What state do you think has the best rest areas. I nominate Iowa because they are always clean, very spacious with lots of parking, and have those electronic displays with a lot of information.
When I drove across Texas in February, I was really impressed. I was almost entirely off-interstate and the rest areas were still clean and fairly large with wi-fi.
Illinois has a surprising quantity of them. Not the fanciest things, but they're still pretty okay.
Alaska, because no one bothers you. I've seen cars that look like they've been parked there for months.
The rest areas on the Maine Turnpike weren't too bad, at least the Kennebunk one wasn't. The bathrooms were even decent.
Nebraska's are pretty nice. At least they are very numerous. There are 11 full-service rest areas Eastbound and 10 Westbound on I-80. That's about 1 every 45 miles on average. Most states it seems like don't have them that often.
QuoteNebraska's are pretty nice. At least they are very numerous. There are 11 full-service rest areas Eastbound and 10 Westbound on I-80. That's about 1 every 45 miles on average. Most states it seems like don't have them that often.
(As is the case with every single Nebraskan I've ever met) the people who staff the rest areas in Nebraska have been remarkably friendly in my experience, and have made the rest areas an active joy to visit. Nebraska's rest areas are a definite contribution to my belief that Nebraska is the most underrated state in the union.
Quote from: huskeroadgeek on August 07, 2010, 01:35:56 AM
Nebraska's are pretty nice. At least they are very numerous. There are 11 full-service rest areas Eastbound and 10 Westbound on I-80. That's about 1 every 45 miles on average. Most states it seems like don't have them that often.
I agree that Nebraska's are by far the most numerous and there upkeep is good. Also - It was a Nebraska rest area that put a fire hydrant in the pet exercise area on purpose. :-D I don't think it was active though, verrrrry long pipe to the rest area from the nearest town.
The info center Rest Area at Greenville, MS isn't bad. I'm not sure of the others.
Best in Arkansas I've seen are Lake Village US 65, I-40 at Dora, US 71 Info Center at Bella Vista and US 65 north of Harrison.
Many of the others are old and weary looking.
Floridas' are very nice, large clean restrooms, large grassy areas, usually a picnic area, nightime security and plenty of parking and well lit a nite.
Woo-hoo! Go Texas!! We have some nice on and off Interstate rest stops here. There's one in Coke County, TX (right oustside of Tom Green County) and then one in Concho County, TX. Their both real nice. And then on the Interstate their nice too. Usually....
BigMatt
The ones along the Connecticut Turnpike aren't that bad.
Leaving out toll roads, which are a special case, I have been impressed by states that at least bother to have rest areas on non-interstates/de facto interstate type roads. Wyoming, Ohio, and North Carolina come to mind. While some of Ohio's non-intestate rest areas are not plush, they at least exist, which is more than you can say for most states.
North Carolina also gets a mention for setting back from the highway and using the natural trees to provide shade, wi-fi, actual live attendants, weather radio, free maps, and picnic tables.
Again - leaving out toll roads - Wisconsin's rest areas have been pretty good. Several along I-94 have been completely rebuilt and all are kept clean.
Toll roads included: Illinois, Massachusetts and Maine's systems are among the best.
In relation to Nebraska, I recall Kansas having numerous rest areas along I-70, every 25 or 30 miles it seemed which does help when going across the state. However, the facilities are simply restrooms with little more, but I suppose that sufficient enough. Speaking of Kansas, the welcome center I will give praise to only because they had maps avaliable after regular hours when the rest of the center was closed. Since I haven't been across the whole country it's hard to tell what my favorite one is, and my home state of Indiana is all over the board with their rest areas, some new, some old with decent welcome centers.
For some reason, the visitor center in Yankton SD (on the east side of town, off SD 50) has an excellent selection of state maps, for SD and most or all neighboring states. However, the hours are limited.
Alaska has some nice rest areas ... and some infrequently maintained privies. Throw a roll of toilet paper in the trunk, just in case.
Quote from: allniter89 on August 07, 2010, 09:08:50 PM
Floridas' are very nice, large clean restrooms, large grassy areas, usually a picnic area, nightime security and plenty of parking and well lit a nite.
Florida has rest areas about every 30 miles on I-10 and on I-75 North of Tampa.
