Gateway Travel Plaza: keeping Breezewood, PA (America’s gas station town) from running on empty.
- January 12, 2021
Breezewood. It sounds like it could be the name of a stereotypical suburb to a major Midwest city (Chicago definitely comes to mind); it also sounds sufficiently generic that one might expect a dozen towns scattered across the country with the name. Negative on both counts. There’s only one Breezewood, and it’s not a suburb in the least. While most people who have travelled the Pennsylvania Turnpike are well familiar with the place, it’s a moderate obscurity for the rest of the country.
What’s Breezewood? It’s a drab stretch of highway, no more than a half-mile long, nestled in otherwise beautiful mountains of central Pennsylvania, about 120 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. Though a handful of homes, a post office, and a church all dot a quarter-mile rural main street, giving a population of around 100 at most, for all intents and purposes Breezewood is nearly uninhabited. But it’s completely littered with motorist-oriented services: restaurants, gas, gift shops, basic automotive needs, hotels. It’s not easy to get a great image of the concatenation of businesses in a single camera frame shot, so I have to give credit to Edward Burtynsky, a far more accomplished photographer than I am , for beautifully capturing its clutter of curb cuts and signs.
[ NOTE: I seriously undermined my own article in this case for the lack of good exterior photos of Breezewood. To be perfectly frank, I have none. Sometimes the inspiration for a great article comes only after I have departed a place, and that’s precisely what happened this time around. If I revisit Breezewood any time soon, I’ll update this blog post with better original photos.]
Breezewood didn’t emerge until the Pennsylvania Turnpike authorities designated it Exit 6, but it really only exploded in population in the early 1960s, when the portion of the Eisenhower Interstate Highway System that extended Interstate 70 began construction, linking Pittsburgh and this portion of the Turnpike to rural Western Maryland and ultimately to Baltimore. But I-70 and the Turnpike (I-76) don’t quite connect, due to a federal law in the 1950s that restricted the construction of a highway segment that directly channels motorists from a limited access toll road to a limited access free road. Based on that law (since repealed) a segment of standard road (with intersections and stoplights) must link the two highways, and, at this particular site in south-central Pennsylvania, filling the asphalt lacuna is the jumble of rest area shops that constitute Breezewood.
For much of the second half of the twentieth century, Breezewood thrived thanks to its fortuitous location, where it “dumped” motorists leaving I-70 before converging onto I-76 (or vice versa). But these days, Breezewood isn’t looking so pretty. This Google Street View from last September shows the corridor pockmarked with vacancies: how could “Gas Vegas” not even support more than a couple gas stations? A fairly recent article from GribbleNation speculates that the R&R are typologies that allowed Breezewood to flourish in the mid 20th century are no longer as popular among the motoring public: for example, the sit-down restaurants like Howard Johnson’s and Perkins that proliferated in the era of the dual oil crises (1970s) had fallen out of favor significantly by the 1990s, when a more diverse array of fast food options than simply McDonald’s began to dethrone the leisurely meal. But today, even many of those options have departed Breezewood: a Perkins couldn’t make it despite being attached to a still-operative Flying J Truck Stop. And what’s the future of the place when not even a Taco Bell or Wendy’s can survive?
The answer may be here:
It’s the Gateway Travel Plaza , an amalgamation of gas, food, and trucker/motorist services all under one roof. It’s the first stop on the right as one unloads from the Pennsylvania Turnpike, traveling westward on the US-30 (Lincoln Highway)/I-70 corridor that constitutes the bulk of Breezewood’s “strip”, before picking up the limited access version of I-70 that heads in a south-southeasterly direction toward Hancock and Hagerstown, Maryland. This Gateway Plaza of a magnet’s repellent force to stymie any activity from the next five parcels on its same side of the street: following it are a recently demolished KFC (empty for years), a vacated Exxon (relocated to the Gateway Travel Plaza), a Taco Bell that departed some time in 2018-19, a larger structure resembling an IHOP that seems to have last been a sports bar in 2014, and, finally, a long mothballed structure that previously housed a Sheetz gas station in 2009 (which relocated to a shiny new facility a block further west).
It’s unreasonable to assert that Gateway Travel Plaza was responsible for this trail of blight; it began as the Gateway Inn in 1941, as one of the first places of respite along this stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. But Gateway certainly seems to be trouncing the competition. Taking a look inside, even amidst coronavirus restrictions, it’s clearly more in sync with motorist demand than many of the other structures that line Breezewood’s strip.
The Quick Mart and Travel Stop is larger than the majority of gas station convenience stores.
And while Pennsylvania’s strict coronavirus regulations prohibited indoor dining in early January, the five fast food restaurants are all still operational, albeit some with limited hours for the time being.
But what distinguishes Gateway Travel Plaza is the content tucked away from the primary foyer—the ancillary services one doesn’t expect to see, and those which most visitors never even know about.
One can assume the laundromat and showers primarily serve truckers, and my presumption is that this structure, sanitized to appeal to motorists from all strata, is a bit more savory than many facilities that function exclusively as truck stops. The second floor is an even bigger surprise.
