The Best Rest Stops in the United States

State welcome centers

Southeast Wyoming Welcome Center in Cheyenne sits on Interstate 25 and includes a free museum, a dog park, RV dump stations and overnight truck and RV parking. Ashland Welcome Center stands on I-5 at the California border into Oregon, with three buildings and a staffed information desk that offers free coffee and state maps. Guilford Welcome Center on I-91 North near Guilford is housed in a post-and-beam barn. The Interstate 10 Florida Welcome Center near Pensacola has a Blue Angels jet display, and the Georgia Welcome Center in Port Wentworth has a Forrest Gump sculpture. Other state centers in the list are in Elkmont, Alabama; Valley Head, Alabama; Bristol, Tennessee; Goodland, Kansas; Hannacroix, New York; Conneaut, Ohio; and West Memphis, Arkansas.

Truck stops and travel centers

TA Travel Center beside I-44 near Mt Vernon has a deli-style food counter, a Wendy's and a large truck lot. Compass Travel Center in De Motte, Indiana, sits beside Interstate 65 and has fuel lanes, a Dunkin' and a full-service restaurant. Jubitz Truck Stop in Portland combines fuel, a restaurant, a hotel, a movie theater and a bar on one campus. Duck Stop Travel Center on 75th Street in Hodgkins, Illinois, serves made-to-order food, including Italian beef and chocolate cake. Dodge City Petro in Hanceville, Alabama, keeps fast food and a large shop under one roof. Love's Travel Stop in Las Cruces, New Mexico, lies on Interstate 10 and has RV sites with full hookups. TA Express near Norwood, Missouri, is on Highway 60 and has a sit-down food area and a driver lounge.

Roadside rest areas

Roselawn Rest Area in De Motte, Indiana, has a fenced dog park, a playground and a walking path that loops around a pond. Clear Creek Welcome Center & Rest Area in West Terre Haute is a newer Indiana site with separate truck and car parking and a race car display tied to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Fayette County Rest Area on Interstate 71 in Jeffersonville, Ohio, has a storybook trail and a lodge-style building. Chamberlain Rest Area sits on a hill above the Missouri River beside Interstate 90 in South Dakota, where the Dignity of Earth and Sky sculpture stands. I 24 Rest Area Jasper is on an island in the Tennessee River and has picnic pavilions close to the highway. The Common Man Roadside on Route 93 in Hooksett, New Hampshire, sells apple cider donuts and has a state liquor store inside.