REST AREA is overstating the case for the Wright City Rest Area; bleak might even be too generous…read morewhen describing this place. in the early fall this stop is utterly devoid of charm or appeal except for the providing a sheltered spot to attend to the less comely aspects of human existence. perhaps the feeling is different mid-winter covered in the brilliance of new fallen snow... or in the spring when the earth awakens in a burst of colorful greenery... or midsummer when the shade trees offer welcome relief from the midday sun... but in mid october it ain't much to look at. on the plus side: if trouble is brewing you'll see it coming because there ain't no place to hide.

This place was adequate. There were no attendants here that I could see. The restroom was adequate…read more The toilets worked and flushed. There was soap in the dispenser and they had hand dryers for drying your hands. I didn't see paper towels. I had to use my shirt to open the door and protect my hand from germs (whereas usually I would shield my hand with the paper towel I had just used to dry my hands). The vending machines are behind cages. So, you put money in and get your snacks or drinks, but through bars. There are maps here too. Grass available for letting our dog walk too.

One of St. Louis' hidden gems. I say "hidden" because not many people are aware about this…read moreimportant part of St. Louis history, and the location. There are no roads nearby (just a bike trail) and there's no signs on the main roads that lead to it. Plus, it's literally by the Mississippi River. I say "gem" because, well, I can't think of any other word. But it's always fun to explore areas where a whole lot of people aren't aware of. For those that don't know, the Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing and Rest Area/Visitor's Center is located off of the Riverfront Trail. It's seemingly out in the middle of nowhere. You're very much surrounded by a levee wall with graffiti and then the river. You can access the Visitors Center as long as you're on the trail, and the closest road is 0.2 miles north of it (East Prairie Avenue). You have to drive through the industrial part of the city to get there, and there is a small parking lot. Another big thing to keep in mind is, access is limited throughout various parts of the year. From November to March, the Visitor's Center is not open. And during April to October, it is only open on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. I wish it was five days a week, but then they have to pay those people. Lastly, it is open mostly during daylight hours (don't know exactly when...). If you are lucky to check it out during open hours, by all means do it! There is always an attendant on duty, and you can go inside and sometimes they will sell snacks and cold drinks for trail riders. Public restrooms are available, though they are Johnny toilets. I wouldn't go as far as calling it a museum, but there is lots of historical information on the walls inside, as well as two historical markers. The back deck is a great view of the Mississippi River, though there is not very much to see on the other side. One last thing: every year, there is a gathering at the Freedom Crossing, which is the Mary Meachum Celebration. Usually, it happens once a year in May. They have historical re-enactments and food/crafts/games. I still have yet to check it out!

The Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing and Rest Area is located along the Mississippi River a few miles…read morenorth of Downtown St. Louis on the Riverfront Trail. You can get there by car, but for me, it's more fun to go by bike on the trail. This landmark is a work in progress and consists of murals painted on the levee wall, historic markers, informative signs, and a building which is sporadically open (usually on nice summer weekend days). The building is used for special events, displays and as a rest stop for trail users. A nice deck also overlooks the river on the back side. The area is also used annually for the Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing Celebration which consists of a historic reenactment, storytelling, music and dance. The real reason to come here though, is to learn a bit about our ugly past. I've become fascinated with the story as I've tried to learn more about what happened, and I'll try to give a brief summary of what I've learned from my visits and read on the internet: This site recognizes the first documented Underground Railroad event in Missouri. In 1855 a group of slaves escaped and tried to cross the river from Missouri into Illinois for freedom. Mary Meachum, who was already a free Africa American woman, assisted and accompanied them in their attempt to escape. Mary was the wife of John Berry Meachum who had bought his own freedom, founded the first free black church in St. Louis, and bought other African Americans out of slavery while teaching them how to read and write. When he died, Mary carried on the movement. She was helping a woman named Ester, her two small children and at least two other people to cross into freedom at this very location. Unfortunately, a police officer was waiting on the Illinois side for them and Mary Meachum was arrested and thrown in jail. Ester was "owned" by Henry Shaw who was a very prominent St. Louisan and best known for founding the Missouri Botanical Garden and being a generous philanthropist. Since Shaw was such a well known business man, the local newspapers covered the story in detail and documented what would have otherwise been a forgotten historic event. Ester was returned to Shaw who in turn sold her to a plantation in Mississippi for $350 minus a $161.62 reward to the bounty hunter. Her children were not sold and probably remained behind. While the newspapers documented the story well, I'm still curious to know what happened to Mary Meachum and Ester and her two children.