I can't remember if it's Alabama or Mississippi, but one of those states gives out free Coke at the welcome center!
Quote from: realjd on August 18, 2010, 08:23:16 PM
I can't remember if it's Alabama or Mississippi, but one of those states gives out free Coke at the welcome center!
you're thinking of Bolivia...
Quote from: realjd on August 18, 2010, 08:23:16 PM
I can't remember if it's Alabama or Mississippi, but one of those states gives out free Coke at the welcome center!
Mississippi used to, but the last time I stopped at the Welcome Center on US 78 they did not. Alabama stopped giving out free Coke at the welcome center years ago.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 18, 2010, 08:29:40 PM
Quote from: realjd on August 18, 2010, 08:23:16 PM
I can't remember if it's Alabama or Mississippi, but one of those states gives out free Coke at the welcome center!
you're thinking of Bolivia...
*snort*
Florida used to give away orange juice at their rest areas. Not sure if they still do or not.
Quote from: jdb1234 on August 18, 2010, 08:56:32 PM
Quote from: realjd on August 18, 2010, 08:23:16 PM
I can't remember if it's Alabama or Mississippi, but one of those states gives out free Coke at the welcome center!
Mississippi used to, but the last time I stopped at the Welcome Center on US 78 they did not. Alabama stopped giving out free Coke at the welcome center years ago.
This was only about a year ago that they were doing this - it was the welcome center on EB I-10 for one of those two states.
Quote from: bugo on August 18, 2010, 10:24:38 PM
Florida used to give away orange juice at their rest areas. Not sure if they still do or not.
They do at all of the state welcome centers, at least the ones along the interstates. They do not at regular rest areas or Turnpike service plazas.
^^^
Well, I didn't get a chance to see because if was after 6pm when we hit the Florida welcome center on I-75 back in early July.
One of my pet peeves is that most "Welcome Centers" only keep "business" hours like 8am - 5pm. I don't expect 24x7 but maybe 9 or 10pm folks?
Quote from: mightyace on August 18, 2010, 10:46:27 PM
^^^
Well, I didn't get a chance to see because if was after 6pm when we hit the Florida welcome center on I-75 back in early July.
One of my pet peeves is that most "Welcome Centers" only keep "business" hours like 8am - 5pm. I don't expect 24x7 but maybe 9 or 10pm folks?
I noticed this a few months ago when going into the Welcome Center for Illinois right at 5pm. The people were rolling away the shelves with all of the brochures and maps for the state and when I asked to get one I was refused. Apparently after 5pm no one deserves any of that information.
Quote from: realjd on August 18, 2010, 10:34:52 PM
Quote from: bugo on August 18, 2010, 10:24:38 PM
Florida used to give away orange juice at their rest areas. Not sure if they still do or not.
They do at all of the state welcome centers, at least the ones along the interstates. They do not at regular rest areas or Turnpike service plazas.
And at the Welcome Center on US 231 entering Florida, I have stopped there plenty of times and gotten a cup of orange juice.
Quote from: tdindy88 on August 19, 2010, 09:33:33 PM
Quote from: mightyace on August 18, 2010, 10:46:27 PM
^^^
Well, I didn't get a chance to see because if was after 6pm when we hit the Florida welcome center on I-75 back in early July.
One of my pet peeves is that most "Welcome Centers" only keep "business" hours like 8am - 5pm. I don't expect 24x7 but maybe 9 or 10pm folks?
I noticed this a few months ago when going into the Welcome Center for Illinois right at 5pm. The people were rolling away the shelves with all of the brochures and maps for the state and when I asked to get one I was refused. Apparently after 5pm no one deserves any of that information.
Well its government operation - they don't cater to the customer ;)
Most of the Welcome centers in Wisconsin (not directly called that) have been taken down. All that's there at those points now is a rest area.
I nominate rest areas that offer more than simply a place to, um, "rest" and/or get travel info. For example, I once stopped at every rest area along I-80 in Nebraska, whether I needed to "rest" or not, simply so I could view each of the roadside sculptures. Or another example is along I-70 through Glenwood Canyon in Colorado: each of those rest areas also function as hiking trailheads. :clap:
Quote from: usends on August 20, 2010, 10:48:07 AMOr another example is along I-70 through Glenwood Canyon in Colorado: each of those rest areas also function as hiking trailheads. :clap:
does this imply there are no parking time restrictions in Colorado?
that, to me, is the sign of a good rest area. Not having to get up and go after 2, 4, 8, 16 hours. I can start to understand, maybe, a one week restriction so that people don't abandon their vehicles, but anything shorter than that seems like overmonitoring.
