Rolla, MO Road Trips
Plan drives from Rolla, MO with practical route pages for distance, drive time, fuel cost, road character, and places to stop along the way.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Trip Routes
3
Longest Drive
276.3 mi
Saint Joseph, MO
Quickest Drive
4h 6m
Independence, MO
Plan Around Rolla, MO
Popular Incoming Routes
Useful if Rolla, MO is the arrival point and you want the strongest routes into the city first.
Rolla, MO by the Numbers
Recent demographic snapshot from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey.
Population
20,144
Median Income
$42,518
Median Home Value
$177,400
Median Age
27.4
Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-year (public domain). See our methodology for details.
Rolla, MO at a Glance
Founded
1844
Elevation
1,122 ft
Area
12 mi²
Sister Cities
Notable People from Rolla, MO
A sampling of people born in Rolla, MO.
Claire McCaskill
1953
American politician (born 1953)
Shannon Miller
1977
American artistic gymnast (born 1977)
John A. Rogers
1967
American chemist and materials scientist (born 1967)
Robin Carnahan
1961
Administrator of the General Services Administration since 2021
John Lott
1959
American mathematician
City data from Wikidata (Q955386), available under CC0. Photos from Wikimedia Commons under their respective licenses. See our methodology for details.
Traveler Guide to Rolla, MO
Rolla is a city in the Central Missouri region of Missouri on historic Route 66. It is home to Missouri University of Science and Technology (Formerly University of Missouri at Rolla) campus.
Rolla is a beautiful town located along I-44, with a population of about 20,000.
Tourism Office, 1311 Kingshighway, ☏ +1 573 364-3577, toll-free: +1-888-809-3817, fax: +1 573 364-5222, [email protected]. M-F 8AM-4:30PM, Sa 9AM-2PM, Su (Mar-Sep) 1PM-4PM, Su (Oct-Feb) closed.. Ozark Actors Theatre, 701 N Cedar St, ☏ +1 573-364-9523. Provides professional summer stock theater and winter productions. Leach Theater, ☏ +1 573-341-4219. Castleman Hall at Missouri University of Science and Technology. Many varied events and performances at this University theater. Stubby Stonehenge. See this half-size "replica" of Stonehenge on the campus of Missouri University of Science and Technology (Formerly University of Missouri-Rolla). But, don't expect to use it as they've built buildings all around it so the horizon is no longer visible at solstice. Ooops. Free.
Parks. Have pools, tennis courts, lakes, a recreation center, and activities. (updated Jul 2021)
Alex Pizza Place, 122 W 8th, ☏ +1 573-364-2669. Incredible Local Pizza. El Maguey, 1328 Forum Dr (Forum Plaza), ☏ +1 573-368-5338. Tex-Mex platters and fajitas and margaritas. Los Cazadores, 121 Howard Johnson Dr (Behind Motomart on Kingshighway), ☏ +1 573 341-8137. Offerings include fajitas and margaritas. Mandarin Garden, 635 S Bishop Ave, ☏ +1 573-364-9610. They've got the cashew chicken and a small buffet. Maid Rite, 1028 Kingshighway, ☏ +1 573 364-1434. Incredible crumble burgers. NaCl + H2O, 817 N Pine St, ☏ +1 573-426-6699. Surf and turf, but especially seafood. Mottomo Sushi, 1011 Kingshighway, ☏ +1 573-341-1200. Japanese with bento boxes and bulgogi. A Slice of Pie, 634 S Bishop Ave, ☏ +1 573 364-6203. Some of the best pie you can get in the country. (updated Aug 2020)
Joe and Linda's Tater Patch, 103 Bridge School Rd, ☏ +1 573-368-3111. Giddy Goat Coffee House, 704 N Bishop Ave #2, ☏ +1 573-368-4141. Eclectic atmosphere with art and decor and steamed milk in your coffee.
Best Western Coachlight Inn, 1403 Martin Springs Dr, ☏ +1 573-341-2511. 88 units. Comfort Suites, 1650 Old Wire Outer Rd, ☏ +1 573-368-4300. Days Inn, 2006 N. Bishop Av, ☏ +1 573-458-5092. Econo Lodge, 1417 Martin Springs Dr, ☏ +1 573-341-3130, toll-free: +1-800-553-2666. 60 units. Hampton Inn, 2201 N. Bishop Av, ☏ +1 573-308-1060, [email protected]. Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites, 1610 Old Wire Outer Rd, ☏ +1 573-426-2900, [email protected]. Rustic Motel, 812 S. Bishop Av, ☏ +1 573-364-6943, [email protected]. Super 8, 1641 Martin Springs Drive (I-44, Exit 184), ☏ +1 573-458-5837. Check-in: 3:00, check-out: 11:00. Complimentary breakfast, free wireless internet access, indoor pool, fitness center. $59 - $79.
Rolla is about 1 hour and 45 minutes to both Springfield to the west and St. Louis to the east along Interstate 44. Columbia, MO is 1 hour and 45 minutes North of Rolla. You can take US 63 from Columbia. The closest large commercial airport is Lambert St. Louis International Airport which is served by most US carriers. The airport is about 1 hour and 45 minutes from the city. Greyhound and USA Express have shuttles from the airport to Rolla and back or you can rent a car at the airport. For private aircraft Rolla National Airport is about a 15 minute drive north of the city. You can fly into Waynesville - St. Robert Regional Airport from St Louis. USA Express Shuttle, toll-free: +1-800-872-9399. Reservations required. Operates scheduled shuttle services from St Louis Lambert Airport to St Roberts & Ft Leonardwood via Rolla. They also make door to door pick up and drop off in the surrounding areas. STL Shuttles, ☏ +1 314 450-6453. Operates scheduled and on-demand service between STL and Ft Leonardwood/St Roberts on one route and between STL and Rolla on another. (updated Mar 2026) Note: Greyhound no longer stops into St Roberts and/or Fort Leonardwood. Nearest Greyhound station/stop is in Greyhound. They travel on I-44 between St Louis and Oklahoma City via Springfield, Joplin and Tulsa. The nearest train station is the Jefferson City Amtrak Station. From there you can rent a car. You can also take a train to St. Louis Gateway station.
No public transportation exists in Rolla and a car is almost a necessity to get around. However, bicycling is a viable alternative and the town is small enough walking could be facilitated if necessary. There are a couple of taxi cab companies in town also. A+ Taxi, ☏ +1 573-426-3322. Quality Cab Taxi Service, ☏ +1 573 426-3737. You can take an Uber but there is usually only one or two available.
Travel tips adapted from Rolla (Missouri) on Wikivoyage, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Content summarized; visit the source for the full article. See our methodology for how we use it.
Trips to Rolla, MO
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