Yes, there most certainly is a Radio Shack, which, as of November 2020, is part of the amalgam of acquisitions from Retail E-commerce Ventures , along with such other defunct retailers as Pier 1 Imports (now Pier1), Dress Barn, Linens ’n Things, Modell’s Sporting Goods, and the Franklin Mint. Most Radio Shack locations are have partnered with HobbyTown USA or other vendors that serve as authorized “RadioShack” dealers, as is the case at Gateway Travel Plaza. I was even more surprised by some of the other second floor findings.
I believe the (currently closed) TV Lounge and training room host small conferences as needed. Probably not a bad location for people in the logistics industry.
The chaplain was a huge surprise, coming from a private, family run company that had upgraded at this site over the years. During better times, the training room across from the TV lounge hosts chapel services.
The arcade and billiards appear to be another casualty of COVID; filled with seemingly unopened boxes, this room is unlikely to return to normal anytime soon.
Returning to the main level, one encounters some oddities that reflect the seemingly cavalier attitude toward the enforcement of and adherence to COVID restrictions.
The restrooms seem to offer fully functional hand dryers. Perhaps this is more of a state-by-state restriction, but I’ve noted that other institutions have determined that the aerosolization of contaminant particles through hand dryers is a high risk situation for the spread of the virus. Paper towels are better. Apparently that’s not such a big deal in Breezewood, or at least to the Gateway Travel Plaza. And then there’s this:
Although the second-floor arcade is closed by order of the Pennsylvania Governor for COVID, the first-floor one is open. (I don’t want to get anyone in trouble, but something makes me think there’s more behind this contradiction than meets the eye.)
In Breezewood’s defense, not all visual indicators suggest its creeping obsolescence. The area has at least one middle market hotel (Holiday Inn), a long-standing Starbucks, surviving locations of a few struggling chains (Pizza Hut, Bob Evans), and a Tesla Supercharger. But the evidence is clear: the rest of Breezewood is flailing to maintain relevance while the one operation at the front of the line cleans house. It doesn’t help that the demand for the services Breezewood offers has most likely declined, or that they are replicated at other roadside rest stops at relatively short distances. The aforementioned GribbleNation article noted that Breezewood lost a lot of its mojo after the 1992 completion of I-68 in western Maryland, which largely follows the path of the Old National Road, linking Hancock, Maryland to Morgantown, West Virginia, thereby providing an alternative travel path that eased some of the demand for the I-70/76 corridor, which it parallels. With 10% fewer vehicles (and visitors) along the Turnpike, the marginal businesses in Breezewood couldn’t sustain themselves. Even the natural increase in vehicular traffic that comes through population growth and a steady rise in the demand for logistics hasn’t proven strong enough.
But the influence of a smartly run business cannot be denied. Gateway Travel Plaza has effectively tried to mimic the publicly supported service plazas along the Pennsylvania Turnpike; even the external appearance of Gateway Travel Plaza features that same pitched roof with dormer windows common to the plazas at the turnpike. With the exception of lodgings, it offers virtually everything a traveler would need and maximizes the convenience; why make three stops when everything could be available under one roof? The remaining 2,000 feet of Breezewood’s strip must maneuver far more adroitly to accommodate shifting tastes. The only thing Gateway Travel Plaza seems to be lacking at this point is a dog park .
- State: Pennsylvania
- Topic(s): blight , interiors , main street , restaurants , retail , rural , signage , site selection , traffic flow
Share this post
18 thoughts on “ gateway travel plaza: keeping breezewood, pa (america’s gas station town) from running on empty. ”.
And important transition point for those of us who drive from Michigan to DC!
I’ve never stopped at this particular station. I might check it out on my next trip west for fun. Gasoline tends to be more significantly more expensive in PA than MD or OH, which may affect the number of people stopping in Breezewood.
Great points! It makes me wonder if the gas price differential between Pennsylvania and neighboring states really grew in the late 1990s, about the same time Breezewood began to decline. Maybe a big tax hike? When I used to live in eastern Pennsylvania, I would routinely time things so that I was in New Jersey whenever I needed to get good cheap gas… Except that New Jersey increased its gas price to almost the same as Pennsylvania in about 2016, and it was no longer worth it. But you make an excellent point: although Breezewood isn’t super close to the Maryland border, it’s close enough that cars, with increasingly large gas tanks, can easily make the extra 70 miles to a stop near Hancock.
I forgot when PA last raised their gas tax. Also, I’ve been using I-68 more going west. I had a little sticker shock when I paid tolls on the PA turnpike this past summer. I wonder if others are doing the same.
Definitely. As I noted in the article (citing someone else), the 1992 completion of I-68 took a serious cut into the Turnpike’s traffic from Breezewood to its terminus near New Stanton, PA. While I-68 is a bit longer as the crow flies, it’s often still a shorter trip (according to GPS). And not only is it less congested but it’s one of the most beautiful stretches of Appalachia. Plus it ends in the great little city of Morgantown, WV.
It’s too bad that the presence of I-68 has not seemed to do anything to lift the economic fortunes of Cumberland, MD though.
