Spotting a travel center with rows of gas pumps and a large convenience store is a welcome relief on any road trip. You can fill the tank then stretch your legs while searching for the perfect snack and a souvenir or two. Finding a one-of-a-kind facility, like Pops 66 Soda Ranch in Oklahoma or Barack Obama Plaza in Ireland, guarantees an even better experience. Refuel your car — and stomach — at one of these unique rest stops.
Barack Obama Plaza, Moneygall, Ireland
Punny shirts are a big seller at Barack Obama Plaza
(Image credit: Peter Muhly / AFP / Getty Images)
At this “tribute” to former President Barack Obama, whose maternal lineage traces back to Moneygall, travelers can purchase gas, food and shirts that declare “Is Féidir Linn” (“Yes We Can” in Gaelic), said Atlas Obscura. Dozens of tour buses stop by the visitor’s center every day, giving sightseers the chance to pick up some souvenirs and take photos next to the bronze statue of the president and former first lady Michelle Obama. The plaza opened in 2014, three years after Obama visited the village and quipped that he was of the “Moneygall O’bamas … I’ve come home to find that apostrophe we lost somewhere along the way.”
EddieWorld, Yermo, California
EddieWorld is on the busy route between Los Angeles and Las Vegas
(Image credit: Joe Sohm /. Visions of America / Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
If you see a giant ice cream sundae covered in sprinkles and topped with a cherry, you’re in the right place. This 70-foot sculpture (it’s built on top of a water tank) greets visitors to EddieWorld, the largest gas station in California.
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Its market and food area is also massive, filled with rows of candies, chocolates, nuts and dried food and stations where you can order fresh pizza, sushi, burgers, sandwiches, coffee, homemade popcorn and jerky. Take your treat to eat on the road, or stay awhile and dine on the patio (be sure to check out the Los Angeles Lakers memorabilia on display before heading out).
Iowa 80, Walcott, Iowa
Truckers and regular drivers both love Iowa 80
(Image credit: Andrew Woodley / Universal Images Group / Getty Images)
Iowa 80 feels like a mini city. Billed as the world’s largest truck stop, it offers almost everything a long-haul driver might desire, including a dental office, chiropractor, dog wash and dog park, movie theater, barber shop, museum and six fast-food restaurants. One highlight is the “famous” Iowa 80 kitchen, a family-owned buffet serving “hearty Midwest cuisine,” said the Iowa City Press-Citizen. Another is the giant store selling “necessities and oddities,” including some “quirky tchotchkes” that celebrate Iowa.
Last Exit AUH (Abu Dhabi) Bound, Dubai
This gas station takes its inspiration from "Mad Max"
This looks like the last gas station on Earth, and that’s entirely by design. Last Exit AUH (Abu Dhabi) Bound has a post-apocalyptic theme and is filled with abandoned cars, monster trucks and war rigs straight out of “Mad Max.” There’s also a paintball park, go-kart area and food trucks selling burgers, Nashville fried chicken, coffee drinks and desserts like saffron milk cake.
Pops 66 Soda Ranch, Arcadia, Oklahoma
This massive soda bottle dominates the skyline in Arcadia
(Image credit: Carol M. Highsmith / Buyenlarge / Getty Images)
Need a caffeine boost? Pops 66 Soda Ranch has you covered. At this “weird, wonderful roadside attraction,” visitors will find more than 700 fizzy flavors, said The Takeout. Settle in for a bite at the restaurant, which has a substantial menu featuring a dozen different burgers, sandwiches, salads and desserts like root beer bread pudding (you can also pick any of the sodas in the store for a float). Before you drive off, snap a picture or two in front of the massive 66-foot-tall soda bottle in the front, a nod to Pops’ place on Route 66.
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Taste Perthshire, Bankfoot, Scotland
Highland cows are part of Taste Perthshire's charm
(Image credit: Catherine Garcia / The Week)
If you buy one item at Taste Perthshire, make it this: a bag of feed. Highland cows are the main attraction here, and while you can admire them for free, it’s much more fun to hand-feed the hairy cows. After making sure the cows eat, head to the restaurant for a meal or afternoon tea, then pick up some tartan accessories, Scottish souvenirs and a bottle of whisky from the gift shops.
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
