Passed on the way to see family in PA. I remember the old, non-ADA, dark and somber rest stops on the Thruway abs these new rebuilds are absolutely welcome. Airy, spacious, clean and full of welcoming gadgets. The electronic charging station tables are superb. Rest room facilities are immaculate and modern. Soap dispensers and dryers in every sink, avoiding the Rest Room cross traffic jams inherent in busy facilities. Good selection of food outlets and the spacious table setup is magnificent. A welcome change read more

See all

Looks like they do the renovations and very thing look brand new. Plenty of space, table and new food vender like Panda Express. The old remain vender like Starbucks and I was happy because I need more coffee. It is good to have a service area when you are traveling. You can rest, eat, go do your business and relaxing before you go on the road again. read more

You can use the facilities, grab a bite to eat and a cup of coffee, sit down and take a break then be on your way. The restrooms are fairly clean and the parking area is well lit at night. The food is overpriced and mediocre.......but there are some options. It's everything you'd expect from a rest stop....... nothing more and nothing less. read more

"It does the job," is the best I can say about this particular comfort stop going southbound on the NYS Thruway. Most of these facilities are quite well maintained and kept clean by a professional staff. Additionally, they are required to have at least one food/coffee purveyor that's open 24 hours a day/7 days a week. Unfortunately today, only Burger King was open. The Starbucks was closed. I guess that's a moot point as the line to BK extended all the way back to the front doors of the facility, one can only imagine how bad the queue for sbux would be. This visit was on Sunday, July 5, so there are the exacerbating factors of stopping here on a summer time Sunday afternoon that also happens to be the day after a huge national holiday. That said, the men's room wasn't up to snuff. On the plus side, there was a paper towel dispenser and hand sanitizer near the front. The bad: the paper towels were empty. Meanwhile, the floor was wet with lord knows what. I tried my best to scrape my rubber soled suede Pumas along the parking lot asphalt upon departure, surely embarrassing my girlfriend. Beats dealing with any odd liquids or odors inside of the vehicle for the remainder of our sojourn back to Jersey. Parking wasn't too bad, plenty of spots toward the back which is better for social distancing and lessens the odds of being creamed by the multitude of inept drivers out there. Didn't see as many outdoor trash cans as usual, but there was a little "Taste NY" touristy farm stand out front. Not much else to say, guess that's not a bad thing. Would've been 3 stars had Sbux been open, there was more than one dining option, and the restroom was cleaner. Just a few things right? Some people were masked but plenty were not, because...freedom? Time to tread my urine soaked shoes on the pavement a little more and keep on rollin' Let's hope COVID doesn't roll with us, and these cheap KN95's did their job against all of those aerosols! read more

Ulster Travel Plaza - Line to exit the parking lot and line for gas combines. Brilliant! - Travel Services Near Me

See all

Stopped in at Ulster Travel Plaza today for a quick break and some food. They have some important essentials here such as food and drink, bathrooms, an ATM, and both gas and electric vehicle charging options. When I stop at a rest stop I look for 3 things; crowd size, cleanliness, and food/drink options. In this regard, Ulster Travel Plaza was great. We were traveling on a Monday and when we stopped in the place was nearly empty. Also, the bathrooms, while old, were pretty clean. Finally, Starbucks! Can't beat that. They also had a Burger King, pizza Hut and Nathan's if that's your thing. All in all, not a bad place to take a break and one of the better rest stops on the Thruway. The rest stops are far worse the closer you get to the city. Four stars from me. read more

Forty minutes south from the last travel plaza, I pulled over here at Ulster to see why my phone kept buzzing and make a quick bathroom stop. This plaza features a Burger Kind, Pizza Hut, Nathan's (love their fries!) and a Starbucks. The Sunoco station's prices were reasonable compared to others in the area (that are off the Thruway). A couple of sharp turns to get into the parking area, which has no shade if you're planning a snooze. The bathrooms were busy but in good condition. [Review 11519 overall, 1299 of 2019.] read more

Ulster Travel Plaza - Ulster Travel Plaza, Ruby NY - Travel Services Near Me

Starbucks is slower than the IRS. We might actually get our tax return before we get our drinks.

Another exemplary Thruway travel plaza featuring food, fuel, bathrooms and fun! Like pretty much all the other stops in the Thruway travel plaza system, this one knocks it right out of the park. So be prepared. This is no ordinary highway pit stop. The first thing you'll notice, aside from the easy on/off access and ample, well-lit parking, is the signature architecture found here and throughout the Thruway travel plaza system which blends the rustic and modern in a way that elegantly showcases the region's unique heritage while simultaneously accommodating the ceaseless comings and goings of the motoring public. Once inside, visitors can expect a central court area lined with food vendors such as Burger King, Nathan's and Starbucks, a convenience store, restrooms and a small private-ish room off to the side containing vending machines and vibrating massage chairs all underneath a wide-plank timber ceiling rising up toward its apex at a large interior cupola. While this location is arguably less spacious and lacking in some of the grander, more ambitious designs found at say New Baltimore or Plattekill (and most certainly Sloatsburg), particularly as regards the layout/location of the dining areas, one finds little to complain about. Although it does tend to get a bit cramped on Sunday's, when southbound traffic is usually at its heaviest. As a fan of rest areas and someone who enjoys visiting these locations as destinations in and of themselves, I typically try to come here during the later evening hours when I can really spread out and have my run of the place. Maybe grab a coffee and a scone, take my time in the bathrooms, weigh myself on the coin-operated scale, definitely chill in the vibrating chairs and try my luck on the machine with the grappling hook and the plastic Easter eggs with hidden keys in them. Now sure, I get some serious side eye from the employees and I am probably running the risk of being asked to leave, and if my girl is with me, she'll definitely be huffing and puffing after about a half an hour or so, but whatever. Someone has to take the time and appreciate the splendor of these truly state-of-the-art travel plazas. Plus I really wanna snag one of the plastic eggs. But I just can't ever seem to position that damn grappling hook right. read more

See all

Worst Women's bathroom design EVER!! You can no tell if there are open stall or not! Other women exiting have to tell those waiting if there are open ones or not! This a newly designed rest stop!! Do not make any more like theses!!! read more

I'm up and down 87 pretty much every week. This is a regular haunt of mine...depending on how much fluid I happen to be consuming on a particular day and how far south I'm driving. The bathrooms are usually pretty clean and it's one of the smaller rest stops. I don't partake of the fast food choices but occasionally grab a cup of coffee from Starbucks. Most of the time I'm hustling in and out to use the restroom...sometimes I need gas for my car. Plenty of parking. Easy in and out. read more

Another rest stop and another closed Starbucks. Unacceptable, Starbucks needs to do better. How can this keep happening at these rest stops read more

Roy Rogers is gone and has been replaced by Burger King. Pizza Hut, Starbucks, and Nathan's are still there, as well as a Travel Mart. The dining area is an okay size and it and the rest rooms (the mens' room at least) are clean and pretty well maintained. Navigate carefully outside, because this time of year there's some large snowbanks. read more

Starbucks, yes; Roy Rogers here is unredeemable. Irredeemable? One or the other. We've tried the Nathan's and like most chain Nathan's it makes you wish you could buy a store package and cook it yourself. This, with several others on the north-south section of the Thruway, now sport farm stands during the summer, which is nice. The wares tend to be a little pricey but being able to pick up a few fruits and veggies is a nice change of pace. The only problem is they're invariably by the smoking area, as is the one at Ulster, and the last thing I want to do while shopping for organic vegetables is to breathe in second-hand smoke. Bottom line: middle of the road (no pun intended) for NY Thruway, which is still a cut above the current Mass Pike travel plazas and light years ahead of New Jersey. If that doesn't sound like damning with faint praise, I'm obviously not doing my job in tempering your expectations. read more

Starbucks. Need coffee. Thank god. What more to say than this travel plaza is a lifesafer when heading back to NYC after a long drive down from upstate NY and you have to pee so bad your eyes are turning yellow and the traffic on a Sunday afternoon is crawling. Pretty clean bathrooms, a few places to grab a bite such as Nathan's, Roy Rogers, and Pizza Hut, free WiFi, convenience/souvenir store, and Starbucks. A few small farm stands outside the entrance where locals are selling anything from fresh fruits, veggies, honey, and jams that are locally sourced from the farms in the area. As usual gas prices are high. It's not NJ! read more

The absolute worst. Dirty bathrooms, long lines of sad faces waiting for mediocre food, terrible food choices and quality. You're better off stopping by a stand of trees and foraging as in days of yore. read more

Clean bathrooms, a Roy Rogers that seems like it never closes, a Starbucks and more! What else could you ask for in a travel stop? Oh, and beware of that Roy Rogers. The chicken might have been under that lamp for a while (ours was pretty chewy). There's also a gas station (duh) with a decent mini mart with lots of snacks, drinks and ciggs to choose from. read more

came here as a pit stop before comin back home from canada but honestly it's not great. they were on the dirtier side and emptier side so most of the stores were closed / didn't have much items to sell even though it was only 6/7pm. i guess if you just need a place to rest this isn't bad but overall, not the best rest stops i've been to. read more

Clean bathrooms, a Starbucks, Nathan's, a Pizza Hut... What more could u want in life.. Lol. Kidding. It's an ok stop but the parking lot is just AWFUL, the pavement is horridly uneven. It rained heavily when we stopped and the Entire parking lot was deeply flooded. It was like walking through an actual river... These were not puddle spots... This was the entire way towards the doors of the travel plaza... Wtf read more

Ulster Travel Plaza - Travel Services Near Me

This is the place for: Gas + bathroom break + Coffee before heading back to your destination

Clean bathrooms, free WiFi, Starbucks. Wouldn't want to be stuck here for a meal, though. Has fast food and a convenience store.

This travel plaza is a life saver. On a recent drive to NJ, Husband and I stupidly forgot to pack our sunglasses. In mid-January with over a foot of snow on the ground, the bright sunny day was blinding us. This was our second attempt to find sunglasses at a travel plaza, and although Ulster was much smaller than the previous rest stop, it proved to be far superior. It was the best $35 I've ever spent. Screw the 'I heart NY' t-shirts. I heart Ulster Travel Plaza. read more

Bathroom was clean, grabbed a cup of coffee at the Starbucks here before the drive home. The really fab thing though was they had some local ladies selling lots of fabulous dried fruit and vegetable snacks, fresh produce, jams, spreads, baked goods and the all mighty pumpkin butter..Score! read more

Not bad for a run of the mill travel plaza. There was a Nathan's, Pizza Hut, and Starbucks. We stopped by on a Sunday afternoon and there was a farm stand set up outside selling local apples, jams & jellies, cookies, and various snack and nut mixes. I bought some Fujis that were pretty good. Bathrooms were clean. Gas was expensive though!! I think I should've waited until we were in NJ for cheaper gas. read more