I am not sure we have been there in years, but depending on how we would drive from Maryland to Indiana, we would stop here. Wow, what memories from 20 years ago! This article just shows how much time marches on.
Yes, it has marched on indeed! Good to hear your memories, Sarah. My guess is if you were to visit Breezewood again sometime soon, it wouldn’t look so pretty. My hope is to get up there before too long again, and to fill this blog post with some more vivid photos to replace some of the verbiage. Stay tuned…
I too enjoyed it. I stopped there all the time in my commuting between Cleveland and Annapolis, and we celebrated when we got married and drove through on the way back to Cleveland the day after. In the days before GPS, I always got so turned around trying to understand how the ramp on to the turnpike worked. Always felt like going round in circles.
Hi Alex, it’s definitely one of the least intuitive interchanges on the planet. If you’re headed eastward on the Turnpike and want to veer toward Baltimore, you have to turn first northeast, then due north, then due west, all in order to go south-southeast. So you’re absolutely going in circles. But that confusion (before GPS, and before modern superior signage) helped trap unwitting motorists who otherwise might not encounter any real roadside amenities without deliberate effort. Might as well fill up the car and grab a hoagie before continuing on the road. (Do they call them hoagies in that part of PA?)
Breezewood has been a curiosity to road geeks for decades, always wondering when it’s finally going to be fixed. The convoluted routing remind me a bit of the I-65 and I-90 Indiana Toll Road interchange in Gary. If you’re on I-90 you just sail through, but if you’re going to or from I-65 you need to do a full 360 degree loop just to keep going the same direction. Toll booths spawn some really strange movements.
That’s a good analogy, Jeffrey. I know the interchange you’re speaking of in The Region pretty well because I used to make that drive regularly. If I recall correctly, about 10 years ago (probably much more) they improved it considerably, in terms of functionality and boosting the overall LOS . But they didn’t make it intuitive, so it’s still pretty goofy.
Here’s my guess after learning more about Breezewood: Indiana probably had an old archaic law (much like Pennsylvania did) restricting the exact method of transitioning between a non-toll road and a toll road, requiring at least some signal activated portion. Didn’t the early 2000s I-65/90 interchange have a stop light or two? INDOT and the FHWA partnered to improve the interchange, but thanks to Indiana government’s customary extreme fiscal austerity, they designed several lower cost “tendrils” to link the roads rather than a complete re-routing. Indiana is historically one of (if now the) most tight-fisted of states; it does not take considerably large federal buyouts and nearly always takes the simplest and cheapest path to design a solution or improvement. There’s much to cavil about this approach, but Indiana doesn’t typically maintain a AAA bond rating for no reason.
Thanks to your prompt, I took a look at the design of this interchange. It looks like really badly executed macramé.
“Didn’t the early 2000s I-65/90 interchange have a stop light or two?” Yeah if you were going south, after navigating the toll booths you’d come to a very lonely stop light where you would turn left to onto I-65 south. You could also turn right on the last 1/4 mile of I-65 north to get to US-20, but there’s a full interchange for that just to the east so the new flyovers don’t have that movement. It looks like there were three or four different stages of this interchange, from a simple exit to 15th Avenue and US-20 in the 1950s, to a connection with I-65 in the 1960s, to the expanded toll plaza plus a direct connection from I-65 to US-20 in the 1980s or 1990s, and finally the mess of tendrils from 2003. https://www.historicaerials.com/location/41.59227327725194/-87.30025679984458/1959/15
Thanks for sharing that 1959 aerial. Looks like it was somewhat counterintuitive even back then, and, in the interest of saving money (no doubt–this is Indiana we’re talking about), they merely layered on more complex new flyovers rather than eliminating them. As a result, this interchange is closer to a “spaghetti junction” than anything I can think of in metro Indianapolis.
If Gateway Travel is the go-to stop for travelers in that area, why do the photos show nearly empty shops and areas? The TV Room and Exercise Room make sense with restrictions, but food booths?
Pennsylvania banned indoor dining from about Dec. 20 to Jan. 3. So if that’s when Eric was passing through, no one would have been allowed to eat in.
As Chris B said, they were still completely restricting indoor dining. Carryout only. Even with the bleak appearance, however, the Gateway Travel Plaza still looked better than most of the rest of Breezewood, which has lots of vacant buildings.
While I was checking out at the register, I purchases a bracelet that said, “Trust in the Lord”. I was told the proceeds would benefit a church nearby. Can I please have the name of that church so I can order more bracelets for my friends. Everyone loves them. I thank you in advance.
Hi Eddie–sorry I don’t know anything about that. I just wrote an article about things in Breezewood in general. I haven’t been back there in almost two years.
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
Your email address will not be published. You are not required to sign in. Anonymous posting is just fine.
Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.
Join the Conversation
© 2020-2024 American Dirt. All Rights Reserved.
Web Development by Creative Concierge .
Gateway Travel Center
Introduction.
