Clean restrooms and fair gas prices are the rock bottom requirements for most road trip pit stops. But we usually look for unusual gas stations that qualify as roadside attractions.
After all, keeping the kids quiet on epic drives requires strategic planning around nap times and meals. Unless it’s for novelty architecture, stopping often isn’t worth the disruption.
That’s why we’re introducing four gas stations plus a chain of 54 travel centers that are more than worth stopping for — they’ll actually enhance the road trip experience.
Get gas without your papers at the vintage South of the Border, South Carolina
A nostalgic must-stop on any East Coast road trip, South of the Border is on I-95 just south of the border between the Carolinas. If you miss the sequential billboards counting down the mileage, you can’t avoid the 104-foot-tall Pedro mascot luring drivers to two Sunoco stations.
SOB began in 1949 as a beer stop for patrons from North Carolina’s adjoining dry counties. Alan Schafer saw the potential; a cocktail lounge followed the addition of a diner and motel.
Eventually, a drug store and barber catered to interstate travelers’ needs. Souvenir shops stocked with Mexican trinkets, a fireworks store, reptile lagoon, arcade, go-kart track and other kitschy yet welcoming amusements appeared. A true example of Americana was born.
Visit soon, because local news outlets have reported over the past year that about 30 acres of the compound are up for sale. The unused casino, empty convention center, Pedroland amusement park and vacant motel wing are yours for just $2.85 million.
Who knows what the future will bring since change is the only constant for this unusual vintage gas station.
Iowa 80 Truck Stop is a mega unusual gas station
America’s largest truck stop also claims to be the “World’s Largest Truckstop” and who am I to argue?
The I-80 gas station in Walcott, Iowa was founded in the 1960s by trucking fan Bill Moon to cater to the needs of long-haul drivers. Nicknamed the “Truckers Disneyland,” today’s Iowa 80 station has 42 gas pumps and a truck wash. There’s parking for 900 tractor-trailers, 250 cars and 20 buses. Pull over, fuel up and you’ll discover several service bays, a Dogomat pet wash and a dog park outdoors.
Perhaps Moon’s favorite part, though, was the vintage truck museum located in a streamlined red and white building near the site. Examine the collection of more than 130 historic trucks free of charge while you’re there.
Inside the Iowa 80 oasis, drivers have access to showers, a barber shop, dentist and chiropractor. They take breaks from the wheel in the upstairs lounge with fireplace and TV, or in the 24/7 workout room. Plus, there’s a laundry, library and movie theater for spare time.
What can families do at Iowa 80?
Trust us, this roadside attraction is for you! In 1994, the 18-wheeler paradise expanded to better welcome all travelers. Families can stretch legs by browsing the main floor with more than 50,000 necessities and gifts. Shop for trucks. Order personalized embroidery on ballcaps, jeans and hoodies — or business cards — while you wait.
To nourish visitors for the long road ahead, there’s a sit-down restaurant and fast-food court with favorites like DQ and, coming in April, a Starbucks.
If you drop by in July, be a spectator at the annual Walcott Truckers Jamboree. An American tradition, it features a Super Truck Beauty Contest, prizes for antique trucks, live country music and yummy cookouts.
Wash your windshield and meet aliens at Jackass Joe’s in Utah
Slow travel the Old Cisco Highway from the dusty, lunar terrain of Arches National Park. You can’t miss the vintage trucks parked outside Jackass Joe’s, which offers more than a fill-up and cold drink.
You might stop for free samples of what’s labeled “Utah’s Best Dam Jerky,” but there’s more. That’s because Joe’s friends got together one day to paint the remote Papa Joe’s Gas & Co. day-glo green and add alien theming. The visitor traffic numbers took off.
If that’s not enough of a distraction, the unusual gas station’s rambling souvenir and snack shop features a Roswell Alien Zone along with UFO, gator and ostrich jerky. Shop the clever extra-terrestrial souvenirs, bags of ice, beers and sodas, stickers and T-shirts. Browse Cheetos Flaming Hot Dill Pickle Puffs, Campy glow-in-the-dark paintings, shot glasses, and racks of the Original Bag of Poo.
Let the kids pick through the Japanese savory snacks and anime candy. Hang out to consume cotton candy, Mega Slime Lickers and Crack Balls so you can wash hands before getting back in the car.
Honestly, don’t miss using the restrooms. The vividly painted toilets exploding with graphic characters doused in glitter are ideal for memorable selfies.
Stop for gas and treats at any Buc-ees
My brother-in-law, a fan, insisted we stop at Buc-ees — any one of them — on our I-35 pilgrimage from Dallas to Austin. He was right — there was no way to miss the towering billboard topped with a grinning beaver mascot.
The enormous Temple, Texas gas station boasts more than a hundred fueling stations. They offer everything from ethanol-free fuel to diesel, EV charging to well-priced unleaded gas.
Buc-ees is proud of its award-winning, clean restrooms, a key element of any successful road trip. If your toddlers gotta’ go, however, you’ll need the stroller to cover the huge expanse of parking lot in a timely manner.
