CLEAN BATHROOMS AND GAS…read more.. On a Jeep run and Pub Crawl in Islamorada, FL and stopped in at this rest stop to cool off the engines. Heat index today at 107 degrees. Shell station attached to this rest stop.

The restrooms are clean and gas prices are fair. I was shocked that they were same prices as Palm…read moreBay. There's a Dunkin Donuts in gas station if you're hungry. They accept Apple Pay, which worked out perfectly since I lost my card. I had to stay the night in my vehicle here and I felt so safe. The State Trooper patrols the area. I did see one car with a boot but I'm guessing they left it unattended as there are signs warning not to do so.

Better known as the Mile Marker 35 rest stop (sometimes referred to as the Broward County rest stop…read moreor Alligator Alley rest stop), this public rest stop is arguably one of the most unique rest stops you will find in the entire country! Located on the east bound side of I-75 (headed towards Miami), the rest stop can be accessed from both directions from I-75. Whether you are driving through, pass, or stopping in, this overall area is special in that you find yourself in the Florida Everglades. You will be able to see the intricate tributaries that stretch across the glades/swamp land as you're driving into the rest stop. Fishermen can be spotted fishing along the on/off ramps of the rest stop reflecting the coveted local fishery. While you won't find convenient stores or restaurants at this rest stop, it makes up for in the educational displays and 40-foot tower and multi-level boardwalk complex that stretches across a quarter mile. This site serves as an arboretum and outdoor wetland exhibit through which the boardwalk offers improved walking trails through. As you walk through the area, you will be able to observe and spot the native flora and fauna. It's definitely a great way to stretch your legs, while the multi-level boardwalk is ADA/wheelchair/stroller friendly and accessible. You can also bring your leashed pets through this area. Of course there are restrooms and light vending machines available, but that is not the key feature to this rest stop. Don't miss the chance to check out this unique rest stop and get a peak into the natural beauty of the glades! Highly recommend making this once-in-a-lifetime stop if you're travelling along this route.

I gotta say, I've been all over the sunshine state and this rest stop was the greatest one I've…read moreever been to. Not only does the place have clean floors, but the place has decor, a bird statue, a map of Florida with interactive buttons?! Ladies and gentlemen, this is no average rest stop. I highly recommend stopping by to take a piss before you continue driving to wherever you're going.

Stopped in today during a busy travel day after the Thanksgiving holiday, the traffic on the…read moreturnpike was pretty heavy and since I didn't fuel the RV on the way down to the Keys I figured I should top it off anticipating some stop and go delays. These service plazas are left lane exits so it can be a challenge getting over when the traffic is heavy but once I made the ramp the layout here makes it reality easy to navigate and access the truck lanes to get to the separate diesel pump island. The fueling island is remote and like most truck fueling you have to prepay inside prior to pumping, this is quite the walk past the Tesla Superchargers then through the gas pumps, I purposely under estimated how many gallons I needed so I wouldn't have to make a second trip inside to get a receipt for the actual gallons I pumped so I definitely missed the mark on filling the tank but I knew I'd stop again once I got closer to home so I could put her in the garage with a full tank in preparation for our next trip. As expected the inside was extremely busy I think I was at least 10 customers back to pay, they did have both registered staffed so the line did move rather quickly. It seemed everyone was ordering food so that wasn't an option even the wait for a cup of coffee was more than I was willing to wait so I made a cup in the Keurig once I got back in the bus before getting back on the road - overall a pretty good experience...

On-the-Turnpike gas station, food, tourist info, and convenience store. Oh! Cannot forget clean…read morerestrooms with toilet paper. Sometimes it's hours between road trip stops. This station has Pizza Hut, Wendy's, and Dunkin Donuts. Let your kids run around. There is a dog park, too. Grab a coffee, Powerball ticket, or a snack, gas up your vehicle, and jump back on the road. You will enjoy the drive more. Safe travels.

I stopped by this evening. This is a nice truck stop. Very clean. All of the employees that I…read moretalked to were nice & pleasant. I ate dinner in there restaurant, Nick's. The service was good, food quality was great. I had the turkey dinner. It was as good as any I've had anywhere. Better then Petro. You get more than enough. I will be back. They have security roaming around the parking area. That's nice to know. BUT,,,, they are a little pricey on the parking. But, then again, this is Miami area.

I was in the area I stopped in to have a beer. I ended up ordering the chicken wings, honey,…read moregarlic, fresh and delicious. Even the chef came out to say hi. He told me they were running a special on ribeye steak with mashed potatoes. I said let's do it medium rare and I'm so glad I did. I didn't expect this quality in this truck stop Congratulations five stars absolutely delicious

This is a service plaza on the FLorida turnpike. It's located between the northbound and…read moresouthbound lanes which makes exiting the plaza into traffic interesting. In my mind, the primary purpose of a highway rest or service area is CLEAN, well-maintained restrooms. THis service plaze aced that criteria. Second, it's important that it have plenty of well-lite parking - another ace. And finally, it's important that you be able to grab a bite to eat. This service plaza excelled in that category with a Burger King,, Pizza Hut, Dukin Donuts, and a mini supermarket. There was enought variety to satisfy any traveler. Kudos to the State of Florida or the Florida Turnpike people (whoever's in charge) - this is what a service plaze should be.

