Rest stop at the Big Cypress National Preserve in Collier County. The reserve was sadly closed but…read morethe restrooms were open and took 15 minutes walking around the area to get the blood back into my legs from the long drive so far. Not the cleanest bathrooms but decent. Covered picnic tables and soda vending machines too. Human trafficking hotline notices affixed to the walls.

Needed a rest area off the i75 highway and this one was a mid way point to my destination on the…read morewest coast. There were many handicap spots and close parking only steps to the bathrooms. A few vending machines but not much else. The bathroom was clean but no attendant around.

Whether you're heading I75 north or south across Alligator Alley, this service plaza checks off all…read morethe boxes in terms of travel needs. Being one of the only structures around for miles it's a great place to pull into. It's undergone significant renovations in past years so the current condition is really good. With a convenience store, cafe, Dunkin & large restroom that's always clean, you might as well stop by. Within the massive parking lot you'll find plenty of pumps to fill up. The spaces are huge so they accommodate any vehicle whether a motorcycle or RV. The gas prices are relatively accurate in comparison to any "regular" gas station you might go to. It's good to see they don't raise their prices knowing they're the only option out there. As far as inside goes, the businesses are all solid. Whether you get some food from the Glades Cafe or a coffee from Dunkin, you'll be satisfied. Once again, the pricing is super fair & it seems like most of the employees working here are friendly. These places are efficient considering they're dealing with a constant flow of customers all day. As far as my experiences over the years have gone, they've been nothing but positive. If it's your thing, they also have a small casino located right next door. I've never been inside but it seems to get a good flow of people. Personally, I stop by here on most trips across the Alley. Even if you use it to just get out & stretch your legs, the surrounding Everglades are beautiful to look at. It's a win/win scenario having this service plaza.

Welcome to the Miccosukee Service Plaza... where convenience meets armed robbery pricing…read more This place should honestly greet you with a giant warning sign that says: "Attention travelers: abandon all budgetary hope ye who enter here." Now to be fair, they rebuilt the plaza and physically it looks great. Clean, modern, spacious, and far nicer than the old roadside stop it replaced. You walk in thinking, "Wow, this is actually pretty impressive." And then you look at the prices and suddenly feel like you accidentally wandered into an airport terminal designed by oil companies. Case in point: TEN DOLLARS. For a single-serving bag of Kettle brand potato chips. I stared at the price tag like it had personally insulted my family. For ten dollars, those chips better have been cooked by a Michelin-star chef and blessed by a shaman before being placed on the shelf. And the gas prices? A full dollar more per gallon than what I paid before leaving home earlier that day. A DOLLAR. At today's prices, that's not a "slight markup." That's a financial hostage situation with fuel pumps. But here's the thing... They know exactly what they're doing. Because for roughly 25 miles in either direction, there's basically nothing around except swamp, gators, and your rapidly increasing sense of vulnerability as the fuel gauge drops. So yes, if you HAVE to stop, stop. Use the restroom. Buy the overpriced chips. Accept your fate. But let's be clear: nobody is choosing this stop because of value. This is survival shopping. Three stars for the nice rebuild. Minus several emotional stars for making me consider financing snack food.

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.

I love to visit to Big Cypress Preserve to see the plants and animals of the Everglades. Big…read moreCypress was supposed to be part of Everglades National Park when it was created in 1947 but the land was still privately owned so it was released from the park. In the 1960's the land that is now Big Cypress Preserve was slated to become a large jet port. Community activists made up of environmentalists, sportsmen, conservationists, and members of the Native tribes, Seminole and Miccosoukee joined together to halt the impending development. On October 11, 1974 Big Cypress Preserve along with Big Thicket National Preserve in Texas became the first National Preserves when the United States National Park System was created. Thanks to a dedicated group of people 700,000 acres were preserved leaving them to protect the estuaries of Florida's southwest coast. Big Cypress Oasis Visitor Center is one of two visitor centers in Big Cypress Preserve at each end of Tamiami Trail. Oasis is on the east side closer to Miami. The building for the Big Cypress Oasis Visitor Center was built in the 1960's when this area was once a private airport that had an airplane hanger and restaurant. A passenger plane was mounted to the roof as a decoration. Later on it became a service station before being purchased by the National Park Service in the 1980s to be used as a visitor center. Today the Big Cypress Oasis Visitor Center houses a gift shop, exhibits, educational information, educational film, National Park Service rangers who can give advice, information on available activities, and directions. Outside the center is picnic tables, native flower garden, and interpretive panels giving the history of the area. My favorite part is the boardwalk along a canal that is filled with alligators. You can also see gar, herons, snowy egrets, and red-shouldered hawks. There is a hiking trail just north of the visitor center that is best during the dry season, November through April.

