sikeston, MO 63801.
Another activity you might enjoy in Sikeston is an excellent old rollicking rodeo, which you can witness at the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo.
This rodeo is also a longstanding tradition in the city, whose first rodeo show took place in 1953.
Today, the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo has become one of the city’s main attractions.
For instance, the annual Rodeo Week draws about $8 million in revenue as ticketholders flock to local restaurants, shops, and hotels.
The Sikeston Jaycees also host the annual Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association event, which also draws 400,000 attendees.
What can you expect at a rodeo show?
You can watch cowboys try to wrangle a wild horse at bareback riding, or you can watch trained riders compete in barrel racing.
The show also hosts bullfighting or bull riding events.
Catch the show at the Sikeston Jaycee Bootheel Rodeo, located at 1220 N Ingram Rd, Sikeston, MO 63801.
If you’re an old-fashioned tourist, you might want to spend an afternoon hanging out at Malone Park, located in downtown Sikeston. It’s one of the city’s 16 parks.
Besides location, Malone Park also has a bandstand at its east end, where you can hold picnics with the family.
You can also reserve the bandstand for special occasions, such as weddings and family reunions.
It’s an unmissable part of Sikeston because of the variety of things you can do there.
Over the centuries, several churches from several congregations have flourished in the United States.
Nearly every city in America has a historic church, and Sikeston is no exception.
In Sikeston, the Hunter Memorial First Presbyterian Church began in 1870 under Rev. William B. Wilkie.
Despite a rocky beginning, the Presbyterian Church grew in the city until formally established in 1924.
When you visit the church, you can find a curious historical landmark on its grounds.
Shaded by centuries-old trees, a small old cemetery bears a significant white marker that indicates the grave of Joseph Hunter, born in 1760.
Beside this marker stands a bronze plaque citing Hunter as a hero of the American Revolutionary War.
Visit the Hunter Memorial First Presbyterian Church at 723 Allen Boulevard, Sikeston, MO 63801.
Lambert’s Café is a culinary institution in Sikeston.
Earl and Agnes Lambert built the original location in 1942, and they have relocated four times since to accommodate more customers as its popularity increased.
Today, you can enjoy great food at the fourth iteration of the café.
It’s the world-famous “throwed rolls” that make Lambert’s unique.
In 1976, Earl and Agnes’ son Norman threw the first roll to satisfy a hungry customer.
What happened?
Norman used to walk around Lambert’s original café and hand out the rolls himself.
One day, though, the place was packed.
Norman couldn’t get to one customer on time.
Frustrated, the customer yelled at him to throw the rolls, which Norman did.
That’s when Lambert’s became the “Home of the Throwed Rolls.”
Dine at Lambert’s Café, located at 2305 E. Malone Avenue, Sikeston, MO.
Shopping could also be a fun tourist activity, especially if you find yourself in Sikeston.
If you find yourself needing fresh clothes, you’ll want to drop by the Sikeston Factory Outlet Stores, deep in the Missouri Bootheel.
The stores opened in 1993.
Since then, the stores have become a popular stopover for tourists and bus tours on their way to Branson, Missouri.
Serving a five-state region, the Sikeston Factory Outlet Stores open its doors to more than a million guests every year.
These guests return because of the stores’ fantastic shopping experience, including terrific savings and a full selection for families.
You can also get your nails done on-site and at a discount through Fashion Nails and the eClips School of Cosmetology.
If you’ve ever nursed ambitions of being a singer, Sikeston might help you make your dreams come true.
The city offers Homefront Studios to all aspiring performers who just want to share their music with the world.
Likewise, podcasters are welcome to record their shows at the facility.
Since making music isn’t cheap, Homefront offers various services at a budget-friendly rate.
These services include audio/video podcasting, recording, and mixing, and mastering.
Once you’ve made your record, you can also get Homefront to distribute your music on streaming platforms like Spotify, YouTube, and Pandora.
If you still like CDs, Homefront Studios will also take care of pressing your CDs.
You’ll need something your fans can sign, right?
Homefront Studios is at 72 David Dr, Sikeston, MO 63801.
Fitness buffs now have a new fitness destination at Sikeston, Bootheel Crossfit.
If you’re a Crossfit veteran or a curious beginner, Sikeston’s first and only Crossfit gym will help you build the body you want.
The gym has also grown to serve the greater Missouri Bootheel area, including Miner, Morehouse, Benton, New Madrid, and East Prairie.
Certified fitness coaches also implement workouts they’ve designed, ensured to help you achieve maximum gains while maintaining a fun and safe experience.
In just under 60 minutes, you’ll go through a whole regimen using safe and effective workout techniques.
Just enter the gym, and let the magic happen.
Visit Bootheel Crossfit at 207 North New Madrid Street, Sikeston, MO 63801.
Since 1938, the Fox Haven Country Club has offered people trademark southern hospitality, which you can see in its excellent facilities and entertaining events.
These events are also available to members and guests alike.
Formerly known as the Sikeston Country Club, Fox Haven can help you make new friends or strengthen existing friendships over a round or two of golf.
You can avail of the country club’s 18-hole golf course, complete with putting green and driving range.
Likewise, you can replace your old clubs at the well-stocked pro club, which a PGA professional maintains.
Otherwise, you can head to the pool area, which contains an Olympic-sized swimming pool, two diving boards, and a shallow pool for kids.
