What are some examples of rest areas that are not associated with freeways?
My favorite is the anomaly on US 52 in Ossian, IA. It's not a rest area per se, but there is signage for public restrooms at the local library. They are located in the front lobby, so they are accessible even if the library itself is closed. I went inside and thanked the librarians for having them available, and they really appreciated it.
There's also the Wisconsin Welcome Center on US 18 in Prairie du Chien, WI.
The rest area in Smyrna, DE is signed on and can be accessed from DE 1 but was originally built along US 13 for US 13.
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Florida has two (http://www.dot.state.fl.us/statemaintenanceoffice/Rest_Area_Listing.shtm): a welcome center on US 231 and a rest area on US 19-27 north of Perry.
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dot.state.fl.us%2Fstatemaintenanceoffice%2Frestarea_pics%2FP30020.jpg&hash=f4a7eb0f226fe68aedc8db20b435e538740a1f86)
Maryland has welcome centers on US 13 and US 301.
Ohio has quite a few rest areas on non-Interstates. I can't recall specific ones other than the pair near the east end of Ohio's part of US 35, which have restrooms and vending machines much like the non-Turnpike Interstate rest areas. Others have nothing but pit toilets.
Quebec has a lot of signs on non-Autoroutes, like QC 132 on the Gaspe Peninsula, pointing you to public "toilettes", some in formal rest areas (no services other than flush toilets and wash basins) and others in local parks (often just pit toilets). The signs indicate whether they are open or closed, though sometimes (especially in the off-season) they're supposed to be open but aren't.
Alabama has one just north of the state line on US 231, south of Dothan. There's another a few miles north of the city, also on US 231.
Texas has one on US 90, in Medina County; not just a "picnic area".
There's a few located along Tamiami Trail (between the Miami-Dade county line and Naples) in Collier County, but they're very sparsely appointed, restroom-wise...
I know of three in Arkansas; in Bella Vista on US 71, right after the split of US 65/165 in Dermott, and in Lake Village on US 65/82/278.
There's on on US 82 in Chilton County, Alabama between Montgomery and Centreville
Quote from: robbones on November 25, 2014, 11:41:27 AM
I know of three in Arkansas; in Bella Vista on US 71, right after the split of US 65/165 in Dermott, and in Lake Village on US 65/82/278.
There's also one on US 67, between Corning and the Missouri state line.
http://goo.gl/maps/wLCVJ
They're common in Ohio, as Oscar mentioned. There is one on OH 7 near Gallipolis, and there's a memorial to the Silver Bridge collapse there.
I also know of one on US 50 somewhere between I-44 and the Kansas City area, but it only has a picnic area and no restrooms. (I went behind a tree and made my own urinal when I stopped).
There's also an intersection at the intersection of US 169 and US 400 (see "Interchanges Between Conventional Roads" or whatever that thread is entitled) and even though this is a grade-separated interchange, neither are freeways. There's also a rest area on US 400 farther west toward Wichita.
Minnesota has several (14 according to MnDOT) full-service rest areas, including at least five Travel Information Centers, on non-Interstate highways.
US-51 at US-2 (Northern terminus) near Ironwood/Hurley (103) has a rest area/welcome center off of it - just off the interchange between the two routes
US-45 in Marion, WI - https://goo.gl/maps/pgbuI (101)
These are the only two state-owned rest areas on 2-lane roads.
The Prairie one is a City-owned locale, as is the Marinette one mentioned in the thread about rest areas accessible only via exits\
http://www.dot.wisconsin.gov/travel/restareas/locations.htm
Seven of the eleven rest areas in Michigan's Upper Peninsula are on non-freeways: http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9621_11041_21800_21802-60533--.html (http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9621_11041_21800_21802-60533--.html)
Michigan used to have dozens of non-freeway rest areas. Some were turned over to local control and transformed into local parks.
Quote from: mhh on November 25, 2014, 06:20:27 PM
Seven of the eleven rest areas in Michigan's Upper Peninsula are on non-freeways: http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9621_11041_21800_21802-60533--.html (http://www.michigan.gov/mdot/0,1607,7-151-9621_11041_21800_21802-60533--.html)
Many of those are Welcome Centers, which would be placed near the state border with or without a freeway (Marquette being the exception away from the border). But Seney, Naubinway and Garden Corners are true Rest Areas. Open all year, heated bathrooms with running water, etc.
QuoteMichigan used to have dozens of non-freeway rest areas. Some were turned over to local control and transformed into local parks.
There still are a lot of roadside parks (not specifically called "rest areas") on non-freeway highways. There must be 4 or 5 of them along US-41 between Marquette and Houghton alone. All closed during the winter! And many in the LP as well.