Anything less than five stars for the West Palm Beach Service Plaza would be holy sacrilege…read more Because when you have to go... you have to go. And this place understands that sacred human truth better than most institutions of government. I rolled in, weary and road-blind, and emerged victorious with almond M&M's and a Diet Coke--because balance is important and freedom isn't free. It's a rest stop, sure, but it's a good rest stop. Clean bathrooms. Bright lights. Functional logistics. No weird energy. No fear. And let's take a moment to respect the visionaries--the powdered-wig geniuses who planned the Florida Turnpike with stops along the way so modern Americans could safely shuttle back and forth to the mouse without descending into chaos. Call it infrastructure. Call it foresight. Call it patriotism with air conditioning. This is not a place you critique. This is a place you appreciate. You don't Yelp a lifeboat. You thank it.

WOWZA this rest stop is def a throw back to the 70's. The inside looks like a space ship. Very…read moregroovy. There isn't anything out here but this twilight zone rest stop so we just had to stop here as we are on another one of our Davy Crockett journeys. I wouldn't stop here again though, unless it was an emergency, as the single changing restroom was filthy :( Sir Hubbers said the only thing good about it was they have real toilet paper. LOL Beam me up Scotty! Hahaha hahaha hahaha. You have entered the twilight zone here OuiOui.

This was a great place to stop on our way to south Florida. Clean facilities and vending machines…read moreavailable if you need a snack!

The rest stop on I-75 (Alligator Alley) at Mile Marker 35 is a unique nature destination, not just…read morea pit stop, featuring a four-story observation tower for panoramic wetland views, extensive boardwalks through native plants, educational exhibits, playgrounds, dog parks, and picnic areas, transforming a basic rest stop into an environmental education center and scenic oasis for families and travelers to experience the Everglades up close. It's about 10 miles west of the Weston toll plaza. They have many things as well - a Four-Story Observation Tower: A 40-foot-tall structure that provides panoramic 360-degree views of the surrounding wetlands and is accessible via a long ramp. Elevated Boardwalks: An extensive network of winding boardwalks over a three-acre engineered wetland, allowing visitors to view native flora and fauna safely. Nature Exhibits: The site includes a wetland plant exhibit, an arboretum with native landscaping, and informative kiosks about the Everglades ecosystem. One of these days I will get to the tower, boardwalks and nature exhibits. I do know that it is a perfect place to use their restrooms! And they are new now!

Clean and convenient when you need a rest and coffee or snack. I thought…read more the rest stop was clean and well lit. The vending machines had all kinds of coffee and I choose the hot chocolate. I wish the cups had cardboard holder because the chocolate came out super hot to the touch. The vending machines had all kinds of snacks even ice cream. Glad for this rest top to stretch the legs.

Where to start , hair in the room, shower hose leaking, horrible bed sheet , toilet paper holder…read morehanging for is life, shower tiles broken , floor wood panels coming off the ground , construction or renovation the room next door or top for 3 days straight from on weekend with no signage to let the guests know, rust all around the windows, no curtains to block the sun coming through around all the windows . The only good thing it's the central location and economical. You can tell when owners of the kind of place don't invest back in their investment and it's what you get when only put makeup over an already beat up place . The person who does the maintenance work as definitely when the BET to be the cheapest one . That contractor should be a shame to provide this type of work . Good luck

To say we are disappointed would be a understatement. We were going to a concert in the area and…read moreneeded somewhere quick and cheap to stay. The pictures were cute so we booked it but then our concert cancelled. We tried to move the date of the air bnb and was told no due to the policy, even though there was a category 4 hurricane hitting the state. We went anyways and decided to make the best of it but it only got worse. We walked in to dirty carpet(not the beautiful pictured hardwood), mold in the bathroom, stains in the bedding, dirty walls, etc. Overall the place looked like it was held together by spackle and paint. We left and bought another hotel because we were not comfortable staying at such a dirty place. We requested a refund and was told we'd be contacted by a manger and got no response. If you are debating between picking this place and another, choose the other. If you are about to book this, do yourself a favor and find something better. These reviews cannot be real.

This Shark Valley trail itself is five stars, but the way it's operated isn't…read more Get there early if you'd like peace and quiet before the trams start which seems to be 9:30. Trail is paved, direct sunlight. In Jan saw over 60 gators a couple crocs. Took about 2.5 hrs with stopping to watch. Most national parks will allow you to access and pay earlier hours -- this park doesn't. This park gate opens at 8:30am, and creates a line that goes out into traffic, clearly only catering to people using the trams. We had to park on the Hwy and bike in, which was allowed but there was someone at the booth even at 730 to take money-- why not just open the parking lot early if someone is manning it anyway? To cater to the trams, which are very expensive. We were trying to enjoy watching some baby gators and the tram came up to about a foot behind us on our bikes to loudly scream over an intercom about the babies. Really takes away from the natural experience.