You can also play tennis at any of the six courts available.
Visit the Fox Haven Country Club at #1 Country Club Dr., Sikeston, MO 63801.
If you find yourself in Sikeston, you might want to drop by the Sikeston Veterans’ Park.
Today, the Veterans’ Park honors the memory of the soldiers who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
The park stands on a former airbase.
It also features different military equipment on display.
For instance, you’ll find an M-60 tank, a 1955 Sioux Helicopter, and an F4 fighter jet, among others.
Pay tribute to fallen American heroes and admire these pieces of military technology.
Visit the Sikeston Veterans’ Park at 100 Campanella Drive, Sikeston, MO 63801.
If you’re looking for a monument that genuinely represents Sikeston, look no further than “The Columns,” which celebrates the city’s religious history.
Today, these columns are the primary symbol of downtown Sikeston.
These columns commemorate the First Methodist Church’s original building, finished in 1879 but burned down in 1968.
Members of the Methodist Church situated west of the Mississippi River were the Sikeston church’s first congregation.
These members also first began meeting in a boxcar until they built the church.
Drop by the First Methodist Church Columns at 501 N New Madrid St., Sikeston, MO 63801.
This item is relatively simple.
If you’re planning to tour downtown Sikeston, you need to include the downtown murals in your itinerary.
You can see these murals painted on different buildings downtown, so you’ll get ample exercise.
Why are these murals important?
These murals show the various stages of Sikeston’s agricultural history, which has been a city staple since its foundation.
Sikeston used to be just another stopover along the King’s Highway or the “El Camino Real.”
In 1789, travelers simply passed through the town of Sikeston on their way from New Madrid to St. Louis, or vice versa.
However, as the country prospered, Sikeston enjoyed its fruits.
In the early 1900s, Sikeston became the home to more millionaires per capita than any similarly sized US city.
Today, you can visit these historic houses on a walking or driving tour.
When you join the tour, you’ll be able to visit over 24 homes constructed between 1889 to 1924.
This period was also when cotton emerged as a primary agricultural product.
Join the tours, starting from 105 E Center St., Sikeston, MO 63801.
Founded by Tim and Charline Chambers, the Missouri Plain Folk Gallery showcases various folk art and country furniture.
This focus on country art comes from the Chambers’ passion for the physical culture born from the folk and rural communities in the American countryside.
The gallery also collects these works from similar regions across the United States.
They also display hand-painted game boards, which led to the “Art of the Game.”
This complete color hardcover book gathers the collection of Selby Shaver.
Visit the Missouri Plain Folk Gallery at 501 Hunter Avenue, Sikeston, MO 63801.
Brian Stansberry, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Located in the middle of Sikeston, this historic area is a great way to learn about the city’s rich past.
Sikeston’s old downtown district is a bustling metropolis.
If you’re a shopaholic, you’ll love all the area’s antique stores, boutiques, and malls.
The King Cotton is only one of several events held in the place.
There are many low-priced things to do in the area around you.
Spend a long time here taking in paintings celebrating the region’s agricultural past.
Similarly, you may do some sightseeing by visiting museums and other attractions in the central business district.
Throughout the year, catfish are released regularly into the 4.6-acre fishing lake at the city’s Recreation Complex.
Rounding the lake is a fitness-friendly half-mile path.
In addition to baseball, softball, and youth football fields, the park also has tennis courts, sand volleyball courts, a skate park, basketball courts, and a BMX track.
There are many playgrounds, picnic areas, and bathrooms to accommodate visitors.
You’ll need a valid fishing license from the state of Missouri to fish here.
Lincoln Memorial Park in Sikeston is a lovely place to take in the sun and spend the day with loved ones.
Lincoln Memorial Park is the newest and largest park in the city at eleven acres.
Only a subsidy from the government neighborhood stabilization program to the LCRA allowed for the park’s creation.
Using Lincoln Memorial Park’s paved walking paths and children’s playground facilities is possible.
You may have a lovely day with your loved ones at one of the picnic spots equipped with picnic tables, shelters, and barbecue grills.
There is a basketball court and comfortable facilities at the Lincoln Memorial for any basketball fans.
The whole family can enjoy an outing at this park, specifically designed with them in mind.
Sikeston Skatepark should be on anyone’s list of things to do in Sikeston if they’re looking for an action-packed day.
You may find one of the nicest skateparks in Sikeston in the city’s recreational complex, which opened in June 2010.
Skaters of all skill levels will find an environment at the park that offers just the right combination of pleasure and challenge.
Please remember to always use protective gear when skating, such as a helmet, wrist guards, and knee pads.
Although there is no supervision at this skating rink, you should still check it out.
In addition, there are clean barbecue grills to use.
Sikeston Bowling Center is a fun place for the whole family to spend the day.
There’s no better location to have a fantastic time with your loved ones than at Sikeston Bowling Center.
The bowling alley has plenty of lanes and a pro shop stocked with everything a bowler might want for a great game.
The Sikeston Bowling Center has a snack bar with tasty treats and an arcade with various games for gamers.
Plus, it is well-kept and well-maintained, with helpful and upbeat employees.
Despite seeming like a sleepy little city, Sikeston offers a beautiful variety of attractions to please tourists from anywhere in the world.
Tourists looking for a quiet time to enjoy with family or loved ones will surely never regret visiting Sikeston.
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