You're driving through the Texas countryside.  You admire the beauty that surrounds you, but notice there isn't a town for miles and you are starting to get tired.  One of your kids needs to use the bathroom.  Where are you going to stop?  Thankfully Texas has one of the best rest area systems in the entire country, if not the best.  Texas rest areas are renowned throughout the country for their quality and cleanliness.

Texas rest areas are placed at strategic locations on a regular basis throughout the Texas highway system.  Both state and federal highways have plenty of Texas rest areas for you to stop at.  At a bare minimum at a Texas highway rest stop you will find a place to park, maybe take a nap, as well as a clean and well-maintained public restroom.

Most Texas rest areas go even further, providing an air-conditioned rest area where you can go inside and find maps of Texas to assist you on your travels.  Vending machines to satisfy your thirst or hunger.  Most also come equipped with covered picnic areas and lovely walkways so you can stretch your legs, enjoy the fresh air or even take a break with the family and enjoy a quiet picnic in the beautiful Texas countryside.

Since 1999 the Texas Highway Patrol has worked to make more Texas rest areas and to make them bigger and better.  Many states envy the rest areas you will find in Texas, after all there are few better maintained and developed rest area systems in the entire country.  When it comes to making the best out of a Texas highway rest stop, Texas gives its all.

While Texas rest areas are easy to find and are well marked (you will find signs informing you of the next rest area distance at regular intervals while driving down the highway) you might want to get information in advance of exactly where the rest areas along your route are.  This will give you an idea ahead of time exactly where the best places will be to make your stops, and where you will be able to stop if you find yourself getting into a bit of trouble.

You can find the Texas Department of Transportation's official web site for the Texas Safety Rest Area program at the following web address: http://www.dot.state.tx.us/mnt/sra/default.htm  This page will give you information on all that Texas rest areas have to offer, and comes with a complete list of all Texas highway rest stop locations divided geographically by region.

Each listing on the Texas Department of Transportations web site will give a picture of the rest area, tell you what highway it can be found on and the mile marker that it is at.  This gives you everything you need to know to find the rest area once you are on the road.  It will also tell you what features are available at any given rest area, such as drinking fountains, telephones, restrooms, picnic areas, etc.  To be even more helpful the web site also gives you a little bit of information on the area where the rest area is found, so you can learn a little bit about all the places in Texas you will be traveling through.

If you find yourself traveling through the great state of Texas you will definitely want to take a break at one of Texas's fine Texas rest areas.  For quality and comfort they can't be beat, and make a great place to rest a while and stretch your legs while driving through the vast state of Texas.