the best and worst rest areas

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.

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.

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?

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

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 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.

has been shipped to Trenton....

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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!

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

Me too, gol-darnit!

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....

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.

Best: At a Cal game

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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 !

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

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.

That gets my vote, too.

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

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

how about some more reviews in northeast?

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....

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

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.

an empty report??

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.

Would you like some 8x10 glossy photos?

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