The Country's Most Impressive Rest Stop Is Hiding Right Here In Kentucky
By Will Suphan|Published March 21, 2024
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Will Suphan
Author
Will has been living in Arizona off and on for 30+ years in the Phoenix Metro and Tucson areas. He has traveled all over the state as well as having lived all over the Southwest. He's been writing for OnlyInYourState for one year and has previously written for Digital Journal. Will has a passion for travel and writing and combining the two is what he loves most. He loves solo international travel and has been to Thailand, France, Japan, and Cambodia.
There’s a lot to love about driving along the highways of our beautiful state and seeing all the lush forests, rolling hills, and bucolic farmland as well as wineries and bourbon distilleries. Whether you’re passing through or simply taking a leisurely road trip in Kentucky, rest stops are an important part of the journey allowing us to stretch our legs, relax, and prepare for the next leg of the trip. But some rest areas provide so much more than a restroom and some vending machines. Let’s explore Whitehaven Welcome Center in Paducah, Kentucky, the country’s most impressive rest stop.
At the place where I-24 and HWY 45 meet in Paducah, you’ll find the most magnificent rest stop that you’ve ever seen. Much more than merely a rest stop, the Whitehaven Welcome Center is a destination all by itself.
Most of the rest stop is taken up by a beautifully restored 1860s mansion that once was the home of Harry Truman’s Vice President and Paducah native, Alben William Barkley.
You’re welcome to tour the mansion and when you enter, you’ll see a wood-floored hallway with an elegant staircase with unique, detail-filled stairs that add a sense of history and refinement.
Along the walls of the hallway are photos of what this mansion looked like prior to its restoration. In 1903, it was bought by Paducah Mayor James P. Smith and he renamed it “Bide-A-Wee,” which is a Scottish saying meaning “rest a while.”
The mansion was abandoned in 1968 and, once restored to its original majesty, opened in 1983 as the Whitehaven Welcome Center and added to the National Register of Historic Places.
Whitehaven is also a fully functional rest stop with parking for 4-wheel and 18-wheel vehicles, restrooms, brochures, a pay phone, picnic areas, vending machines, and everything you might expect from a good rest stop in Kentucky!
Have you ever stopped at the Whitehaven Welcome Center in Paducah? Which rest area do you think is the country’s most impressive rest stop? Let us know in the comments! While you’re in Paducah, you may as well stay for the night and see why it’s one of the best small towns in Kentucky:
