Cuba Outdoor Murals

The Viva Cuba Committee was organized in 2001 by a small group of Cuba residents and downtown business owners who recognized that the town's historic core was struggling. The Route 66 era had ended decades earlier when I-44 was completed and bypassed downtown; the agricultural economy that had sustained the town through much of the 20th century had contracted; and many of the historic downtown buildings — substantial brick commercial structures from the 1880s through the 1920s — sat vacant or underutilized. The committee's founders looked at successful mural programs in towns like Chemainus, British Columbia and decided to attempt a similar transformation in Cuba.

The initial mural commission — a depiction of Cuba's 19th-century main street painted on the side wall of a downtown commercial building — was funded through community donations and a small grant from a Missouri tourism program. The committee deliberately chose a high-visibility wall on a building near the downtown intersection most travelers would encounter, and the immediate visual impact of a 30-foot historical mural in the middle of a small Missouri town generated substantial local enthusiasm and press coverage.

Across the next two decades the committee added approximately one mural per year, funding each new work through a mix of community donations, business sponsorships, and grants from regional tourism and arts organizations. By the mid-2010s the collection had grown to 14 murals and Cuba had achieved its formal designation as the Mural City of Missouri. The committee continues to operate today, maintaining the existing murals (paint touch-ups, anti-graffiti coatings, and occasional restoration work are ongoing) and considering new commissions as walls become available.

The 14 murals depict a deliberately varied set of subjects across Cuba's history. Several murals depict specific historical events — the 1898 visit of the Ringling Brothers Circus to Cuba, the 1928 visit of Amelia Earhart who landed at the small Cuba airfield during one of her cross-country flights, and the 1898 stagecoach robbery that became one of the most famous Crawford County crime stories. Other murals depict broader historical themes — the Civil War-era Battle of Leasburg fought near Cuba in 1864, the railroad era and the Frisco Railroad's arrival in 1860, and the agricultural economy of the surrounding Ozark countryside.

Route 66 receives extensive treatment across multiple murals. One mural depicts the original 1926 Route 66 designation through Cuba; another depicts the Wagon Wheel Motel during its 1930s and 1940s heyday; a third depicts vintage Route 66 cars and the surrounding gas-station-and-diner commercial strip during the highway's commercial peak. The Route 66 murals are typically the most-photographed in the collection and are the reason most road-trippers make the Cuba stop a priority.

Notable people are also subjects. Murals depict Harry S. Truman (who passed through Cuba multiple times during his political career and gave a famous speech in the town in 1948), Bette Davis (who reportedly stayed at the Wagon Wheel Motel during a 1948 cross-country trip), and several local figures who shaped Cuba's history — early settlers, business founders, and Civil War-era residents. Each mural's accompanying interpretive plaque provides the historical context that makes the art genuinely educational rather than merely decorative.

The standard way to experience the murals is via a self-guided walking tour through downtown Cuba. A free walking-tour map — published by the Viva Cuba Committee and the Cuba Chamber of Commerce — is available at the Cuba Visitor Center, at most downtown businesses, and at the Wagon Wheel Motel. The map shows all 14 murals with their downtown locations, brief descriptions of each, and a suggested walking route that typically takes 60 to 90 minutes to complete at a comfortable pace.

The walking circuit covers roughly six blocks of downtown Cuba and is genuinely walkable — the murals are mostly within a quarter-mile radius of the downtown center, the sidewalks are well-maintained, and the entire route is on flat ground. Most visitors complete the tour in 60-75 minutes including photography stops and reading the interpretive plaques. Visitors with strong interest in local history can extend the tour to 2 hours by reading plaques carefully and exploring nearby antique shops and downtown businesses between murals.

Guided walking tours are also available occasionally, typically conducted by Viva Cuba Committee volunteers during peak Route 66 tourism months (April through October) and during the annual Cuba Mural Fest weekend (typically mid-June). Guided tours run about 90 minutes, provide substantially more historical context than the self-guided map alone, and are free though donations to the committee are appreciated. Guided tour scheduling is published on the Cuba Chamber of Commerce website.

The murals are accessible 24 hours a day but the practical viewing window is daylight hours — typically 7am to 7pm during summer months and 8am to 5pm during winter. The collection generally photographs best in mid-morning (9am to 11am) and late afternoon (3pm to 5pm) when the angle of the sun illuminates the mural surfaces without producing harsh shadows. Midday light during summer can produce flat, washed-out photographs of certain west-facing murals.

Spring (April through May) and fall (September through October) are typically the best seasons for the walking tour. Temperatures are mild, the surrounding trees are either in spring leaf or fall color, and the tourist traffic is moderate. Summer (June through August) is busier and hotter; carry water for the walking tour and consider starting early to avoid the afternoon heat. Winter visits are entirely possible — the murals are unaffected by snow or cold — but the walking tour is less pleasant in January and February.

For photographers, the mural depicting the Wagon Wheel Motel during its 1930s heyday is the most-photographed in the collection and is generally the marquee shot for Route 66 travel photography of Cuba. The mural is located on a building near the actual Wagon Wheel Motel, allowing photographers to capture both the mural and the historic motel in a single area. The Cuba Mural Fest weekend in June typically includes live mural painting and photography opportunities that aren't available during the rest of the year.

The natural Cuba day-plan combines the murals with the town's other Route 66 attractions: arrive in Cuba mid-morning for the 60-90 minute mural walking tour, stop at the Wagon Wheel Motel for photographs of the historic motor court (whether or not you're staying overnight), drive 4 miles west on Route 66 to the Fanning 66 Outpost to see the world's largest rocking chair, then have lunch at Missouri Hick BBQ or Shelly's Route 66 Cafe before continuing on to Bob's Gasoline Alley for an afternoon at the vintage gas-station memorabilia collection. The full Cuba experience runs 4 to 6 hours.

For travelers based further east, Cuba is approximately 75 miles southwest of St. Louis along I-44 — typically a 75-90 minute drive depending on traffic — and is the natural first or second stop for travelers driving the Missouri stretch of Route 66 from St. Louis west toward Springfield and Joplin. The pairing of Cuba with Pacific (35 miles east), which has its own Route 66 history and the Jensen Point overlook, makes for a natural morning or afternoon segment.

For travelers based further west, Cuba is approximately 30 miles east of Rolla — typically a 30-minute drive along I-44 — and pairs naturally with Rolla's Stonehenge replica and Totem Pole Trading Post for a half-day Route 66 segment. Springfield is approximately 130 miles west of Cuba, typically a 2-hour drive, and is the natural overnight destination for road-trippers continuing west after a Cuba afternoon. The Meramec Caverns at Sullivan (20 minutes east of Cuba) is the natural complementary attraction for travelers wanting to combine the mural walking tour with a substantive natural-history stop.