Nice, convenient rest stop. Vending machines were functional and stocked. I liked the computer…read morescreen with the weather radar on it - that's pretty handy. Bathrooms could have been cleaner, but overall it was decent.

This is a pretty good rest stop for when you bought an energy drink at Wally's and now you have to…read morepee real bad. Seriously though, it's pretty clean for an interstate rest stop. The sensors on the sinks can be a little finicky. The price on the pop machine only sounds expensive until you stop at a gas station and it's the same or more (!!!) so just get your coke here. They even have a coffee machine that makes lattes and stuff.

One of the nicer rest areas that has age on it, but incredibly well maintained…read more The grounds are beautiful with lots of shelters. The restrooms spic and span. I saw staff on duty working. Vending is indoors. Don't miss this gem.

Heading eastbound on I-70 outside Saint Louis, the sign warned that this was the last rest area for…read more130 miles. That's a big gap but it's Illinois and they're spending their money on all sorts of stuff these days. That said, this was a really nice rest area with plenty of parking and some green space. I was able to sit and relax and unwind before starting the rest of my drive. There are vending machines and restrooms and no signs limiting how long you can stay. [Review 1276 of 2024 - 204 in Illinois - 22299 overall]

My boyfriend and I stopped at this rest area while we were on one of our road trips. The outside…read morearea is beautiful with trees and easy parking. The building itself was not so great. The bathrooms were really gross. There was water everywhere on the ground and multiple toilets were either clogged or hadn't been cleaned. Luckily it was a quick stop for us.

Getting ready to drive into Saint Louis, this was a great spot for a last minute stop to stretch my…read morelegs, rest my arms and psych myself up for dealing with big city traffic (there's some construction on I-64 in East Saint Louis). I like that this rest area has a wide turn before pulling into the area where the cars are located which should help to slow down some of these crazy highway drivers. Good shade for a little last morning nap and then the restrooms which were clean. No RV sanitary dump here which would be ideal. [Review 579 of 2024 - 195 in Illinois - 21610 overall]

Were back baby!…read more Happy to be updating my review with a solid 5 stars! I live close to Wally's so I do come here pretty often. Since my last review in 2023 I've been here no less than 50 times since then (figuring on at least 2 per month) and at least get some sort of hot food snack each time. For starters, there have been some changes with the pizza. My favorite now is simply the cheese. I know it seems plain, but its flavor is really really good, and it considerably less greasy then the pepperoni. This is especially important when trying to eat a slice in the car. My second fav is the 3 meat which offers a better balance of flavors than the overloaded pepperoni. As much as I love pepperoni, Wally's just puts too many on IMO. However, NONE of these can beat the Garlic cheese bread pizza which they only do once a month. Its truly phenomenal. There have been some updates to the other food offerings as well. Since my last review they have added hot Pretzels, Chicken tenders, smash burgers, and "soft" tacos to the menu. I can confidently state that the Tacos are my fav of the new items. The burger has potential but like most other things you have to get them when they are fresh. A burger that has been sitting in foil in a warmer for the last 2 hours just isn't going to be as good as a "fresh" one. The Tacos on the other hand seem to hold up better, and I actually could argue that they get BETTER if they have been on the warmer for a bit. They are more uniformly heated and the raw onions are softer because of it. I've had them both freshly prepared, and from the hot case and the hot case was actually better. The pretzels are good, but nothing to get too excited about and the tenders are pretty plain (pre-frozen and deep fried) as well. I actually have the habit of dipping them in the nacho cheese and it makes a world of difference. The breakfast tacos are still my absolute favorite go-to quick breakfast and the Smores and chocolate chunk cookies always tickle the sweet tooth perfectly.