(which is, again, why I think Alaska's got the best rest areas in the country.)
Show up at the welcome center after 5? NOT WELCOME
The absolute worst is in Georgia. (at least the Welcome center on I-75 South coming from Tennessee.)
Not only do the close the welcome center at 5pm but the whole doggone building! No restrooms here after 5!
Every other state welcome center I've been to at least works like a standard rest area 24x7.
Tennessee I've noticed does leave their's open all day, and if I'm not correct, they leave someone there 24/7 to aid motorist, and I to had the same problem with Georgia, arriving there in the early morning hoping for a map, never got one. As someone pointed out earlier, even if you can't do 24/7, maybe 7am to 9pm or something like that would work, with at least some maps out after hours.
Quote from: tdindy88 on August 20, 2010, 06:46:51 PM
Tennessee I've noticed does leave their's open all day, and if I'm not correct, they leave someone there 24/7 to aid motorist,
Not surprisingly, I've stopped at Tennessee's welcome centers quite often. And, you are correct there is often someone there 24x7 but outside of "normal" hours the person is often a caretaker. But, that is still better than nothing.
Also, the maps, tourist brochures, and weather information are available at all times.
Last time I was on I-81 in West Virginia ('08), there was a little box attached to the outside of the building at the northbound welcome center, with maps in it. That's a nice touch. In defense of the states, how many of them are in budget crises? Although I'd guess - without having the figures to back it up - tourism brings in more than enough revenue to fund decent efforts to welcome tourists.
Slightly off-topic, Pennsylvania has ceased publishing the glossy state tour guide. Idiots.
When I stopped at the West Virginia Welcome Center on 68 back in 2001, they had tables full of maps.
The PTC has also stopped issuing a separate map which is unfortunate since they have a lot to promote with the opening of sections of 43 and 576 which have been taking place since the 2004.
Quote from: mightyace on August 20, 2010, 06:15:57 PM
The absolute worst is in Georgia. (at least the Welcome center on I-75 South coming from Tennessee.)
Not only do the close the welcome center at 5pm but the whole doggone building! No restrooms here after 5!
Every other state welcome center I've been to at least works like a standard rest area 24x7.
The ones on I-95 (at both the Florida and South Carolina borders) have the rest area open from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM but the rest rooms are open 24 hours.
as for worst rest areas, let's just go with Arizona. Seriously, closing them and coning them off? Utterly ridiculous. Just because you can't keep the visitor center open doesn't mean the parking area is obsolete too!
Quote from: PAHighways on August 22, 2010, 11:15:26 AM
When I stopped at the West Virginia Welcome Center on 68 back in 2001, they had tables full of maps.
What I neglected to say is that I was at this spot on 81 after hours (6 p.m. or so, in October) - so that box is a way of making maps available at all times.
I think the worst rest areas IMO are either the New Jersey Turnpike ones or the New Hampshire liquor stores on I-95 in Hampton Falls and I-93 in Hooksett. Both get crowded easily and the bathrooms are horrible.
Closing the restrooms? No. That's practically third-world. I've spent a bit of time in Europe and - at the risk of being called unpatriotic - the lack of public bathrooms in this country is just uncivilized. It's a lot better than it used to be, when road-tripping, with larger convenience stores now having them. But European cities have public facilities, whereas ours would require you to find a restaurant or some sort of shopping center or department store or (again this is a post-1990 option) large book store.... I'm a shy enough person that I won't ask a restaurant where I'm not a paying customer to use their bathroom unless I'm truly desperate.
Does the state of Georgia think nature doesn't call after 5 p.m.? I realize enough Americans are allergic to public spending, to government providing anything at all for people, that politicians will think it's a good idea to close rest areas. But this is just basic civilization. [steps off soap box, slightly sheepish]
I do agree that having closed restrooms is a major pain in the appropriate anatomical structures, but I have learned that the outdoors is one big restroom!
