the best and worst rest areas

 

Where are the best and worst rest areas in North America?

While traveling the Interstate Highways you have stopped in many rest areas, where in your opinion are the cleanest and traveler friendly and where the filthiest and less accessible.

The cleanest and travel friendliest rest area I have come across is on Eastbound I-10 near Seguin TX, IMO every state should strive to duplicate this facility.

Location
• IH 10 - East Bound, East of Seguin
• Latitude = 29.6148 Longitude = -97.8093
• Milepost: 621
http://www.dot.state.tx.us/travel/safety_rest_areas/srahome....

The worst I have come across are in the Yukon Territories, most are just a wooden structure with a hole in the ground.

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outhouse

flaco wrote:

The worst I have come across are in the Yukon Territories, most are just a wooden structure with a hole in the ground.

Pennsylvania used to have some like that, can't remember if they were on I80 or I76. Some of the cleanest ones are on the toll-ways.

Pennsylvania?

Was the outhouses on the Turnpike?
The only travel I did on the PA turnpike was on the Northeast extension, I don't recall back in the early 80s they having any rest area, maybe one near Philly.

I got to check that out, maybe I'm wrong and there were some more, I just can't imagine an outhouse on the turnpike.

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Colorado

What I find disgusting is that many of Colorado's rest areas now have no running water to wash your hands. They have a bolted down hand sanitizer but no towels.

Colorado?

kurzemnieks wrote:

What I find disgusting is that many of Colorado's rest areas now have no running water to wash your hands. They have a bolted down hand sanitizer but no towels.

I didn't know the Colorado Rockies are running low on water, no wonder Coors is now brewed in Trenton NJ.

Still curious if anyone disagrees with my choice for best rest area, has anyone who stopped at Guadalupe County Eastbound (East of Seguin TX) ever found a cleaner and friendlier rest area somewhere else?

--
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western part

flaco wrote:

Was the outhouses on the Turnpike?
The only travel I did on the PA turnpike was on the Northeast extension, I don't recall back in the early 80s they having any rest area, maybe one near Philly.

I got to check that out, maybe I'm wrong and there were some more, I just can't imagine an outhouse on the turnpike.

I think it was in the western part of the turnpike, should be gone now, but knowing PA.

Visitors Centers

It's been my experience that usually some of the nicer rest areas are located at the visitors centers when first entering a state.

Ron

i always thought toll-way

i always thought toll-way rest stops had more funds for upkeep..? Maybe just me though... I've come across some that rival most fast food joints in cleanliness and supplies on some toll-way rest stops before.

All the Rockies' water....

flaco wrote:

I didn't know the Colorado Rockies are running low on water, no wonder Coors is now brewed in Trenton NJ.

has been shipped to Trenton....

--
Striving to make the NYC Metro area project the best.

Rest Area

The Mississippi Welcome Center on I-10 is the best I remember.

FL

I like the visitor center on I75 south just as you enter Florida ... free cold orange juice (yumm)

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Alan - Android Auto, DriveLuxe 51LMT-S, DriveLuxe 50LMTHD, Nuvi 3597LMTHD, Oregon 550T, Nuvi 855, Nuvi 755T, Lowrance Endura Sierra, Bosch Nyon

Some of the rest areas in VT

Some of the rest areas in VT (on I89) are "exceptional". There's a real nice one, very new, on I89 north before you reach the Lebanon area.

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(2) Nuvi 1450LMT + 3597LMTHD + 2557LMT + DS61LMT-S Boston MA

Rest Areas

The worst ones I have found are in Louisiana along I-10

Been there

flaco wrote:

The cleanest and travel friendliest rest area I have come across is on Eastbound I-10 near Seguin TX, IMO every state should strive to duplicate this facility.

Location
• IH 10 - East Bound, East of Seguin
• Latitude = 29.6148 Longitude = -97.8093
• Milepost: 621
http://www.dot.state.tx.us/travel/safety_rest_areas/srahome....

I have to agree, this is one of the nicer ones I have been to. I make a trip from Houston to San Antonio monthly and hit this one regularly. If you are a Geocacher there are 2 caches here as well.

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(formerly known as condump) RV 770 LMT-S, Nuvi2797LMT, Nuvi765T

Worst - Gerogia

flaco wrote:

Where are the best and worst rest areas in North America?

While traveling the Interstate Highways you have stopped in many rest areas, where in your opinion are the cleanest and traveler friendly and where the filthiest and less accessible.