Text-to-speech Audio
Over the years, the area of Breezewood began to experience the effects of the PA Turnpike, as the area was once completely rural
Before the construction of the PA Turnpike, Bedford County was comprised of a vast array of rural farmland
The “Gateway” was a fundamental resting point for military servicemen and women during WWII who traveled to Maryland, Virginia, and surrounding areas, and which consisted of a restaurant and service station
A far, front shot of the entrance of the Gateway Plaza Travel Center
Backstory and Context
Bedford County is a prime example of an area whose dynamics have been completely altered by the presence of tourism. This area was widely recognized for their agriculture at one point in time. However, the implementation of the Pennsylvania Turnpike in October 1940 certainly shifted the focus away from agriculture, and more on tourists traveling in and out of the area. According to the “Lincoln Highway”, roughly only 7 percent of the county of Bedford worked in farming by 1970, compared to 1910, when farming practices were at an all-time high in Bedford County, and this was due to the two exits, which were placed at two locations, one located in Bedford and one in Breezewood, who also experienced, firsthand, how tourism can truly make a permanent change in a small, rural town. Breezewood became widely acclaimed to be “the town of motels” and the “gateway to the south”, but consisted primarily of rural land before the spread of tourism. Breezewood, according to a 1990 NY Times article, had “no less than 10 motels, 14 fast food restaurants and 7 fuel and service stations, including two sprawling truck stops."
The Gateway Travel Center, otherwise acknowledged as the “Gateway”, came about in the midst of this expansion of tourism and as a result of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, opening directly after It was originally run by Merle Snyder, and his wife, Marion Snyder. Interestingly, they started an insignia patch collection from the soldiers whom they would serve at the service station and restaurant which they owned, during World War II. There were contracts in place where the Snyders were responsible for providing the soldiers with fuel, and they usually exchanged meals and gas for the soldier’s patches, which is currently preserved and exhibited in the restaurant where the soldiers ate their meals.
Across the street from the restaurant lies the Breezewood Diner, which was originally owned by Sara Drenning, but, however, is no longer in business. The Crawford Gift Shop, which is also located across the street from the Gateway Restaurant, is one of the few small businesses to survive the influx of chain restaurants and hotels around the area of Breezewood. Although the Crawford Museum, which was interconnected with the gift shop, closed due to the unintentional damage by visitors, primarily children, to the taxidermied items. The Wiltshire Motel is also among the few businesses to remain open, and one which is also still operated by its original owners. Unlike motels such as “The Breezewood” and “The Village”, located at the entrance of I-70, the Wiltshire withstood the test of time.
During the time of World War II, particularly, tourism held an entirely different meaning for the town of Breezewood and for those who traveled through “The Gateway." Although rest stops were originally intended to provide travelers with clean restroom facilities and a place to lounge in the midst of a, presumably, long journey, this idea has been altered over the course of time. The Gateway is among several other travel stops which has been transformed throughout the decades, and which has resulted in controversy. Many are concerned about the shift from being places of rest to being places of business, taking the focus away from the traditional approach that was once adopted by nearly all rest-designated areas.
The entrance of I-70, heading south towards Maryland, is one area of controversy, considering that some would like a direct link through the Turnpike, while businesses located along Route 30 fancy the idea of a traffic light at the intersection. Regardless of the arguments made by those standing at either side of the spectrum, The Gateway’s mission has shifted slightly, through time. While it was once literally regarded as “The Gateway” to the soldiers’ destinations, and a place where travelers could seek rest and relaxation, it is now a relatively popular tourist attraction. As Brian Butko expressed in “The Lincoln Highway: Pennsylvania Traveler’s Guide,” it is not so much the density which is surprising, as the suburban strips are similarly populated, rather it’s the strangeness of the scenery. Butko described it as “the truck traffic and the rural land to either side of the concentration of bright lights”, and brings light to this fascinating, yet strange fact, which sets The Gateway apart from a number of other travel centers. Today, The Gateway still stands open to the public, welcoming tourists with their wide variety of “food, fuel, shopping, and lodging" services.
Additional Information
- Gateway Travel Plaza
Current Weather
Latest Weathercast
Interactive Radar
Gateway Travel Plaza in Breezewood adding new restaurants, amenities
by Matthew Stevens
BREEZEWOOD, Pa. - The Gateway Travel Plaza in Breezewood just off the Pennsylvania Turnpike is in the process of a major renovations. Gateway Vice President John Bittner said the project, which is underway, is adding a new food court, additional restrooms, expansion of the Radio Shack, a new arcade and an elevator.
Bittner said the food court will replace the sit down Gateway restaurant and will now feature a Dunkin Donuts, Baskin Robbins, Arby's, Jimmy John's and a Gateway Homestyle Express that will feature the same item menus as the old restaurant, but in a take-out setting.
He said the sit-down portion of the food court will have 270 seats.
Bittner said the Dunkin Donuts, Baskin Robbins and Arby's are expected to open at the beginning of June and the Gateway Homestyle Express and Jimmy John's a month later.
Bittner added they are seeking to buy more property in the future to expand its parking capacity.
He said the renovations are intended to refresh the entire property and increase foot traffic in the facility.
Bittner said the project is expected to add roughly 20 jobs at the facility.