Nice Visitor Center. They have a huge parking lot and a clean restroom opened after ther visitor…read morehours! So, if you go to an airboat tour in the area and they don't have restrooms, pop in before and/or after to use the facilities. It is a nice area to explore and walk around, they have a pond with a few big aligators, very nice! My only complaint, they close the center and its store too early at 4:30 pm! I would have liked to shop there and check out the place. If they want to make more money, keep the place open for another hour! Otherwise, the Oasis is a nice Visitor Center!

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.

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.

When you need to stop and take a break on a drive, this place delivers. It was nice to take a…read morestroll and enjoy the day. Then, onward to our journey! Life is good on the road!

Not very nice, old but clean No air conditioning…read more Snack vendors Open24/7 You have to exit the highway 75 to go. It's next to the race trac gas station

My 152nd Love's (14th in Florida!) across 31 states and this is a grerat one that is a full service…read moretruck stop that has all the usual convenience store requirements. Lots of coffee, roller meat on the grill, grab-and-go fresh foods and coolers with drinks and beer. I found all of the food areas to be very clean and stocked. Men's room was in good shape with paper towels stocked and no trash on the floor. The pump area was clean and they have the extra long squeegees for getting the bugs off my Sprinter van windshield. Get an extra 10 cents off per gallon for scanning your Love's app at the pump. A very convenient stop and another great example of the Love's brand. [Review 415 of 2025 - 2060 in Florida - 23977 overall]

Located on highway 27 outside of Moore Haven, FL. This is a full service truck stop. Convenience…read morestore with everything you would need for snacks, drinks, souvenirs and shower service for truck drivers. This location also has a full service Arby's if you would like traditional fast service. Look there is not a lot to stop for once you get through Moore Haven, so this is a great professional National full service stop that will meet all your needs

This is really clean service area where you can get gas or grab a quick bite to eat. Be prepared to…read morewait on long lines for food depending on when you're traveling. The lines for the different food spots can be long at times and most of them seem to have workers that aren't in any sort of rush to get you back on your way to wherever you're traveling. Food is also more expensive than if you weren't buying at a service area but you're paying for the convenience I guess. The bathrooms are always clean and well stocked, there always seems to be at least one person in there cleaning. They have many of the fast food restaurants you'd find in any city such as KFC, Burger King, and Dunkin. This particular service area also has a place to purchase perfume and a vending machine selling slices of Buddy Valestro aka The Cake Boss cake!

A nice rest and service plaza that offers a handful of food options to choose from. The one thing I…read morehave say that I don't care about when it comes to this location is the parking, the way the parking lot is set up is confusing and if you're not paying attention someone may zoom past you and side swipe you because of the multiple ways that you can go, to get into the parking lot! The plaza is always very clean when I have come here and there always seems to be a custodian walking around picking up trash or wiping something down so I really appreciate that! I will say the only thing is, no matter how much they clean, the bathrooms here always seem to be in disarray! I wish they would have more towel stations to wipe your hands as well because the airdryers are not the cleanest option to dry my hands. The food choices here are pretty good and I love to get a personal pizza from pizza hut when I stop here because it always is cooked wonderfully! The staff at the kiosk found be a little friendlier though in my opinion. A nice rest stop that's usually pretty clean but has a horrible parking lot in my opinion!

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.