"Big Tree"

Anyone with a bike or car and a couple of friends up for a good time can’t go wrong with a trip to the McBaine bur oak tree, better known to locals simply as “big tree.”

And they’re not kidding. This tree is big. It’s 90 feet tall, almost 24 feet around and roughly 7 and a half feet in diameter, according to the National Register of Big Trees. It’s estimated that the tree is between 200 and 400 years old.

McBaine itself is a sight to see, particularly for anyone from a big city. Only 17 people live in McBaine, according to the 2000 census.

The only spot to dine in town is a restaurant called Lucy’s, and anyone who drops in will probably see a handful of locals sitting around a table on a hot afternoon. Most of the 12 houses are visible from State Highway K, which passes straight through McBaine. Many towns this size, where everybody really does know everybody, are scattered throughout Missouri’s countryside.