The cleanest and travel friendliest rest area I have come across is on Eastbound I-10 near Seguin TX, IMO every state should strive to duplicate this facility.

Location
• IH 10 - East Bound, East of Seguin
• Latitude = 29.6148 Longitude = -97.8093
• Milepost: 621
http://www.dot.state.tx.us/travel/safety_rest_areas/srahome....

The worst I have come across are in the Yukon Territories, most are just a wooden structure with a hole in the ground.

Georgia has the absolute worst. They have been leveled. one at each end of 180 miles. nothing in the middle.
Florida has them about every 30 miles.

Florida visitor centers

The welcome centers on most of the main road going into Florida have cold Orange and Grapefruit juice at them
(they always just ran out of the vodka just before I got there)
But it is good!

--
Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things!

Oregon ones...

All the rest areas in Oregon seem to be real nice, I just assumed they were all the same everywhere, apparently not!

--
Nuvi 250W, Nuvi 265W, Nuvi 1350T, Rooted Droid

bad timing

Timantide wrote:

they always just ran out of the vodka just before I got there

Me too, gol-darnit!

Lebanon, VT?

uber360 wrote:

Some of the rest areas in VT (on I89) are "exceptional". There's a real nice one, very new, on I89 north before you reach the Lebanon area.

Are you sure about that? Vermont doesn't have a Lebanon, but New Hampshire does, on I-89 near the border.

If you are on I-89 north before Lebanon you are still in New Hampshire. You would cross the border after Lebanon, on the Connecticut River bridge....

Interstate Service Plazas

flaco wrote:

Was the outhouses on the Turnpike?
The only travel I did on the PA turnpike was on the Northeast extension, I don't recall back in the early 80s they having any rest area, maybe one near Philly.

I got to check that out, maybe I'm wrong and there were some more, I just can't imagine an outhouse on the turnpike.

Pennsylvania Turnpike doesn't have "outhouses" unless it is temporary during construction. Since a lot of the northeast toll roads predate the Interstate system that they later joined, they are permitted to have service plazas with concessions (e.g. restaurants). Most interstates are prohibited to have this by law, unless they are grandfathered (e.g. I-95 Northbound-Lexington, MA) because they were built before the Interstate designation or without Interstate funding.

Many of the northeast toll roads (Pennsylvania Turnpike NJ Turnpike, old Connecticut Turnpike, NY Thruway, Maryland JFK Highway, etc. have service plazas and originally the concession was held by Host Marriott. They even sold a free refill mug that was good at any of these back in the day.

In Pennsylvania, the service plazas on the Turnpike were contracted out to the likes of McDonalds, Sbarro, etc. in the 1980s. Some were closed permanently. The ones left are generally quite clean as they have multiple restaurants and occasionally welcome centers, in addition to fuel sales.

Survey Says

Best: At a Cal game

Worst: At a Cal game when they get their butts kicked.

Trans Canada - Prairie Provinces

Sadly, most of the "rest areas" in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are tank privies, and many of them don't get emptied as often as they should. Alberta has a lot of roadside turnouts, but few of themhave toilets. The best two I have visited are the Welcome Centres in Canmore Alberta and Field BC.

1980's

flaco wrote:

Was the outhouses on the Turnpike?
The only travel I did on the PA turnpike was on the Northeast extension, I don't recall back in the early 80s they having any rest area, maybe one near Philly.

I got to check that out, maybe I'm wrong and there were some more, I just can't imagine an outhouse on the turnpike.

On the Turnpike they always had the rest areas with food so ya didn't have to go off the turnpike.

--
John_nuvi_

On privies at rest areas

I'd say...not necessarily best or WORST, but probably "Most Improved" I'd give to Ohio. grin

Up until about the mid-90s, outside of the welcome centers entering the state you'd stand a good chance even on major interstates that the "rest area" was in fact a few vending machines and a mess of outhouses. Used to dread having to hit a rest area in Ohio as a kid grin

(In comparison, Kentucky always had flush toilets in their rest areas as long as I can remember! grin)

Georgia on the I-95

Georgia is horrible for rest stops.

Tennessee, Virginia, WV & Penn are very good.

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NUVI40 Kingsport TN

Large Bladder

David King wrote:

Georgia is horrible for rest stops.

Tennessee, Virginia, WV & Penn are very good.

Yep - gotta have a large bladder on I-95 in GA - especially Northbound.