I don't think that Pennsylvania has any full rest areas off of freeways–at least not anymore. Lesser highways across the state are peppered with occasional wayside parking lots featuring picnic tables but no bathrooms, vending machines, or tourist information–"NO COMFORT FACILITIES" in PennDOT parlance.
And on the other end of the spectrum, I believe PennDOT has removed the last of the "park and picnic only" rest areas from the Interstates.
I was in Idaho a few weeks ago and stopped at this rest area (https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ll=43.331351,-114.280182&spn=0.003422,0.003675&sll=43.646013,-113.840332&sspn=1.742981,1.881409&t=h&z=18) at the intersection of US 20 and ID 75. I recall another one further east on either US 20 or 26. They were otherwise Interstate-complete with an indoor foyer, bathrooms, and vending machines.
Quote from: NE2 on November 25, 2014, 10:14:50 AM
Maryland has welcome centers on US 13 and US 301.
There's also a fairly new one on US 15 near Emmitsburg. Unfortunately, it has ridiculously narrow hours (9-5), and at closing time, they actually close the ramp gate.
Quote from: hbelkins on November 25, 2014, 02:11:15 PM
They're common in Ohio, as Oscar mentioned.
Semi off-topic, but Ohio also has that rest area at-grade (https://maps.google.com/maps?ll=41.562939,-80.713227&spn=0.003717,0.003675&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=41.563038,-80.713225&panoid=_B80wsMe9-noYAr0oKJh9A&cbp=12,331.96,,0,1.31) on OH 11, which is otherwise a freeway.
I like the wayside picnic areas and the occasional roadside table that are along some two lane roads.
US-97 in Oregon has 4 rest areas (technically 5 because one location has one for each direction) along its length, none of it during its short freeway segments. They are near the CA Border, near Chemult, near Terrebonne and at the US-197 Jct.
US-26 also has one at Government Camp.
US-20 has two between Bend and Burns: one in Brothers and one near US-395 Jct. It also has one that's usually closed (not sure if it's permanent, but it's still signed) a ways east of Burns.
US-101 has one near Brookings.
OR-22 has one between Detroit and Salem (I never remember exactly where it is, but somewhere along that stretch).
These are all the ones I can think of off the top of my head, though I'm sure there are more.
Quote from: doorknob60 on November 25, 2014, 07:48:18 PM
US-26 also has one at Government Camp.
There is one on US 26 just several miles east of the junction with OR 103.
Here's a map of Ohio's rest areas:http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Facilities/Facilities/RestAreas/Pages/default.aspx (http://www.dot.state.oh.us/Divisions/Facilities/Facilities/RestAreas/Pages/default.aspx)
Anybody up for an all-day Ohio primitive rest area tour?
US 13 has two at the VA- MD border in each respected state. Both are Information/ Welcome Centers for the state that each enters, but accessible from both N and S on US 13.
There is a Rest Area/Texas Travel Center on US 69/75 SB just after crossing the Red River from Oklahoma.
Apparently they're pretty common in Alabama - in addition to those mentioned above, there's also one on US 431 just south of Eufaula.
Quote from: roadman65 on November 25, 2014, 07:19:18 PM
I like the wayside picnic areas and the occasional roadside table that are along some two lane roads.
The Pennsylvania Turnpike has some of those. Virginia has had them on four-lane expressway-grade roads, but there are fewer than there used to be.
Regarding the original question, Maryland has what I'd consider a rest area on US-301 northbound after the Harry Nice Bridge. It's signed as a welcome center. Oddly, there are also welcome center signs on the southbound side (as you're leaving Maryland) and you have to make a U-turn to reach it.
Quote from: 1995hoo on November 25, 2014, 10:45:57 PM
Regarding the original question, Maryland has what I'd consider a rest area on US-301 northbound after the Harry Nice Bridge. It's signed as a welcome center. Oddly, there are also welcome center signs on the southbound side (as you're leaving Maryland) and you have to make a U-turn to reach it.
On the part of U.S. 301 that is north of the U.S. 50 multiplex, there is also one in the median in an unincorporated area of Queen Anne's County not too far from Church Hill at Hayden Road ("secret" Md. 834).
Google Maps here (https://maps.google.com/maps?q=Centreville,+MD&ll=39.078642,-75.974622&spn=0.013492,0.02311&cid=16439841939986244017&hnear=Centreville,+Queen+Anne%27s+County,+Maryland&t=m&z=16).
Quote from: Eth on November 25, 2014, 08:55:10 PM
Apparently they're pretty common in Alabama - in addition to those mentioned above, there's also one on US 431 just south of Eufaula.
Not as common as they used to be. A number of them have been closed over the past several years.
