Farm fields surround homes and local restaurants in East Prairie
East Prairie is surrounded by farms that mostly yield rice, corn and soybeans, about 20 miles southeast of Sikeston in a part of the state locals refer to as “Swampeast Missouri.” “Most people work in manufacturing at the steel mill or in farming,” says Lucas Edington, a broker with almost 20 years of experience and the owner of Mozark Realty. “People hang around and barbecue. It’s a wholesome community. It’s not Mayberry, but it’s close.” Mom-and-pop restaurants are scattered along the town’s two main roads, and the community gets together for a sweet corn festival every year.
Cottages and ranch-style homes built across the 20th century
Though homes in East Prairie tend to sit close to each other, mature trees planted generations ago contribute to a sense of privacy. Cottages built starting in the 1950s come on grassy lots that go up to an acre in size. These properties range between $50,000 and $175,000 in price and sometimes include storage sheds or workshops. Many of East Prairie’s ranch-style homes were constructed in the 1970s, though some were built as early as the 1920s and some were finished as recently as the 2010s. Fetching from $45,000 to $175,000, many of these properties sit on roughly half-acre lots with decks or paved patios.
Taster’s Restaurant, Sandy Ridge Smokehouse and its silo bar
A small house and a silo sit next to an expanse of farm fields on the very edge of town. These structures are actually home to the Sandy Ridge Smokehouse, which serves meals like sliced brisket, pulled pork and smokehouse mac and cheese in a rustic, wood-paneled dining room. A bar with a circular counter fills up much of the industrial-styled silo structure. Closer to the center of town, Taster’s Restaurant is a local favorite for pizza, sub sandwiches and an assortment of crispy, fried bites. East Prairie has two Dollar General stores, but many people travel to Sikeston for groceries.
The East Prairie Sweet Corn Festival and its Tour de Corn
The East Prairie Sweet Corn Festival celebrates the local crop at the end of every June with a car show, a 5K run, a beauty pageant, a celebration on Main Street and the Tour de Corn. The annual bike ride, which has been held for almost two decades, brings over 1,000 cyclists to flat, easy roads that carve through the area’s corn fields.
A stocked pond at Kathie S. Simpkins Park, and Big Oak Tree State Park
On the south end of town, Kathie S. Simpkins Park has a stocked pond and two walking trails, both of which were renovated in 2021. Its playground has an accessible spinner that comes with harness brackets, and a handicap-accessible ramp is being added to the pond’s fishing pier. About 15 miles away from town, a canopy created by hickory and oak trees floats about 120 feet above the trails that carve through Big Oak Tree State Park. “It’s certainly neat,” Edington says. “We had some record flooding in 2017 that impacted the whole area, but the state park survived. It’s a preservation for really old, almost-virgin timber.”
Communication arts courses and bass fishing at East Prairie High
Children in the community may start their K-12 journeys at East Prairie Elementary School, which scores a C-plus grade from Niche. They may then move forward to C-rated East Prairie Middle School before enrolling at East Prairie High School, earning a B-minus. The high school has an extensive offering of communication arts courses, including horror literature, creative writing and public speaking. It also maintains about 10 practical arts and agriculture classes, and students will find more career technical education courses at the Sikeston Career and Technology Center. Students may choose between a number of athletic teams to join as well, including a bass fishing team.
State routes and interstates lead to cities like Sikeston and Cape
Two major thoroughfares carve through East Prairie. Missouri state Route 105 leads north to Charleston, about 10 miles away. Missouri state Route 80 travels west, where it connects with U.S. Route 62 and Interstate 55. The former goes northwest to Sikeston, which is about 20 miles away and has the nearest hospital, while the interstate travels north toward Cape Girardeau, roughly 50 miles from East Prairie. The Cape Girardeau Regional Airport has daily service to Chicago's O’Hare International Airport, where travelers can find more flights.