Popular Keywords
Total Results
No Record Found
- Convenience Stores , Shopping , Specialty Shops
The Gateway Travel Plaza Gift Shop and Radio Shack
- 16563 Lincoln Highway Breezewood, PA
- 814-735-4011
The Gift Shop offers a wide array of collectibles. The General Store offers a wide selection of snacks, magazines, newspapers, and other traveling goods. The RadioShack at the Gateway has a wide selection of mobile electronics, Sprint cell phones, WiFi adapters, CBs, TVs, VCRs, DVDs, toys, and clothing. Located within The Gateway Travel Plaza, just off of PA Tunpike Exit #161 in Breezewood, PA.
WHERE ARE WE?
Bedford County is in South Central PA along the PA Turnpike, Route 30 (Lincoln Highway), I-99 and I70.
- Our Visitors Bureau
- 814-623-1771
- 131 South Juliana Street Bedford, PA 15522
- @BedfordCounty
- @VisitBedfordCounty
Location and hours
Gateway travel plaza.
2358.6 mi Chevron right small
x Delivery bag remove Delivery Unavailable
16567 Lincoln Hwy
- Chicken Wings $5.99 Plus small
- Loaded Cheese Fries $5.99 Crispy golden fries smothered with creamy cheese sauce, bacon crumbles, and topped with sour cream. Plus small
- Home Style Rings $5.99 Thin sliced sweet onion rings fried to golden brown perfection. Plus small
- Cheese Sticks $6.99 Mozzarella cheese covered with Italian-style breading and deep-fried. Served with a marinara sauce for dipping. Plus small
- Cheese Quesadilla $6.99 Filled with blended Colby jack cheese, lettuce, fresh diced tomato, and salsa. Plus small
Hommade Desserts
- Oatmeal Pie $3.99 Plus small
- Turtle Brownie Sundae $4.99 House-made brownie topped with vanilla ice cream, warm chocolate sauce, caramel, and walnuts. Plus small
- Caramel Apple Pie $3.99 Warm pie with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, and chopped walnuts. Plus small
- Pumpkin Carrot Cake $3.99 A classic twist, delicious carrot cake and cream cheese frosting with a hint of pumpkin. Plus small
- German Chocolate Cake $3.99 Traditional layered chocolate cake topped with coconut and walnut icing. Plus small
- Slice O Pie $2.99 Apple, cherry, blueberry, coconut cream, and peanut butter. Plus small
- Ice Cream $1.79 Chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and orange sherbet. Plus small
- Steak and Cheese Sub $8.49 Steak, mozzarella cheese, onions, poppers, oregano, lettuce, and mayonnaise. Come on an 8-inch Italian roll and toasted. Plus small
- Hot Italian Sub $7.99 Capicola, salami, pepperoni, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, oregano, mayonnaise, and Italian dressing. Come on an 8-inch Italian roll and toasted. Plus small
- Meatball Sub $7.99 Meatball, mozzarella cheese, oregano, and parmesan cheese. Come on an 8-inch Italian roll and toasted. Plus small
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Sub $8.49 Grilled chicken breast, mozzarella cheese, bacon, and ranch. Come on an 8-inch Italian roll and toasted. Plus small
- Buffalo Chicken Sub $8.49 Grilled chicken breast, buffalo sauce, mozzarella cheese, and ranch dressing. Come on an 8-inch Italian roll and toasted. Plus small
- Turkey and Cheese Sub $7.49 Turkey breast, provolone cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and mayonnaise. Come on an 8-inch Italian roll and toasted. Plus small
- Ham and Cheese Sub $7.49 Ham, swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and mayonnaise. Come on an 8-inch Italian roll and toasted. Plus small
- Classic Grilled Cheese $6.99 Plus small
Friec Chicken
Chicken tenders, frequently asked questions, can i order gateway travel plaza delivery in johnstown-altoona with uber eats.
Yes. Gateway Travel Plaza delivery is available on Uber Eats in Johnstown-Altoona.
Is Gateway Travel Plaza delivery available near me?
Enter your address to see if Gateway Travel Plaza delivery is available to your location in Johnstown-Altoona.
How do I order Gateway Travel Plaza delivery online in Johnstown-Altoona?
There are 2 ways to place an order on Uber Eats: on the app or online using the Uber Eats website. After you’ve looked over the Gateway Travel Plaza menu, simply choose the items you’d like to order and add them to your cart. Next, you’ll be able to review, place, and track your order.
Where can I find Gateway Travel Plaza online menu prices?
View upfront pricing information for the various items offered by Gateway Travel Plaza here on this page.
How do I get free delivery on my Gateway Travel Plaza order?
To save money on the delivery, consider getting an Uber One membership, if available in your area, as one of its perks is a $0 Delivery Fee on select orders.
How do I pay for my Gateway Travel Plaza order?
Payment is handled via your Uber Eats account.
What’s the best thing to order for Gateway Travel Plaza delivery in Johnstown-Altoona?
If you’re in need of some suggestions for your Gateway Travel Plaza order, check out the items showcased in “Picked for you” on this page.
