Famous rest/road stops

[TravelingBethelite]

Here on AARoads, we know we're all about the roads. But what about the stops, the rest areas, and most importantly, tourist traps ?! What are some famous ones, i.e. Wall Drug (only 1724.3 miles for me to go!) and South of the Border?

[Brandon]

New Buffalo, Michigan Welcome Center.  Has the distinction of being the first such welcome center in the US.  It was originally on US-12, and moved to I-94 when the freeway opened.

[ET21]

Mainly from my childhood, but I loved stopping at a Wisconsin rest somewhere along I-39/90/94 a long time ago and playing on their awesome playground.

Otherwise, I'm content with any of the IL tollway rest stops where I sit and watch traffic speed on by while eating my sandwich 

[roadman65]

Years ago in Southfields, NY between Tuxedo and Harriman, along NY 17 there was a famous place that travelers between New York City and The Catskills used to stop at before the  NY Thruway was built along with the present day Future I-86 Freeway (Quickway). 

Unfortunately, even though it survived the Thruway bypassing it, it closed back in the early 2000's and now the building (according to some websites) just stands there abandoned and condemned by those in charge of building inspections in the area.

It supposedly marked the halfway point between the city and mountains, however if it was calculated by NY 17 only using it to pass through Middletown and Monticello and entering the Catskills from that end, I could not see that being true.  However, if it was that many before the Thruway used NY 17, from NJ via the Lincoln Tunnel, then NY 32 to there or switching over to US 9W at Newburgh, that would be more sensible.   Though, I would have thought that US 9 or US 9W from New York City would be the route to take if following the Hudson River highways that most took to Albany and Montreal would have been the way to go pre thruway.

[briantroutman]

On I-80, the two most notable roadside stops are Iowa 80 in Walcott, IA and Little America in WY.

Iowa 80 is, according to the signs, the World's Largest Truckstop, although somehow it manages to seem less than impressive in person. Nevertheless, I always stop on my coast-to-coast drives.

Little America is like South of the Border or JR Cigar in NC in the way the company has carpet-bombed the roadside with its billboards. For hundreds of miles: "75¢ Cones!"  (They were 50¢ until a few years ago.)

[Zzonkmiles]

South of the Border on the NC/SC border is probably the most popular/well  known one on I-95 in the South.

I want to say the Florida Welcome Center as soon as you cross over from Georgia  on I-95 is also really popular. I know they usually have free orange and grapefruit juice for the visitors and it's quite tasty.

[Zeffy]

I don't know which of them is the most well known, but the rest stops/service areas on the New Jersey Turnpike have to be pretty famous seeing as the road is an American icon.

The Chesapeake House and the Maryland House in Maryland both were packed when I went down there, so I'm not sure if they are famous or not. Their facilities are some of the most ultra-modern I've seen from a rest area though.

[Rothman]

Speaking of the New Jersey Turnpike, the Vince Lombardi Service Area sticks out in my mind.  Don't have any data that it's the most visited out of the bunch, but it's definitely a place where out-of-towners decompress after braving the Cross-Bronx.

[jeffandnicole]

The Chesapeake House and the Maryland House in Maryland both were packed when I went down there, so I'm not sure if they are famous or not. Their facilities are some of the most ultra-modern I've seen from a rest area though.

Famous - not really. Convenient - Extremely.  Along with the Delaware Service Plaza, many people probably stop in at least one of them.

[Rothman]

I dunno.  Chesapeake House -- just going by my anecdotal experience -- would count as "famous" for those that travel the Megalopolis between Boston and DC at least somewhat frequently (even if only once a year or so).

[Dr Frankenstein]

Quebec used to have "Le Madrid", on A-20 halfway between Montreal and Quebec City. It had a restaurant, a convenience store, a motel and conference rooms, plus monster trucks and giant dinosaur figures all over its lawn. Oh, and a resident singer selling CDs out of his minivan (Normand L'Amour). Beautifully kitsch and tasteless all around. Not as awful as South of the Border on I-95; just weird.

It was closed and demolished in 2011, then replaced by a much more modern and bland "Madrid 2.0" selling overpriced gas.