QuoteI do agree that having closed restrooms is a major pain in the appropriate anatomical structures, but I have learned that the outdoors is one big restroom!
This can pose problems for women as they have to go a bit deeper into the forest for proper privacy (this can be very difficult in the high Wyoming desert). As a male, though, it's quite easy to just pull right off the side of the road, aim towards your car and slightly away from traffic, and get er done.
I've also become quite good at using a 1-2 liter bottle so I don't even have to stop! That, of course, is a non-option if there's anyone in the car with you, so it's not ideal.
But yeah, easiest usually to find a box store because those are really easy to sneak in and out of without being seen. Fast food restaurants can be doable too, but you have to be a bit more careful. Gas stations are almost impossible- you pretty much have to buy something and they watch for that sort of thing.
Fortunately the really rural states like Wyoming have frequent off-interstate rest areas with constantly open restrooms (every hundred miles or so), so there's never a situation where you're going more than 100 miles without seeing some sort of bathroom-containing structure, no matter how desolate of a route you take.
WV has been upgrading thier Rest Areas on I-79. The new ones are 10x better than the old ones (but the parking is the same setup as before, but never have I seen them fully packed). They still need to upgrade the two @ Clarksburg (one for each dirrection). They did have plans going for an upgrade (even had it closed to start the process last year (2009), but something happened and the upgrade has been stop. Thankfully, WVDOT has a brain and reopened them instead of keeping them closed till they got the upgrade started again and finished.
Quote from: Michael in Philly on August 22, 2010, 11:07:21 AM
Last time I was on I-81 in West Virginia ('08), there was a little box attached to the outside of the building at the northbound welcome center, with maps in it. That's a nice touch. In defense of the states, how many of them are in budget crises? Although I'd guess - without having the figures to back it up - tourism brings in more than enough revenue to fund decent efforts to welcome tourists.
Slightly off-topic, Pennsylvania has ceased publishing the glossy state tour guide. Idiots.
Well, the hours for state welcome centers have been as they are now as far back as I can remember. (mid-80s)
The budget angle might fly now, but there have certainly been some good economic times in the last 25 years and even in the good times, the hours were still something like 8-5.
Quote from: PennDOTFan on August 22, 2010, 11:41:46 AM
I think the worst rest areas IMO are either the New Jersey Turnpike ones or the New Hampshire liquor stores on I-95 in Hampton Falls and I-93 in Hooksett. Both get crowded easily and the bathrooms are horrible.
Can't speak for New Hampshire, but I'm going to have to disagree about the Jersey Turnpike bathrooms. They are designed so as to not have doors, which is nothing but a good thing. No picking up germs off the dirty door handle!
The award for most interesting overconvenient rest area feature in my experience goes to the Maine Turnpike: vending machines that accept credit cards. I can honestly say I've never seen that anywhere else!
Quote from: mightyace on August 20, 2010, 06:15:57 PM
The absolute worst is in Georgia. (at least the Welcome center on I-75 South coming from Tennessee.)
Not only do the close the welcome center at 5pm but the whole doggone building! No restrooms here after 5!
Every other state welcome center I've been to at least works like a standard rest area 24x7.
I found the same at the one on I-20 (entering from South Carolina) a few months back, much to my chagrin (at about 2:30 AM, so not a whole lot else open either).
Quote from: bugo on August 18, 2010, 10:24:38 PM
Florida used to give away orange juice at their rest areas. Not sure if they still do or not.
At the Welcome Centers, yes. Especially at the one on southbound I-95.
Quote from: PennDOTFan on August 22, 2010, 11:18:21 AM
Quote from: mightyace on August 20, 2010, 06:15:57 PM
The absolute worst is in Georgia. (at least the Welcome center on I-75 South coming from Tennessee.)
Not only do the close the welcome center at 5pm but the whole doggone building! No restrooms here after 5!
Every other state welcome center I've been to at least works like a standard rest area 24x7.
The ones on I-95 (at both the Florida and South Carolina borders) have the rest area open from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM but the rest rooms are open 24 hours.
