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]

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.

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.

We stopped here to stretch our legs and use the restroom on our way to St. Louis. The bathrooms…read morewere impressively clean, and there were plenty of trash cans throughout the area. It was peaceful and relaxing to take a walk. Lots of greenery and open space. They even have a dog park, which is a great bonus for travelers with pets. Overall, this was a really nice and well maintained rest stop!

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.

The visitor center here in Illinois Did not disappoint. We had a great stop in to use the restroom…read moreand was greeted kindly by John who was working the visitor center. He directed us the restroom and also let us know about anniversary or route 66. It will be a celebration of 100 years and state by state city by city will celebrations. He gave us pamphlets, brochures and spent time telling us all the history of route 66. Go online for information on what is ahead.

Nice rest area. All you need for what you have to accomplish. For those needing more than a clean…read morebathroom and safety get a hotel.

This is a very nice rest area - large and well-lit with plenty of convenient parking. The…read morebuilding is very nice and the restrooms were clean and well-maintained. There is a large, very nice picnic area. This is NOT a Welcome Center and there was no staff and only a limited selection of travel literature. No maps.

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.

Probably the cleanest rest area I can ever recall visiting. We stopped here on our way from East…read moreCentral Illinois to Southern Indiana. Outside ADA button did not work for opening the door. Attendant was in the women's restroom cleaning away and the sinks, toilets and floor were VERY clean. 1/5 stars for the trickle (as mentioned in a previous review) of a stream that came from 2 of 3 sinks. Ugh! Be sure to have sanitizer handy for extra germ killing as the water pressure is horrible. Great vending machine options including hot coffee drinks. Change machine available also. Would be nice if this stop had a display with brochures from sites in the area. They only had a few free catalogs in the stands outside. Indoor ADA button did work. Nice pedestrian bridge outside going from the parking lot to some picnic tables. Overall very clean and tidy. Highly recommend stopping. Just don't expect to fully rinse your hands if you're using the women's facilities.

This is a nice rest stop. Lots of trees, picnic tables, and vending machines. The parking lot gets…read morecongested easily with semi parking directly behind regular vehicles. The facilities are clean with large maps and vending machines. Outdoors this is Squirrel heaven and the kids enjoyed watching their playful activities.

This is a very nice rest stop. The bathrooms are very clean. They have a coloring paper and free…read morecrayons for the kids. The vending machines have variety. They also have ice cream!! The view from outside also very beautiful.

Typical small, no-frills rear stop along this highway. There is about 4 vending machines, weather…read morestation and a counter of Illinois brochures.

Had a tire blowout and needed a place. Lucky to find a room at midnight. Nice hotel located off…read morethe i-70. Quiet location. Lots of parking. Nice little continental breakfast with sausage added on the weekends. Not fancy but clean and friendly. Rooms and the place is showing its age but is very clean. Bathroom was spotless! But the plug was missing in the sink and the faucet was hard to turn. Bed was comfortable and sheets very nice. Front desk lady was very sweet and they had crunchy chocolate chip cookies out. All in all it was a good stay.

Stayed here over the weekend for a wedding I was in. Had to ring the doorbell to get anyone's…read moreattention, even tho he was sitting around the corner playing on his phone which I could clearly hear. Check in and go to my room - well what I thought would be my room. I open the door and there are other peoples luggage all over, so someone obviously is already checked into this room. I took all my things back downstairs, got a new room and thankfully it was empty. Although they were nice upfront and I do not expect a free stay or anything like that, just something more than "oh sorry" would have really helped ease my anxiety about someone else being able to get into my room later when I left. The room was clean besides the green/pink buildup on the shower head - not something I usually look at but even being 5'1 I could see it when I got in. Also there was duct tape all over the bottom of the bed frame which was odd. All in all wasn't horrible but I would look into an Airbnb if I needed to stay around here again.