I am in the process of working on a project where I document various rest stops throughout the country.
I am hoping to create a piece that looks at the changing nature of rest stops in America. In the past they were designed to be places where people could stop, cook a meal, play with the kids, and after an hour or so move on.
Now many are constructed only for a quick bathroom break and maybe a candy bar from a vending machine, but I am trying to find ones that are better that that. I was hoping I might be able to enlist some fellow road travelers to help me scope out some interesting places. If you come across an interesting rest stop, I’d love to know about it.
Old or new is fine. I am also ok with older ones that aren’t fantastic and even run down. Usually you can tell the older ones by the BBQs. The only requirement is it needs to be a publicly funded stop, not a business.
So if you see one, feel free to PM me or to reply on this thread. GPS coordinates are great, but just the road number + mile marker or nearest exit will do. Please jot a note about what made you want to include it.
I’ll be traveling summer ’17, but I’m really getting into it summer/fall ’18. It would be great to hit the road with a big list of possibilities. I figured I’d ask around early to give more time for people to stumble onto something good.
Anyway, I’d really appreciate any leads you guys might have. Thanks!
Some examples:
My favorite one so far is in Paxico Kansas on I-70. That place is magic. It serves both east and west and there is a center section that is somewhat hidden, and when you enter it looks like it was frozen in time from 50s/60s. On top of it, if you stay the night there are wild bunnies all over.
There’s one on I-80 in CA that has a small hiking trail attached to it with information about the gold rush era. The signs are falling apart and it is not maintained.
Sometimes things get interesting on their own. Once stop on CA-99 has a large group of feral cats that migrate from a farm every evening and take the joint over.