They also have some unorthodox entrance and exit configurations, which makes them cool. The northbound I-95 welcome center can be entered from Exit 1 and exited from an on-ramp beneath the northbound off-ramp for Exit 1. The southbound welcome center has a separate entrance for trucks with a weigh station, and they both re-enter I-95 from the same ramp.
Quote from: D-Dey65 on August 31, 2010, 12:10:41 AM
The northbound I-95 welcome center can be entered from Exit 1 and exited from an on-ramp beneath the northbound off-ramp for Exit 1.
Or you can still get off @ Exit #1 if you visit the Welcome Area first. ;)
Apparently the westbound rest area on I-84 after entering NY from CT gives out free coffee Saturdays and Sundays to encourage drivers to stop and take a break.
I personally love Virginia's rest areas and West Virginia's too. The ones on I-95 and I-81 especially are nice.
I'm not sure if they still do, but many PA rest area have coffee and donuts around major holidays. The service was provided by volunteer groups not the state.
That still happens (http://www.dot.state.pa.us/penndot/districts/d4news.nsf/fa7602f9709f548985256e97005f6fdb/70b2099ae06eedb485257790006cc3e9?OpenDocument), and the PTC holds "safety breaks (http://www.paturnpike.com/Press/2010/20100901140000.htm)" at various service plazas.
Quote from: njroadhorse on August 31, 2010, 11:14:41 AM
I personally love Virginia's rest areas and West Virginia's too. The ones on I-95 and I-81 especially are nice.
I like the ones at Daly City, because of the unique entrance & exit configurations. Too bad when they closed them last winter, they didn't repair the handicapped ramps on the northbound one.
Back in June, I wanted to go to the norhbound one on I-95 north of Florence(I always loved the land surrounding it, but something else about it intrigued me, although I can't put my finger on it), and SCDOT closed them both!!
As far as unique entrance/exit configurations, I like the one on I-85 near Lexington, NC (http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&ll=35.842499,-80.131402&spn=0.008175,0.015707&t=h&z=16). The carriageways actually cross over each other such that you're driving on the left for a decent distance (about 3 miles) and then the rest area is placed in the median. I believe there's also a monument there.
Learned this afternoon: The Maryland Welcome Center on 95 northbound between Washington and Baltimore is now open a whopping 32 hours a week (8:30 to 4:30 Thursday through Sunday). If you want a map outside these hours, find a restroom attendant. (No such person was in evidence, not that I tried that hard.)
Am resisting temptation to get started on the correlation between our national allergy to taxes and government services and the danger of sliding into third-world status. Okay, I got started. But I'm stopping. :-)
Quote from: Zmapper on August 06, 2010, 08:52:43 PM
What state do you think has the best rest areas. I nominate Iowa because they are always clean, very spacious with lots of parking, and have those electronic displays with a lot of information.
I agree with this. Plus the availability of Wi-fi.
My favorite welcome center is on I-94 For Minnesota in Moorhead MN. Least Favorite rest area, the ones that are simply toilets....yes toilets are important but if i want a drink of water i would like a vending machine so i do not have to drink the local well water that is luke warm, or hot depending on the time of year. Another decent one, barring toll roads, is a nice one i found on interstate 80 in PA, westbound there was one in a mountainy area, beautiful area, well landscaped area as well. Might have been the one just outside of danville. My only complaint is that most rest stops on non toll roads lack wifi. and finding places with free wifi is hard sometimes, just because they know you have no choice but to use them.
^^^
On those rest areas on I-80 in PA, you're lucky to have electricity in them! :sombrero:
The Sloatsburg rest area on the NB NYS Thruway (I-87) used to have a sign for a "Mincha Area". When that was considered too close to state support of a particular religion, the sign was changed to "Prayer Area". When that was considered too close state support of religion, the sign was changed to "Meeting Area". But everyone who needs to know knows what the sign means.
QuoteMy only complaint is that most rest stops on non toll roads lack wifi. and finding places with free wifi is hard sometimes, just because they know you have no choice but to use them.
McDonalds (or possibly McDonald's parking lots) is your friend.
The ones on I-17 in AZ are top-notch, IMO (the two that are left, anyway). The former rest area near Munds Park was nice as well, the one time I was there.
I'm a bit partial to the Tennessee Welcome Center on I-65 near the town of Jellico. Have been at that one a few times.