Wikipedia article (in French, with pictures)
More pics

[roadman]

The rest stops on the Everett Turnpike (I-93) in Hooksett NH are noteworthy because they also have State Liquor Stores as well, which have recently been rebranded as the NH Wine and Liquor Centers.

[Pete from Boston]

Gateway Travel Plaza, Breezewood, Pennsylvania.  I look forward to stopping there every time I drive the Pennsylvania Turnpike.  It's the largest private travel center I know of.  It features cool photos and descriptions of its history and growth since the dawn of the Turnpike, as well as displays of badges from when it was a regular stop for military convoys.

Years ago in Southfields, NY between Tuxedo and Harriman, along NY 17 there was a famous place that travelers between New York City and The Catskills used to stop at before the  NY Thruway was built along with the present day Future I-86 Freeway (Quickway). 

Unfortunately, even though it survived the Thruway bypassing it, it closed back in the early 2000's and now the building (according to some websites) just stands there abandoned and condemned by those in charge of building inspections in the area.

It supposedly marked the halfway point between the city and mountains, however if it was calculated by NY 17 only using it to pass through Middletown and Monticello and entering the Catskills from that end, I could not see that being true.  However, if it was that many before the Thruway used NY 17, from NJ via the Lincoln Tunnel, then NY 32 to there or switching over to US 9W at Newburgh, that would be more sensible.   Though, I would have thought that US 9 or US 9W from New York City would be the route to take if following the Hudson River highways that most took to Albany and Montreal would have been the way to go pre thruway.

Red Apple Rest.  Been decaying for a dozen years or more.  They say people used to rub elbows with celebrities returning from gigs in the Catskills there late at night.  This is also when that road was lined with motor-court motels, presumably because getting out of the city then crawling up Route 17 through the traffic lights of those days meant it was time to stop for the night somewhere.  There is still a declining collection of these in Ramsey, New Jersey, and elsewhere.

Speaking of the New Jersey Turnpike, the Vince Lombardi Service Area sticks out in my mind.  Don't have any data that it's the most visited out of the bunch, but it's definitely a place where out-of-towners decompress after braving the Cross-Bronx.

It is the most "famous" to me for various reasons, including the one you mention.  I confess to having had a nap or two at dawn there after a late night in the city, safer than most nearby alternatives.  Vince Lombardi is also sort of infamous in local lore as a meeting place for ne'er-do-wells, but I haven't heard anything serious out of there in recent years.

Oh yeah, it's also one of a dozen places Jimmy Hoffa is buried.

[slorydn1]

For me it was the Des Plaines Oasis on the Northwest-oops sorry- Jane Adams Tollway. After I got my license and started driving to the River Road CTA station from Schaumburg I would stop there at the McDonald's for breakfast and coffee most mornings. There was something about watching the traffic crawl under the place that I just marvelled at as a 17 year old.

+1 to Rothman for mentioning the Vince Lombardi service plaza on the NJ Turnpike as well, I had been there a few times in the 90's.

The Fla Welcome Center on I-75 was always on my dad's must stop list during our Christmas vacation trips from Chicago to Miami growing up. My dad would make an over exaggerated point of taking in a deep breath of the warm(er) Florida air, and all coats were ordered off to be stuck in the trunk for the remainder of the trip. The free orange juice was an added bonus! I don't believe I have ever been to the one on I-95 as all of my trips to FL from NC have been with me driving, and stopping somewhere where I can't get gas for the car is usually not on my itinerary (much to my wife's bladder's chagrin).

[GaryV]

The Fla Welcome Center on I-75 was always on my dad's must stop list during our Christmas vacation trips from Chicago to Miami growing up. My dad would make an over exaggerated point of taking in a deep breath of the warm(er) Florida air, and all coats were ordered off to be stuck in the trunk for the remainder of the trip. The free orange juice was an added bonus! I don't believe I have ever been to the one on I-95 as all of my trips to FL from NC have been with me driving, and stopping somewhere where I can't get gas for the car is usually not on my itinerary (much to my wife's bladder's chagrin).

And a car wash to get rid of all the road salt.  (Soon to be replaced with sea salt spray, if you were staying near the ocean.)