Javascript disabled
Javascript is needed to run Uber Eats. You can try enabling it or visiting the website with a browser that supports Javascript.
clock This article was published more than 6 years ago
I vacationed at the East Coast’s quintessential rest stop. It’s more inviting than it looks.
I expected to live my entire life without price-shopping for truck-stop showers. Then I spent the night in Breezewood.
The adventure began last August when my main squeeze James and I drove to Colorado. We passed through Breezewood, Pa., as do many drivers heading to the Rust Belt and beyond.
“What do you think about vacationing here for a week,” James asked. I laughed loudly and dismissed the idea.
If you've been there, you understand why. Breezewood has been a travel hub for centuries. It was a stagecoach stop in the late 1700s and then became a stop on the Lincoln Highway, America's first cross-country road. The Pennsylvania Turnpike opened in 1940, and thousands of World War II veterans exited at Breezewood, stopping at what now is the Gateway Travel Plaza to trade their unit patches for meals. Today, motorists driving between I-70 and the turnpike are forced off the highway and onto a congested half-mile stretch of expensive gas stations, fast-food joints, truck stops and motels. That's what people do in Breezewood, I thought. Get a quick caffeine fix, then refuel and get back on the road. They don't sleep there.
“I’m game,” I said last summer, accepting James’s challenge. “But only for one night.”
By the time we finally rolled into town last month, I was excited about our adventure.
I had learned about Pike 2 Bike, a graffiti-covered, crumbling section of the original four-lane turnpike that was abandoned 50 years ago after the two-lane tunnels became bottlenecks. We packed bike shorts and were ready to explore. But on our first day, I was determined to walk up and down the Breezewood strip, U.S. Route 30, to better understand this town people love to hate.
In the shadow of prominently placed no-pedestrian signs, we set off single file, along the shoulder — looking like hobos — and scuttled across intersections between groaning semis.
During our stroll down the strip, where 18-wheelers often outnumber four-wheelers, James and I counted close to a dozen vacant buildings, including a former Wendy’s and KFC. We wandered around an empty, weed-filled motel lot; inside a chain-link fence sat a pool filled with brown water. Several businesses pleaded for workers. Taco Bell’s sign made me smile: “Need a job? Come taco bout it.”
Among the newest properties was the Holiday Inn Express, which sold in its lobby Hungry Man frozen dinners, build-your-own six packs of beer and a snow globe of Pennsylvania covered bridges. The busiest place (and our lunch spot) was Sheetz, in front of the touch-screen kiosks that facilitate made-to-order food.
At the Gateway — where you can see displays of the soldiers' patches — we popped into the gift shop, and I bought a miniature license plate with my name on it, skipping " The Complete Venison Cookbook ." Upstairs, we found a laundromat and arcade, and a quiet lounge for truckers that offered complimentary Bibles in Spanish.
Having passed Crawford’s Museum many times, I was hopeful about finding some culture in town. Alas, we discovered that the museum sign is simply a leftover from the building’s days of exhibiting taxidermied animals. Today, it’s a sports souvenir shop — offering a frenzy of Pittsburgh Steelers tchotchkes. Some of the animal displays remain, cohabitating in this odd space. A Kodiak bear stands on his hind legs in the sale section; some of his claws were plucked out over the years. An elephant’s head rests on the back wall, its ears splayed, tusks stretching out over the baseball caps.
Before dinner, we left town, driving past farms and orchards, and slowing for bunnies scampering across the road. We stopped at a half-dozen covered bridges just long enough for selfies and found Gravity Hill, an optical illusion that makes cars look like they’re rolling uphill. (It was underwhelming to one of us and delightful to the other.)
That night at the Quality Inn Breeze Manor, a tidy hilltop motel, I found a walking path to the truck-service station, which was lit up like a ballfield. One truck carried 10 colorful Mini Coopers, another logs, another FedEx packages. Standing on a knoll, I watched the endless parade of trucks and was enthralled while listening to their strange noises until bed beckoned.
The next morning, we enjoyed a large and healthy breakfast at the 1788 Inn, a newly renovated bed-and-breakfast just beyond the strip — but not far enough away to escape the constant din of rumbling trucks. Fueled up for biking, we drove to the start of the Pike 2 Bike trail and met Murray Schrotenboer, a gray-bearded entrepreneur who runs Grouseland Tours and has been riding the abandoned section of turnpike for nearly 20 years.
Under overcast skies, our small group set off. We pedaled at a comfortable pace, with gentle climbs and descents, and Schrotenboer narrated a history of the route starting with William Vanderbilt and a failed railroad project. In the old turnpike median, weeds grew to shoulder height and butterflies darted around wildflowers. Nature was repossessing its land. Locals describe it as post-apocalyptic.
We rode single file through two tunnels — dank, foggy, pitch black stretches, one more than a mile long. Condensation made the interior drippy, in some places like a waterfall. Our headlights shone cones of visibility through the dark droplets of water.
“We’re 400 feet underground,” Schrotenboer said, reminding us that we were under a mountain. We pulled over in an empty asphalt lot and he pointed to some trees. “This was once a Howard Johnson and Esso Station.”
