Interstate Rest Area Guide

[Jerry Winchester]

Anyone know of an online source to determine where the rest areas are on the Interstate highway system?

I have Googled it, but just get disjointed state by state data and it is not very well organized.

[Darl-Wilson]

Jerry, DieselBoss has it all. This website has about everything needed for cross-country travel for truckers (and POGers) You have RA locations for all 50 states plus fuel prices for all the major sellers, and much, much, more. Try it and let me know if I am full of Tacos!! OK, so it doesn't have Interstate BBQ joints.

Darl

[Jon Wehrenberg]

A word of caution....over the course of many miles recently we were surprised by rest areas that were closed.

Some were obviously being upgraded or rebuilt. I can understand how that would necessitate a closure, even though there was no prior warning. On several occasions we passed a rest area expecting to stop at the next one down the road. We assumed because there was a sign that indiacted the next rest area was in XX miles there would be one.

On more than one occasion the anticipated rest area was closed, but until we got to the sign one mile from the rest area there was no clue. Several of those that were closed had no apparent reason for the closure.

OK was especially guilty, and we have noted TN does not have many rest areas and some of those are closed. SC is the state with the most closures especially along I 26.

[Jerry Winchester]

Well I have been grinding along on this trip plan and it looks like the best option for the first night out is to hit a rest area in the middle of Mississippi.

Darl's link provided one at exit 106 on I-59, but the trip planning software doesn't show it, so it may be new. I know we have three or four new rest areas coming online on both I-45 and I-10 in Texas, so Jon's point about the old ones being closed is right. They closed the old ones way before they got the new ones built. Go figure.

I think I was most impressed with the Florida rest areas. Lots of parking and security guards and they seemed pretty close. Guess those old folks have to stop often to pee.

[Danss]

Jerry, if you are coming on I-10 and` I-12 to Slidell, La then north on I-59, go about 8 miles further on I-10 toward the Ms. Gul Coast and their is a great rest area with security.and free tours of the space facility. Dan

[rmboies]

[QUOTE=Jerry Winchester;29815]Well I have been grinding along on this trip plan and it looks like the best option for the first night out is to hit a rest area in the middle of Mississippi. Darl's link provided one at exit 106 on I-59, but the trip planning software doesn't show it, so it may be new. I know we have three or four new rest areas coming online on both I-45 and I-10 in Texas, so Jon's point about the old ones being closed is right. They closed the old ones way before they got the new ones built. Go figure.

Jerry, think like a woman for a minute and call the State Highway Patrol or Highway department and ask which ones are open I know, I know, I need to head on over to the ladies forum.....Do you have the new edition of "The Next Exit"? It shows several rest areas along I-59 but not one of them has restroom facilities. They have parking lanes and trash cans though! Exits 106,109, 56, 13, 8. The last one is a welcome center with dumpsite available exit 3.
Debi

[Jerry Winchester]

Well since I am traveling with my own personal taco grinder, I typically just need a place to stop. When Rae and I were headed to Sevierville, we got out east of Memphis and every rest area or parking area was full. We finally got the last spot (unlevel with the Hummer hanging out) out somewhere west of Nashville. Now I don't think 59 is travelled that hard, but I don't want to get past Meridian and end up in a WalMart.

I'm bunking next to the King of Bling on Friday night, so if anyone is in the Bristol area, I hear he lives on a hog waller that used to be a lake and he cooks a mean possum. I can hardly wait.

[Loc]

Winchester,

Two pages of posts about rest areas. Things must be slow in Cooter-land. Just "man-up" and stay in the Wal-Mart for a couple of hours. I know the Deuce will get some funky Wally-world film on it, but it will wash off. If you go to www.wal-mart.com and click on the store finder link at the bottom of the home page it will allow you to find stores in the general area of where you think you end up. It will even draw you a map with instructions. There are locations in Hattiesburg, Laurel and Meridian (all a stones throw or half mile from I-59). If you are making really good time you can consider the Flying J in Bessemer, Alabama which is about 20 miles west of Birmingham.

Thanks in advance for the "bite me" comment.

Loc

[Loc]

For those of you wondering (maybe one person), flame snuffer techno-boy just called with a verbal "bite-me". Evidently he is advanced enough to implement immediate notification of posts on the internet, but needs remedial bus parking classes.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

He is clearly challenged because his entire experience with the coach appears to have been tailgating.

Unlike the rest of us who know about things like rest areas and Wal-Marts he has wasted several pages of space on the forum trying to find free places to park.

As an alternate he could actually consider those things they call campgrounds, but he may be afraid to do that because in his limited experience he knows buses in campgrounds get decorated with blow up dolls and plastic shields.