Snacks, edible treats and gift items should not be overlooked. In the center of Temple’s 60,000-square-foot store, an open grill kitchen features barbecue chefs calling out the meats they are serving in real time, as customers line up. (The brisket sandwiches are a favorite!)
Women browse the collection of T-shirts and ball caps emblazoned with a variety of Christian psalms and scripture. Texas-themed linens, cooking mitts and margarita kits abound. Guys tend to hang around the hunting gear and car tools.
Vast aisles of Buc-ees’ own chocolates, dipped fruit and nuts, gummies and more candies surround bins of gleaming fresh fruit. Central display cases showcase cookies, kolaches (those Czech yeast-dough pastries filled with fruit) and other desserts. The sweet tooth bonanza is typical!
More Buc-ees coming to a highway near you
We see the future of road trips and it’s full of beavers.
The chain, which began in Texas in 1982, now thrills roadtrippers in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Colorado, South Carolina, and Virginia.
As Buc-ees pushes eastward, the 54th of these unusual gas stations is the 74,000-square-feet center on I-95 in Brunswick, Georgia. (Fans take note: The Buc-ees store in Luling, Texas will forever remain the largest convenience store in the world at 75,593 square feet.) While the style of all stores is similar, the Georgia stop offers visitors the chance to meet an author. Katherine Aplin is author of Buc-ees’ first children’s book, “Buc-ee Goes to School.” It follows the store’s popular beaver mascot on his first day of school and you just may catch Ms. Aplin doing autographs when you visit.
Oil, produce and fine dining at The Farmers Market, Los Angeles, California
While it’s no secret to locals or tourists alike, the delightful Farmers Market at Fairfax and Third in Los Angeles used to be the city’s most unusual gas station.
The story dates back to the 1880 purchase of two dairy farms by Arthur Fremont Gilmore and a partner. Hoping to expand his herd of cattle, Mr. Gilmore began drilling for water and instead discovered oil.
From 1900 to 1934, crude oil production was the Gilmore family business. Eventually, more than 1,100 exclusive Gilmore Gas stations and another 2,400 selling several products made life easier for vehicle owners in the ever-growing city.
During the Depression, two entrepreneurs encouraged the Gilmores to create a village of farm trucks on their expansive ranch. A dozen farmers paid 50c per day to sell fresh produce directly from tailgates to customers. The family built the Gilmore Stadium for football and baseball games. New midget automobile races attracted even more visitors. Soon the Farmers Public Market with, yes, its Gilmore Gas Station, was a success.
In 1948, the novelty Farmers Market windmill was replaced with a prominent Clock Tower inscribed with the words “An Idea.” The Gilmore family never let a good idea slide. They followed the lead of Frank Ulrich, who in 1947 pioneered the self-serve gas station where girls roller-skated between cars to collect payment. In 1948, the innovative Gilmore Gas-e-teria, where drivers could pump gas themselves, opened nearby.
Be charmed by this bit of Americana in contemporary LA
Restaurants like the classic Du-Pars, and more than 100 shops selling prepared foods, produce, souvenirs and cookware opened under the covered roof and in the parking lot. Vendors come and go but they are always top quality. Today’s “Original Farmers Market” and the adjacent Grove shopping mall remain wildly popular.
You can still drive to the Farmers Market and find plenty of parking, but you’ll have to gas up elsewhere. The Gilmore Gas pumps closed for good in 1960.
You can, however, find a replica of mid-30s Gilmore Gas Station waiting for its closeup by the Clock Tower.
Visitors favor the barbecue at The Gas Station, Bastrop, Texas
Anyone who’s seen the horror classic “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” probably remembers the rural gas station. Early in the plot, a van with five hippies pulls into a small, unmemorable station to fill up. They sample some of the station’s barbecue before learning from the creepy-looking proprietor that they’re out of fuel.
That fact propels the group back onto the central Texas blacktop till they see a house with a few generators and maybe some spare fuel. They pull over.
Mayhem and massacres ensue. After copious amounts of movie blood have been shed, the last girl alive escapes the scene. She flees back to the nearby gas station for safety. Little does she know that the same proprietor is also a cannibal from the Chainsaw-wielding family.
Today, the unusual gas station that was the actual location used in the 1974 “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” is still not selling fuel. Instead, the film’s original ‘WE SLAUGHTER BARBECUE’ sign is gone, replaced by ‘Barbecue to Die For.’
Order spicy sausage or brisket platters to eat out back among the four spartan, bathless, Army green cabins that cost $79 weekdays and $129 per night weekends. Bathhouses with male and female toilets and showers, plus some tent sites have been added to the grounds.
Don’t leave without a souvenir you’ll never forget
Horror movie junkies must peruse the swoon-worthy gift shop. Rubber masks of perps from countless slasher films abound. Shop the video games, themed snack foods, key rings, dolls, props and favorite weapons. Wall refrigerators feature cold, Goth-style caffeinated beverages and more.
The man behind the counter informs me that it’s against the law for them to sell any merchandise related to the film “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” because of copyright issues with filmmakers. That’s why you’ll no longer find the movie bench out front, or the Coke machine inside.
But it’s still possible to spend the night and never check out.
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