But I remember once in TX on I-10 where I was trying to make a decision whether to stop or not at a rest Area and as I got close to one a sign read "Next Rest Area 128 miles"
Made my decision for me !

--
MrKenFL- "Money can't buy you happiness .. But it does bring you a more pleasant form of misery." NUVI 260, Nuvi 1490LMT & Nuvi 2595LMT all with 2014.4 maps !

I-20 in Georgia is not that bad

I find the ones along I-20 to be OK. Urinals have no flush valves but the're made of stainless steel and seem reasonably clean. They have running water. One had pretty tall weeds earlier this week but we've had a lot of rain so that is not unusual. The only one in Alabama I use is the entry point and it is cleaner. SC seems about the same as GA. They are at least a significant step above using the weeds at the side of the road.

Jim

I-95 Georgia

They don't want to overdo things on I-95 in Georgia.
One entering (visitor center) and on leaving the state.
Maybe all the restaurants on the side roads pay them not to have them, this way you have to get off and go into one of them to use them.
Or they are still mad about losing the Civil War and aree makng all the northerners pay.

--
Don't sweat the petty things and don't pet the sweaty things!

Mississippi

Metroparker wrote:

The Mississippi Welcome Center on I-10 is the best I remember.

That gets my vote, too.

Tampa

Has anyone been to the newly renovated RA on I75 north of Tampa? I haven’t gone in the north direction since early in 2011, after almost three years to fix it up I expect to find the Taj Mahal

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my vote

I-55 SB Welcome Center in Mississippi is one of the best I have seen.

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1490LMT 1450LMT 295w

how about some more reviews

how about some more reviews in northeast?

A 2nd vote here...

alandb wrote:

I like the visitor center on I75 south just as you enter Florida ... free cold orange juice (yumm)

I agree with this. Use it whenever we travel down into FL. Also, the one coming back into GA on I-75(also a state run rest area) is nice and clean, but no free OJ....

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Garmin Nuvi 885T

Pittsburgh area

Coming back from Pittsburgh heading toward Tennessee, I had the need to find a rest stop.

The first one was closed due to construction, the next one had no running water (storms in the area).

Had to stop at a hole-in-the-wall gas station.

Arghhhh exclaim

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NUVI40 Kingsport TN

Look Nice

flaco wrote:

Has anyone been to the newly renovated RA on I75 north of Tampa? I haven’t gone in the north direction since early in 2011, after almost three years to fix it up I expect to find the Taj Mahal

We went by them (didn't stop) on Saturday. Just looking from the highway, YES, the new buildings look pretty fancy.

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Tampa, FL - Garmin nüvi 660 (Software Ver 4.90), 2021.20 CN NA NT maps | Magellan Meridian Gold

full bladder

Gary A wrote:
flaco wrote:

Has anyone been to the newly renovated RA on I75 north of Tampa? I haven’t gone in the north direction since early in 2011, after almost three years to fix it up I expect to find the Taj Mahal

We went by them (didn't stop) on Saturday. Just looking from the highway, YES, the new buildings look pretty fancy.

On the way back from Indiana you got to stop and take a leak so you can give us a full report.

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or would it be

flaco wrote:

On the way back from Indiana you got to stop and take a leak so you can give us a full report.

an empty report??

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Illiterate? Write for free help.

I-10 entering California

I am not sure which one it is but traveling from Phoenix to LA on I-10 there is a rest stop close to the border that I will not stop at not because of dirty but it has a gazillion flies. They are so bad that one takes a chance in opening their mouth.
The first time I thought it a one timer but a year later the flies were still there .
Take a chance.
I will be driving by it next month and will give coordinates.

Pics

flaco wrote:
Gary A wrote:
flaco wrote:

Has anyone been to the newly renovated RA on I75 north of Tampa? I haven’t gone in the north direction since early in 2011, after almost three years to fix it up I expect to find the Taj Mahal

We went by them (didn't stop) on Saturday. Just looking from the highway, YES, the new buildings look pretty fancy.

On the way back from Indiana you got to stop and take a leak so you can give us a full report.

Would you like some 8x10 glossy photos? mrgreen wink laugh out loud laugh out loud laugh out loud laugh out loud

Actually, we only drive one way to deliver my in-laws car. We will be flying back this Sunday... sorry.

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Tampa, FL - Garmin nüvi 660 (Software Ver 4.90), 2021.20 CN NA NT maps | Magellan Meridian Gold