On the return, we passed a dozen other cyclists, including a family of six driving between York and Pittsburgh. Schrotenboer, who stopped us often for stories, pointed out the spots where parts of movies “The Road” and “Zombie eXs” were shot. At one of the tunnel entrances, he unlocked a door and led us to the former control, boiler and ventilation rooms for the tunnel. This surreal steampunk hideaway is accessible only on Schrotenboer’s tour (although trespassers have found a way in), and I considered that alone worth the price. We walked by a fan the size of a jet engine, covered in bright graffiti, and continued about 150 feet into the gritty plenum, or attic, of the tunnel. Echoes bounced eerily back to the entrance.
After our five-hour, 17-mile tour, we were mud-splattered and sweaty. Inconveniently, we had checked out of our motel that morning. The previous day, we had learned that showers at the Gateway cost $14. (“Pricey,” I had muttered.) I suggested that we check out the less-spiffy Flying J across the street. Sure enough, that saved us $2. I bought a shower pass from the cashier, walked to the basement and keyed in a code at the assigned room. Easy as pie.
With that, our Breezewood adventure was over. Driving out of town, I saw Bob Evans, Shell, Best Western and a fluttering Stars and Stripes in my rearview mirror. In less than a mile, we were driving through green, rolling hills. I thought about the world we’d made — the crumbling facades, the abandoned highway, the declawed bear — and watched trucks across the median speeding toward a momentary stop in a strange yet utterly American town.
Kaplan is a freelance writer based in the District. Her website is melaniedgkaplan.com . Find her on Twitter: @MelanieDGKaplan .
Where to stay
The 1788 Inn
16200 Lincoln Hwy., Breezewood
814-626-1788
the1788inn.com
The Federal-style 1788 Inn is run by delightful hosts who care deeply about renovation and history. Each room has a fireplace and private bath with heated floor. Rooms from $125, including full breakfast; call ahead for a la carte breakfast at $25 for two.
Quality Inn Breeze Manor
16621 Lincoln Hwy., Breezewood
814-735-4311
choicehotels.com
Located on the Breezewood strip, the motel is a quarter-mile from the Pike 2 Bike trail. The Quality Inn has basic rooms, a clean outdoor pool, free continental breakfast, a view of the truck-service plaza and a black Labrador greeter named Sadie. Rooms from $119.
Where to eat
Mother Trucker’s Cafe
167 Posthouse Rd., Breezewood
814-735-4076
mothertruckerscafe.com
Located in the Flying J Travel Plaza, Mother Trucker’s is one of the few non-fast options in Breezewood, although fast it is. Cafeteria-style sides start at $2.36, including mac and cheese, cabbage and blueberry cobbler. Dinner plates, including with ham pot pie and pork sauerkraut, cost $9.43.
Horn O Plenty
220 Wolfsburg Rd., Bedford
814-623-0522
myhornoplenty.com
A short detour from the covered-bridge tour, this farm-to-table restaurant is the antithesis of the Breezewood strip — a beautiful, natural setting with organically grown ingredients. Homemade sourdough and condiments, wood-fired pizza and entrees such as quinoa cakes and stuffed peppers, starting at $16. Open 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday. Closed Mondays.
Pike 2 Bike Behind the Scenes Guided Tours
Lincoln Highway (U.S. Route 30)
814-784-5000
pike2bike.com
Murray Schrotenboer’s Grouseland offers 17-mile bike tours along the abandoned highway and through its tunnels, as well as otherwise inaccessible parts of the turnpike, such as the control room. Ride and tour last three to five hours, or add on for a deluxe tour with a hike. One rider, $95; two, $110; three or more, $45 per person. Rental Cannondale bikes are available. If you venture out on your own, make sure to bring lights and water.
Covered Bridges of Bedford County Tour
Bedford County Visitors Bureau
814-623-1771
visitbedfordcounty.com/coveredbridges
Download a copy of this 100-minute driving tour or call for a brochure and map. The county has 14 century-old, hand-built covered bridges, nine of which are on the loop. Be sure to visit nearby Gravity Hill, an optical illusion where your car appears to roll uphill.
Bedford County Bike Loops
visitbedfordcounty.com/biking
The county website has five printable maps of bike loops with lengths of 16 to 42 miles. Loops are generally rolling hills with light traffic and some good climbs. The rides pass farms, orchards and covered bridges.
End of the Road Marathon and Half Marathon
Forbes Road High School
159 Red Bird Dr., Waterfall
pike2bike.com/event
Bring your flashlight or headlamp for this race. Held Oct. 29, the marathon route follows the abandoned turnpike, with water stop volunteers dressed in apocalypse-themed attire. Be prepared for rough patches, potholes and several miles inside the abandoned tunnels.
Information
visitbedfordcounty.com
Welcome to The Gateway Travel Plaza Orientation Trainings
The information provided in this series of videos will help you to get on the right path towards building relevant skills for your future with The Gateway Travel Plaza.