[slorydn1]

The Fla Welcome Center on I-75 was always on my dad's must stop list during our Christmas vacation trips from Chicago to Miami growing up. My dad would make an over exaggerated point of taking in a deep breath of the warm(er) Florida air, and all coats were ordered off to be stuck in the trunk for the remainder of the trip. The free orange juice was an added bonus! I don't believe I have ever been to the one on I-95 as all of my trips to FL from NC have been with me driving, and stopping somewhere where I can't get gas for the car is usually not on my itinerary (much to my wife's bladder's chagrin).

And a car wash to get rid of all the road salt.  (Soon to be replaced with sea salt spray, if you were staying near the ocean.)

Ah yes, I had forgotten about that! Yep our final destination was always Sunny Isles, right on the ocean.

[roadman65]

The Vinita Service Area on I-44 (Will Rogers Turnpike) seemed quite popular as its arched roof and built like the Illinois Oasis' are draws your attention.  Over the years many different restaurant tennents have been inside, but the atmosphere seems the same.  That is watching the cars and trucks pass under you while you dine is quite impressive.  It has to be famous because in the area its one of a kind and in a great location between Joplin and Tulsa.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

The South Dakota rest areas with giant teepees were pretty cool I thought.

[cpzilliacus]

On I-95 in Virginia, there is the large collection of truck stops in Carmel Church or Ruther Glen in Caroline County, all clustered around the Va. 207 (Exit 104, Rogers Clark Boulevard) interchange.

The next truck services headed north on I-95 are in Jessup, Howard County, Maryland south of Baltimore, which is about 117 miles distant from Virginia Exit 104.

[noelbotevera]

On I-95 in Virginia, there is the large collection of truck stops in Carmel Church or Ruther Glen in Caroline County, all clustered around the Va. 207 (Exit 104, Rogers Clark Boulevard) interchange.

The next truck services headed north on I-95 are in Jessup, Howard County, Maryland south of Baltimore, which is about 117 miles distant from Virginia Exit 104.

Eh, you can do a truck stop in Richmond. The next major city is Alexandria and Washington DC.

[kkt]

In California --

The late Nut Tree in Vacaville

Casa de Fruta in Hollister

Gowan's Oak Tree near Philo, the least changed of the three.  But the highway it's on is minor, though pretty.

Collier Rest Area on I-5 mile 786.  A pretty stop, on the riverbank, shaded by trees.  No food or souvenirs but a pretty place to stop and stretch.  Also if you're heading south and the weather over the Siskiyous was a challenge, by the Collier Rest Area the worst is usually over.  And on the other hand, if you're heading north, stretch and get refreshed before you hit the summit.

Collier Tunnel Rest Area -- on US 199.  (Collier gets around, doesn't he?)  Another pretty spot with a view of the tunnel portal, trees, and canyon.  Again, nothing to buy, just stretch, picnic if you brought food, bathroom and water.

[cpzilliacus]

On I-95 in Virginia, there is the large collection of truck stops in Carmel Church or Ruther Glen in Caroline County, all clustered around the Va. 207 (Exit 104, Rogers Clark Boulevard) interchange.

The next truck services headed north on I-95 are in Jessup, Howard County, Maryland south of Baltimore, which is about 117 miles distant from Virginia Exit 104.

Eh, you can do a truck stop in Richmond. The next major city is Alexandria and Washington DC.

Note that I wrote truck services.  There are none on I-95 between Virginia Exit 104 and Maryland Exit 41. There are a few places where a truck can probably purchase Diesel fuel, but not that many of those either.

There are no truck services in Alexandria and no truck services in the District of Columbia.

[tidecat]

The Alabama welcome center on I-65 south has a Saturn 1B Rocket on its grounds.

[thenetwork]

Surprised nobody has mentioned yet the king of the tourist trap,.... er attractions yet:

Wall Drug -- I-90 -- Wall, SD.

[Purgatory On Wheels]

Surprised nobody has mentioned yet the king of the tourist trap,.... er attractions yet:

Wall Drug -- I-90 -- Wall, SD.

You mean, besides the OP?