4:27 p.m. EST November 20, 2013 Highway rest stops may be the most universal travel experience in America. Think about it: Not everyone has faced the challenges of a connecting flight at O'Hare, and many travelers will never take a cruise, or visit a ski resort. But almost every American has taken a road trip and had cause to stop.
That's why rest stops offer the most democratic cross-section of the traveling public anywhere. From bedraggled youth sports teams piling out of passenger vans to millionaire snowbirds in $100,000 sedans, you'll find fellow citizens from all walks of life as you stretch and fill up on coffee.
Now, with the busy Thanksgiving driving season in mind, Foursquare has compiled a list of the USA's busiest rest stops by region. Based on check-in reports from last year (November 20-25, 2012), the lists below show exactly where road-trippers — or at least the wired ones who use a certain smartphone app — are stopping on the way to grandma's.
Busiest rest stops in the USA
Northeast
1. Delaware Welcome Center Travel Plaza, Newark, Del. (I-95)
2. Chesapeake House Travel Plaza, North East, Md. (I-95)
3. South Somerset Service Plaza, Somerset, Pa. (Pennsylvania Turnpike)
4. Sideling Hill Service Plaza, Waterfall, Pa. (Pennsylvania Turnpike)
5. Thomas Edison Service Area, Woodbridge, N.J. (New Jersey Turnpike)
6. Molly Pitcher Service Area, Cranbury, N.J. (New Jersey Turnpike)
7. Vince Lombardi Service Area, Ridgefield, N.J. (New Jersey Turnpike)
8. Charlton Service Plaza (Eastbound), Charlton, Mass. (I-90 Massachusetts Turnpike)
9. Charlton Service Plaza (Westbound), Charlton, Mass. (I-90 Massachusetts Turnpike)
10. Joyce Kilmer Service Center, East Brunswick, N.J. (New Jersey Turnpike)
South
1. Buc-ee's, New Braunfels, Texas (I-35)
2. Florida Welcome Center, Yulee, Fla. (I-95)
3. South Carolina Welcome Center, Hardeeville, S.C. (I-95)
4. South Carolina Welcome Center, Dillon, S.C. (I-95)
5. Port St. Lucie / Fort Pierce Service Plaza, Port St. Lucie, Fla. (Florida's Turnpike)
6. North Carolina Welcome Center, Pleasant Hill, N.C. (I-77)
7. Beckley Travel Plaza, Beckley W.Va. (West Virginia Turnpike)
8. Okahumpka Service Plaza, Leesburg, Fla. (Florida's Turnpike)
9. Virginia Welcome Center, Skippers, Va. (I-95)
10. Georgia Visitors Center, Lavonia, Ga. (I-85)
Midwest
1. Ardale W. Feguson Welcome Center, New Buffalo, Mich. (I-94)
2. TravelCenters of America, Walcott, Iowa (I-80)
3. Lake Forest Oasis, Lake Forest, Ill. (I-94)
4. Belvidere Oasis, Belvidere, Ill. (I-90)
5. Des Plaines Oasis, Des Plaines, Ill. (I-90)
6. Portage Service Plaza, Mantua, Ohio (I-80, Ohio Turnpike)
7. Hinsdale Tollway Oasis, Hinsdale, Ill. (I-294, Tri-State Tollway)
8. Vermilion Valley Service Plaza, Amherst, Ohio (I-80/90, Ohio Turnpike)
9. O'Hare Oasis, Schiller Park, Ill. (I-294, Tri-State Tollway)
10. Mars Cheese Castle, Kenosha, Wis. (I-94)
West
1. Barstow Station, Barstow, Calif. (I-40 and I-15)
2. Sunset Point Rest Stop, Mayer, Ariz. (I-17)
3. Love's Travel Stop, Lost Hills, Calif. (I-5)
4. Clyde V. Kane Rest Area, Newberry Springs, Calif. (I-15)
5. Valley Wells Rest Area, Baker, Calif. (I-15)
6. Coalinga-Avenal Reststop, Huron, Calif. (I-5)
7. Aliso Creek Rest Area (Southbound), Oceanside, Calif. (San Diego Freeway/I-5)
8. Smokey Point Rest Area (N), Arlington, Wash. (I-5)
9. Toutle River Safety Rest Area, Castle Rock, Wash. (I-5)
10. Santiam River Rest Area, Jefferson, Ore. (I-5)
It's a safe bet that almost everyone reading this article has been to one of these places. So we're now turning to you to help your fellow travelers: Which rest stops offer the best and most convenient facilities — and which should drivers avoid at all costs? Which states in general have the best rest stops? Sound off in the comments section.