We love Wally's! We make sure to save time anytime we find ourselves out in Fenton on 44 to stop by…read moreand enjoy the fun at Wally's. This gas station is enormous and seriously has something for everyone in tow. Even our grumpy pre teen found something that he enjoyed here and when leaving admitted it was cool and glad we stopped! If you haven't tried the pizza here, definitely consider it as they have by the slice and whole pizza options and the pizzas are HUGE! We left with a 3 meat one and had to break it down to get it to fit in our fridge at home. Staff is extra friendly and ready to help, and the place is nice n clean and plenty of restrooms too ;)

Everything went well! We were the first customers for new owners who just took over. They were…read moresuper nice and friendly and the motel is amazing. You can feel the history. A small, quiet, peaceful place. Would highly recommend staying here!

Like everyone else who has reviewed this hotel, we're traveling Route 66 and chose this place…read morebecause it was a recommended stop. It's quaint; a nice reminder of what life used to be for travelers. The room is clean and quiet and the bed comfortable. The decor, including the microwave and refrigerator, were chosen to provide a retro vibe. I just feel this could have been a lot better, especially for the price of the room. The manager was not here when we arrived at 5:00 pm and was unavailable by phone. It would have been nice to be able to talk to someone because this is kind of a remote area, no cell service and the wifi didn't work, so how could we know what's available around here? There were ants everywhere in the room, though I'm sure that's not normal for this place. The yard was nice (though showing some neglect), but we weren't sure where it was ok to sit and relax because -- again -- the management wasn't available. The ice machine was broken. TL/DR: Potentially nice, but for the money we've stayed in much better historic hotels on our route.

One of the cleanest Loves that I have ever been to. And maybe there is something in the water, but…read morethe customers in the store were just as nice as the employees. Keep up the great work, this stop was a pleasure.

As gas stations go.. the Love brand is one to trust…read more Most stations, including this one, are pretty clean and so are the restrooms. Well lit and have showers if needed.

A good place for a break as you travel north on I-55. If…read moreyou're traveling north on Interstate 55 into Illinois, the Illinois Welcome Center near Edwardsville is a great place to stop for a break. It is an easy right-hand exit from the interstate with a straightforward entrance and exit setup. , making it convenient whether you're looking for a quick restroom stop or a chance to stretch your legs after several hours on the road. There is plenty of parking available, with the truck parking located closest to the interstate while the car parking is set up farther from the highway and closer to the building and the wooded area behind it. The building itself is an attractive combination of brick and glass that makes it bright and welcoming. As soon as you walk inside, one of the first things you'll notice is the beautiful terrazzo floor featuring the outline of the State of Illinois in a contrasting color. Looking overhead, large Route 66 flags hang from the ceiling, celebrating one of America's most famous highways and adding a nice touch of Illinois history to the visitor experience. I also thought the state's tourism marketing was brilliant. At the Welcome Center, they used oversized blue map pins as tall as a person and in the same style seen on digital maps like Google maps, to highlight attractions and destinations on digital maps. These large ones allow for great photo opportunities, immediately catches your attention, and ties modern travel with traditional tourism information in a very creative way. The restrooms were clean and well maintained during our visit, and the surrounding appeared to be well cared for. Outside, there are several covered picnic tables where travelers can enjoy a meal or simply relax in the shade. Families with young children will also appreciate the small playground located near the building. Overall, this is a very nice Welcome Center that makes an excellent first impression of Illinois. I would certainly recommend it to fellow travelers looking for a comfortable place to take a break before continuing their journey. Enjoy!

The second of two rest stops that we stopped on I-55, going from Chicagoland to Edwardsville,…read moreHomestead Rest Area consists of separate parking for trucks and cars. It has a large indoor building with clean bathrooms, and vending machines with coffee and snacks. There is a large grass field with playground for kids and a potty area for pets.

Cozy, family-owned, with seriously the best customer service around, Pinemark is a hidden gem in…read moresmall St. Clair. Traveling with dogs, Pinemark caught my attention because they allow well mannered pets, and offer a fully fenced exercise area. They also have other great amenities including a fire pit and delicious breakfast offerings. I (and my dogs) sincerely enjoyed our stay at Pinemark and have already rebooked for our next trip to the area. The rooms are spacious, comfortable, and offer a fridge, microwave, and everything else you need while on the road with pets. Don't pass up the chance to stay here if you're in the area.

Although we only stayed for one night, this place is comfortable, clean, inviting and friendly…read more They have a great breakfast selection that is miles ahead in terms of quality than most of the other chain hotels that have complementary breakfast. Front desk staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming to our group. I love the robes in the room!