There is one on US 331 near Florala.
Quote from: formulanone on November 25, 2014, 11:18:20 AM
Texas has one on US 90, in Medina County; not just a "picnic area".
I didn't know of that one; it's really neat. It's in a wide spot in the middle of a divided road, like some turnpike service areas.
US 287 has a few. There's one north of Decatur. It's beside the northbound lanes, accessible from the southbound lanes by a crossover. Others near Quanah and Hedley have one on each side.
There's also one on US 62/180 near the Guadalupe Mountains. This one is neat because of its scenic location and because it's such a large facility along a sparsely-traveled two-lane highway.
Quote from: Greybear on November 25, 2014, 08:40:23 PM
There is a Rest Area/Texas Travel Center on US 69/75 SB just after crossing the Red River from Oklahoma.
Which is a freeway. There are several in Texas that do meet the criteria of the topic though. TxDOT has a map (http://www.txdot.gov/driver/travel/rest-areas-map.html) and list (http://www.txdot.gov/driver/travel/rest-areas-map.html?CFC__target=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dot.state.tx.us%2Fapps-cg%2Fsafety_rest_areas%2Fsralocations.htm) of all of them in the state. All the ones not on an interstate are non-freeway except the US 69/75 one and the US 287 one west of Wichita Falls, although a couple are along roads that will eventually become one of the I-69s in the future.
The Nebraska highway map shows one on US 6/34 east of McCook. There's also the Corps of Discovery Welcome Center on US 81 going south from Yankton, SD and the Lewis and Clark Center on N-2 at Nebraska City. I'm not sure either of those are true rest areas, though and I thought the one at Nebraska City closed after a certain time each day.
Quote from: BloonsTDFan360 on November 25, 2014, 07:52:02 PM
Quote from: doorknob60 on November 25, 2014, 07:48:18 PM
US-26 also has one at Government Camp.
There is one on US 26 just several miles east of the junction with OR 103.
You beat me to it! I literally drove by that one last night, was gonna come here and add it to my list.
To add another one though, there's one on US-26 just east of Mt. Vernon (near John Day). I don't remember if this one is signed as a Rest Area (it's an Oregon State Park), but if not, it might as well be: it looks the same as any other rest area.
Oh, and here's a pretty definitive list for Oregon: http://www.tripcheck.com/Pages/RAentry.asp Not all of these are signed as rest areas, so this list could actually be useful to look at while you're driving (well, let the passenger do that), to find a place to stop that may not be signed as a rest area.
There's a rest area on US 71 at the southern end of AR 23 north of Waldron. There's also one on US 70 east of Glenwood.
Quote from: briantroutman on November 25, 2014, 07:10:05 PM
I don't think that Pennsylvania has any full rest areas off of freeways–at least not anymore. Lesser highways across the state are peppered with occasional wayside parking lots featuring picnic tables but no bathrooms, vending machines, or tourist information–"NO COMFORT FACILITIES" in PennDOT parlance.
Pennsylvania still has a bunch of rest areas in the northern woods part of the state. There are several along US 6, I've used one myself along PA 120. The bathrooms at these rest areas are just portapotties, though. They lack running water and they close during the winter. I'm not sure that PennDOT is responsible for these, though.
QuoteUS 13 has two at the VA- MD border in each respected state. Both are Information/ Welcome Centers for the state that each enters, but accessible from both N and S on US 13.
It should be noted that only the Virginia one has direct access from both directions of US 13. The Maryland center is along northbound US 13...if you're southbound, it requires U-turns at nearby intersections in order to access it.
US 199 in California has the Collier Tunnel Rest Area, at the southern portal of the tunnel. It's a particularly pretty rest area and worth a stop if you're going along 199.
US 97 in California has Grass Lake Rest Area, that has nice scenery and good birding.
Quote from: kkt on December 10, 2014, 07:26:15 PM
US 97 in California has Grass Lake Rest Area, that has nice scenery and good birding.
Good place to stop once you're out of Weed.
US 54 in Kansas has two rest areas east of Liberal. The first is 12 miles east, near Samson on the Cimarron. The other is 66 miles from Liberal, just east of unincorporated Bloom, which is between Minneola and Bucklin.
US 12 in Idaho also has two rest areas, at Lenore, which is 28 miles east of Lewiston, and at the top of Lolo Pass. There are also a few vault toilet facilities along that highway between Kooskia and Lolo Pass.
There are four on the 150-mile stretch of MN 61: Grand Portage, Cutface Creek, Tettegouche State Park, Gooseberry Falls State Park. I believe Cutface Creek is only seasonal though; it was closed when I left Grand Marais after a three-week vacation in October.