1. Tiffin Rest Area

    1. Tiffin Rest Area

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    Tiffin, IA

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    Tiffin Rest Area

    4.8 (8 reviews)

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    Beautiful elevation!

    Very clean and wondetfully crafted. The theme was writers and writing and it is just a nice place to stop and take a break on long journeys.

    https://youtu.be/q47bpYoBzb0
    John T.

    This is one of a new generation Iowa rest area. This Eastbound rest area was Completed in April 26, 2010 on I-80 at mile post 237. As you come along the rest area you will start to notice that the outside picnic shelters look different. They have Cut-metal text in metal sheats that look like pieces of paper. They have quote from different people cut into them. Like this one "Death is one moment, and life is so many of them." by Tennessee Williams... They seem to form walls to help shield the picnic shelters from some wind. Every outside picnic shelter has a different quote from someone. If you need more time to read them feel free to pause the video or rewind video to reread them. I will read one more quote "-I Loved the house the way you would any new house because it is populated by your future, the family of children who will fill it with noise or chaos and satisfying busy pleasures." that was from Jane Smiley Did you happen to notice that there is a yellow #2 pencil stuck into the ground? The sculpture "Pen Nib at the building's entrance puts a big mark on the concrete, that is leaving a black mark every where it goes. As you fallow the black marked trail you find it was inside the rest area leaving a trail of letters that spells out "between the East of my youth and the west of my future" on the clean tile floor. As you wander around the inside of the rest area you will notice several peoples names on the walls, and different writing materials over the years that has been used. Don't worry it's up to date with a picture of a laptop, you can even plug yours in and use the free wife. On the wall leading to the bathrooms you see a wall full of different fonts of the letter "M" for the Men's room, and the letter "W" for the Women's room. Writing is very important way to make past communication, and ideas for future people to gather that stored knowledge from the past. Many writing materials have been used throughout history. Down in Peru the Incas used knotted cords for keeping records. Now days people use there cell phone to pass messages to one another. I hope that we all can learn from the past so we don't make the same mistakes in the future. But you know what they say, "Those Who Do Not Learn History Are Doomed To Repeat It." Thank-you for all your comments and viewing the video. I have other videos I would like you to view.

    It has "Iowa" written all over it!
    Jerry M.

    As you approach this rest area, you first notice the nib in front, then see this rest area has Iowa written all over it. The University of Iowa in nearby Iowa City has been offering the famous Iowa Writer's Workshop since 1936, the first such creative writing programs offered in the United States. Numerous writers, either from Iowa or with ties to Iowa through the Writer's Workshop, are world famous and have a myriad of awards and prizes between them all. Seventeen Pulitzer Prizes have been awarded to graduates of the workshop. A tile banner embedded in the floor invites you in with a line from Jack Kerouac's 1958 novel, "On The Road" where he says, "...between the East of my youth and the West of my future..." and here, that "between" is Iowa. Kerouac stopped in Johnson Country, to rest, on his cross-country journey that became the foundation of "On The Road." The entire decor of this rest area is dedicated to the written word, even the exterior lighting resembles pencils. Wooden block letters of M and W identify your appropriate rest room, a scrolling marquee in the lobby gives you a continuous selection of quotations. Tiles list writers who have ties to Iowa. Outside, picnic shelters have steel "pages" to act as screens, each has a quotation from an Iowa writer laser-cut into the "page." Come, sit, rest awhile and drink in the literary nectar of Iowa.

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    Long Hollow Scenic Overlook

    Long Hollow Scenic Overlook

    (4 reviews)

    This overlook buries the lede: It's not just, or primarily, a scenic overlook, but a large rest…read morearea. That was unexpected! Honestly it's really weird highway marketing. The "scenic outlook" part of it is the drive from the freeway to the rest area. And it is a beautiful vista to be sure, but... there's not really any place to pull aside and look at it. When I've encountered scenic overlooks in Oregon, or when I was in North Carolina near the Blue Ridge Mountains, there was a part of the road set aside with the explicit purpose of folks pulling over to look. Here, you can look as you're driving along but once you get to the parking you can't see anything. There are nearly a dozen picnic tables scattered about the place, some more secluded than others. There's also a garden, which has a couple of bench swings to sit and enjoy the surroundings a bit.

    Long Hollow Scenic Overlook is both overlook and rest stop…read more For the rest stop, they have bathrooms, plenty of parking, picnic areas, and scenic places to sit outdoors and enjoy some fresh air and reprieve from the road. They even have bench swings to leisure on. The scenic overlook is best accessed close to the entry. It offers a stunning view of rolling hills and tree dotted farmlands. It is seriously stunning and serene. We spent longer than we thought we might, simply gazing at the landscape, listening to the birds, and breathing in the fresh, country air. Definitely worth the stop if you're in the area. Get to it!

    Tiffin Rest Area - reststops - Updated September 2026

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