I am generally a fan of National Parks. The Everglades is fairly uniform and spread out over a huge…read morearea. There are multiple entrances (and perhaps visitors' centers) but we only checked out this one. Shark Valley is about an hour west of Miami on Hwy 41. En route, you pass 3 - 4 airboat tour companies that all take you near or into part of the park on their tours. That is, to me, the quintessential Everglades experience. However, you can't do that tour at the Park HQ. At Shark Valley, the main apparent draw is a large (15-mile) loop road that goes south from the highway. At the far end is some tall observation tower. You cannot drive on this road, so you have 3 options: walk it, rent a bike from the ranger station, or take a periodic tram tour (2 hours) that costs (I think) about $34. When we arrived, it was already 3 p.m. and if we took the 4 p.m. tram tour, we'd have been driving back through downtown Miami in the dark. Traffic there is scary enough in daylight, so we skipped that. They also had a boil water advisory that day (?), so we could not refill our water bottles. The ranger station was nice enough, with a few exhibits. I think the entrance fee is $20 per car. When we arrived, the lot was full so you could either wait in a short line of cars (where the let one in as one left) or park out on a wide shoulder of Hwy 41 and walk to the ranger station (probably about 1/3 of a mile one way). Depending on what sort of Everglades experience you're looking for, this may be worth a stop. Or you may just want to choose one of the airboat places instead.

Fontainebleau Miami isn't just a hotel -- it's a full‑scale Miami moment. The kind of place where…read moreyou walk into the lobby and instantly feel like you've stepped into a glossy magazine spread. High ceilings, marble everywhere, and a buzz that tells you you're in the right place. What impressed me most? There's genuinely plenty to do for all ages, which is not something you can say about every Miami resort. Whether you're traveling with kids, teens, adults, or a multigenerational crew, everyone finds their lane here. The pool scene is the heartbeat of the property. Multiple pools, each with its own personality -- family-friendly areas with space to splash, quieter corners for lounging, and the high-energy spots where the music and cocktails flow. Service was dialed in across the board: fast, friendly, and always one step ahead. Rooms were spotless and stylish, with balconies that make you want to order room service just to soak in the view a little longer. Housekeeping kept everything crisp, and every request was met with that effortless "of course" attitude. Dining is another standout. From quick bites to full-on fine dining, everything was fresh, flavorful, and beautifully presented. Even the grab-and-go spots felt elevated. And if nightlife is your thing, you don't need to leave the property -- the energy here after dark is pure Miami. But if you're traveling with kids or just want a low-key night, the resort still feels comfortable and accessible. Fontainebleau nails that rare balance of iconic luxury and all-ages fun. It's bold, glamorous, and buzzing in all the right ways, yet still manages to be welcoming and easy to enjoy no matter who you're traveling with. A true Miami classic that continues to deliver. Enjoy

I would never stay at the Fontainebleau Miami again. We booked 6 junior suites for 12 people for a…read moreproposal weekend and stayed 4 nights, with one room being a full suite -- and the experience was honestly shocking for a hotel at this price point. The Fontainebleau Las Vegas is impeccable, so we expected the same level of luxury and service here. Unfortunately, this location feels run down and poorly managed. The beds literally cave in in the middle, rooms feel outdated, and basic amenities were a struggle. There's nowhere to get ice yourself -- you have to call for it -- except no one ever brought it despite us requesting it multiple times over all 4 days. For a "luxury" hotel, there were also no slippers, no robes, and no 24-hour room service, which was surprising considering the price point and reputation. The full suite, which was the most expensive room we booked, had multiple issues: the shower head was rusted with water barely coming out of several holes, and the refrigerator leaked huge puddles onto the floor. We even encountered very rude interactions with both a poolside employee and a pool restaurant employee. Monday morning, my boyfriend and I wanted to sit in a cabana for literally 10 minutes to eat a bagel and coffee we had purchased from their café because we simply needed shade. The entire pool area was practically empty, yet we were shooed away in a very disrespectful manner. Later, when we went to COTE for lunch, the food and drinks were amazing and our servers were fantastic -- but once again, the front desk staff had a condescending attitude. We were asking what seating was available and discussing options within our group since we wanted a normal sit-down table. After we asked a follow-up question to clarify what wasn't available, the hostess responded with, "Do you want me to show you the tables so you can figure it out?" Meanwhile, the tables, couches, and bar seating were directly in front of us. We were simply trying to understand the wait and seating situation, not asking to be spoken to disrespectfully. What made the experience even worse was management. While discussing concerns at checkout and showing photos/videos, the manager was sitting on her phone while we were speaking to her. I've genuinely never seen someone so unprofessional in a management position at a luxury hotel. On top of that, friends and family tried sending champagne to the suite for the proposal celebration. It became unbelievably difficult. Emails went unanswered, calls weren't returned after multiple attempts, and one person who paid for the champagne had to text us directly asking if we received it -- because the hotel never delivered it. Only after they called again the following day to complain did the champagne finally arrive. Overall, this hotel feels like it stays busy mainly because of conventions and the iconic name, not because of the actual guest experience. The only highlight? The late-night food truck was honestly 10/10.