You Wouldn’t Guess The Place Deemed Illinois’ Best Public Bathroom

Sometimes, quality matters.

Visiting public bathrooms can be an experience, to say the least. We've all walked into bathrooms somewhere that give us the ick, whether it's the 1-ply toilet paper or suspicious stuff on the floor. Similarly, we've gone into bathrooms that feel too fancy for us to be in there. Those are the ones that even have attendants.

Having a tidy public bathroom is a huge flex for a gas station or travel stop and an Illinois stop has one of the best.

A survey this year from American River Wellness looked at the best public restrooms in each state, asking about 3,000 truckers and drivers which one they thought was the best in every state. Illinois' was found to be the Belvidere Oasis on I-90, ranking 61st nationally.

The oasis, which is east of Rockford, has been praised for it's retro look, multiple dining options, and the large windows that allow you to see I-90 from the plaza.

Meanwhile, the second-highest ranking public bathroom in Illinois was found to be Rend Lake Rest Area, along I-57 near Benton. The third-highest in Illinois was the Great Sauk Trail Rest Area on I-80 near Morris.

As for Illinois Tollway's oases, the ones that have bathrooms available besides Belvidere are Chicago Southland Lincoln, DeKalb, Hinsdale, Lake Forest, and the O'Hare Oasis.

There's a lot to be said for finding gas stops on a road trip that have clean (or at least decent) bathrooms. You can see American River Wellness' survey here.