Information/Welcome Centers

[csb]

We've been having an interesting discussion at work regarding Information/Welcome Centers when you enter a state. I usually don't use them, because I've already planned out where I'm going and I have a GPS to tell me how to get there. A co-worker always stops at them because he wants to get maps. So it made me wonder how many people out there are still stopping at info centers for actual info and not just to use the bathroom.

 

[FusionWhite]

I stop and nap at them sometimes. Or if I have to really use the bathroom but dont need to get gas Ill stop at one. They're also a good place to let the dogs out of the car to run around for a few minutes. There usually lots of open space thats not too close to the road.

So yes, I do use them.

 

[Master slacker]

Years ago we used them all the time. Especially when I was a kid (who didn't?). In bamalama and georgia the center always had free Cokes. Awesome!

 

[goodal]

I try to avoid them. We only use them for large group bathroom stops. i usually over plan trips/vacations so waiting until the welcome center to get info is not my style.

 

[Supe]

Gotta pee sometime.

Actually, I tend to prefer the welcome centers LESS than the regular rest stops. Since most of the welcome centers I've encountered are in a busier location, I find the regular rest stops are typically more scenic, less crowded, more convenient (just pull off and get back on, don't have to get off an exit and drive around a bit like some, PA comes to mind), and several welcome centers I've been to didn't even have drink or candy machines!

Occasionally, if I know I'm going someplace that has amusement parks or some place with costly tickets and I haven't "planned" a trip through AAA or the like, I'll swing by to pick up some discount coupons.

 

[wilheldp_PE]

several welcome centers I've been to didn't even have drink or candy machines!

All of them I have ever been to have candy and drink machines...and they have the highest prices I have ever seen in those machines. It's highway robbery!

I tend to use gas stations for my rest stops. If you find the bigger gas stations or truck stops, they tend to have really nice bathrooms, you can fuel the car if you need to, you can grab some cheap snacks, and some of them even have a fast food restaurant built in. They are true convenience stores for long trips.

 

[Ble_PE]

The only time I stop at welcome centers is when I need a bathroom break and it's the only thing around.

I think that these Welcome Centers are out-dated now. There used to be a time when people would use them to book hotels or get tickets for attractions, but with the internet I just don't see many people doing that anymore. I wonder how much longer they'll be around.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Wife and I are welcome center junkies. Go in, sign the guest book, grab all the tacky tourist brochures and real estate ads, hit the head, maybe snack at a picnic table, and off we go.

It's really fun to people watch, too.

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

^What he said.

I generally have a basic itinerary in mind, but like the welcome centers because you can find local attractions and dining that are not well publicized.

Plus I like the free map. GPS is great while you're on the road driving, but not a good planning tool.

I worked on this welcome center near the NY/PA border, among several other rest stops in the state.

https://www.nysdot.gov/regional-offices/sta...chautauqua-lake

 

[csb]

Our rest areas/welcome centers don't have vending at all. It's something the DOT fights against.

Thanks for the responses! I remember stopping at them all the time as a kid, but I don't stop now unless it's for a bathroom break. It's been interesting to see how people travel.

 

[ALBin517]

We frequently stop at the welcome center in Clare, Michigan.

Mapquest it and you will see the irony of its location. "Welcome. You have now been in Michigan for at least two and a half hours."

 

[snickerd3]

we frequent rest stops when we drive but not the welcome centers. the rest stops are quicker for leg stretches and pit stops. However we try to time it so we are stopping at the newer ones. there are several in IL from the 70's that are not so nice.

Missouri rest stops are not kid friendly, hello families travel too. Kids need some sort of play area even if it is just an open field to get rid of the built up energy from sitting.

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

^Watch out though, the open field is sometimes the unofficial pet rest area.

As opposed to my idiot dog who crapped right on the sidewalk at a busy rest area on a holiday weekend.

 

[MA_PE]

^Watch out though, the open field is sometimes the unofficial pet rest area.
As opposed to my idiot dog who crapped right on the sidewalk at a busy rest area on a holiday weekend.

luckily she immediately cleaned up after herself.

 

[snickerd3]

^Watch out though, the open field is sometimes the unofficial pet rest area.
As opposed to my idiot dog who crapped right on the sidewalk at a busy rest area on a holiday weekend.

luckily she immediately cleaned up after herself.

:laugh:

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

^Watch out though, the open field is sometimes the unofficial pet rest area.
As opposed to my idiot dog who crapped right on the sidewalk at a busy rest area on a holiday weekend.

luckily she immediately cleaned up after herself.

:rotflmao:

This was in the days before the second dog. It was the rest stop on I-84 eastbound shortly before the MA line, and was either the weekend of the 4th or Labor Day. And this was after I took him to the designated dog area.

 

[snickerd3]

^Watch out though, the open field is sometimes the unofficial pet rest area.
As opposed to my idiot dog who crapped right on the sidewalk at a busy rest area on a holiday weekend.

when you gotta go, you gotta go.

 

[RIP - VTEnviro]

^Working on undeveloped field sites and lots of backcountry hiking has taught me it never hurts to have a roll of TP along with your gear.