Connecticut May Have the Best Highway Rest Stops in This Country

I drove roundtrip from Torrington, Connecticut to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma between Christmas and New Year's Eve, and one of my takeaways from this 3.000+ mile trip through 9 states is we may have the best highway rest stops and service plazas in all of the US.

My wife and I stopped at every welcome center and maybe 10-15 rest areas each way on our journey, and as the old saying goes -'There's no place like home'. Connecticut's rest stops and service plazas are immaculate, well-staffed, and the variety of options inside of each is unmatched. The only other Welcome Center that may be better in the Eastern half of the US is Ohio. Pennsylvania rest areas were totally depressing, and the smell? Yikes. Indiana? I'm trying to forget that smell too.

Unique Welcome signs have been put up on our state line over the past year, we noticed the one on 84 at the NY/CT border now says "Connecticut: Home of the Pizza Capital of the United States". You will also find Connecticut: Home of the Basketball Capital of the World, Submarine Capital of the World, and the Foodie Capital of New England. All are true.

The advantage that Missouri has over Connecticut is Buc-ee's, which dwarfs anything that New York, Massachusetts, and New Jersey can compare to. Northern New England rest areas have advantages also, like the tax-free liquor stops in New Hampshire, or the dozens of Dunkin' stops along the Mass Pike. In my opinion, the Fairfield Service Plaza on 95 North and South in Fairfield are models for the rest of the US to strive towards.