IMAGES
COMMENTS
Look no further than our travel plaza, where we offer top-notch bus accommodations for your comfort and convenience. ... 16567 Lincoln Hwy Breezewood PA 15533. Contact Us. Name * Email * Phone . Message . Employees ...
Gateway Travel Plaza, Breezewood, Pennsylvania. 1,770 likes · 3 talking about this · 20,297 were here. Conveniently located off Exit 161 of the Pennsylvania Turnpike at the intersection of I-76 and I-70, ...
It's the Gateway Travel Plaza, an amalgamation of gas, food, and trucker/motorist services all under one roof. It's the first stop on the right as one unloads from the Pennsylvania Turnpike, traveling westward on the US-30 (Lincoln Highway)/I-70 corridor that constitutes the bulk of Breezewood's "strip", before picking up the limited access version of I-70 that heads in a south ...
50 reviews and 60 photos of Gateway Travel Plaza "If you can, avoid the Gateway Plaza, as it is a disgusting truck stop. This truck stop, run by TA, looks like a good place to stop on the outside when traveling I-70 and/or the PA Turnpike. Step inside, and it's completely different. The bathrooms could use a good cleaning. A food court containing Subway (see review), Domino's, and Dairy Queen ...
Quick Mart & Gateway's Gift Shop. The Quick Mart at the Gateway Travel Plaza offers a wide selection of drinks, snacks, fresh foods, beer, wine, ice and other traveling goods. (814) 735-7411. ... 16567 Lincoln Hwy Breezewood PA 15533. Contact Us. Name * Email * Phone . Message .
At our TA location, we offer a one-stop-shop for all your travel needs. Whether you're a professional driver or a road-tripping family, we've got you covered with a wide range of services and amenities. ... 16567 Lincoln Hwy Breezewood PA 15533. Contact Us. Name * Email * Phone . Message . Employees ...
The Gateway Plaza Travel Center is a popular tourist stop-off point located along the Lincoln Highway in Breezewood, PA. It offers several restaurants for traveling guests, along with gas stations and gift shops. The implementation of the PA Turnpike in October of 1940 changed the face of Bedford County and the neighboring area of Breezewood permanently, shifting from what was once nearly ...
Get directions, reviews and information for Gateway Travel Plaza in Breezewood, PA. You can also find other Hotels & Motels on MapQuest . Search MapQuest. Hotels. Food. Shopping. Coffee. Grocery. Gas. Gateway Travel Plaza (814) 735-4011. Website. More. Directions Advertisement.
BREEZEWOOD, Pa. - The Gateway Travel Plaza in Breezewood just off the Pennsylvania Turnpike is in the process of a major renovations. Gateway Vice President John Bittner said the project, which is ...
Latest reviews, photos and 👍🏾ratings for Gateway Travel Plaza at 16567 Lincoln Hwy in Breezewood - view the menu, ⏰hours, ☎️phone number, ☝address and map. Gateway Travel Plaza ... PA. 16567 Lincoln Hwy, Breezewood, PA 15533 (814) 735-4011 Website Suggest an Edit. More Info. dine-in. private lot parking. bike parking.
Breezewood, PA, is a colorful, fluorescent-lit monument designed to be visited on wheels, yet it's always been more waypoint than destination. ... In 1941, Merle Snyder established Gateway Motel and Restaurant for turnpike goers. Gateway Travel Plaza, as it is now called, is one of the only businesses remaining from Breezewood's golden age ...
This is the Gateway Truck Stop in Breezewood, PA. It's at exit 164 on the Pennsylvania Turnpike (I-76/70). This truck stop dates back to sometime in the thir...
At our travel plaza, we have plenty of space to accommodate large groups of travelers. Our spacious dining area, clean restrooms, and ample parking can comfortably accommodate buses, RVs, and other large vehicles. ... 16567 Lincoln Hwy Breezewood PA 15533. Contact Us. Name * Email * Phone . Message . Employees ...
Located within The Gateway Travel Plaza, just off of PA Tunpike Exit #161 in Breezewood, PA. Website. Map. WHERE ARE WE? Bedford County is in South Central PA along the PA Turnpike, Route 30 (Lincoln Highway), I-99 and I70. Directions; Our Visitors Bureau ; Press; Contact Us. 814-623-1771; Email; 131 South Juliana Street
Use your Uber account to order delivery from Gateway Travel Plaza in Johnstown-Altoona. Browse the menu, view popular items, and track your order. ... 16567 Lincoln Hwy, Breezewood, PA 15533. Every Day: 12:30 AM-9:30 PM. Gateway Travel Plaza. Comfort Food • $$ ...
The Pennsylvania Turnpike opened in 1940, and thousands of World War II veterans exited at Breezewood, stopping at what now is the Gateway Travel Plaza to trade their unit patches for meals.
50 reviews of Gateway Travel Plaza "If you can, avoid the Gateway Plaza, as it is a disgusting truck stop. This truck stop, run by TA, looks like a good place to stop on the outside when traveling I-70 and/or the PA Turnpike. Step inside, and it's completely different. The bathrooms could use a good cleaning. A food court containing Subway (see review), Domino's, and Dairy Queen serves your ...
Welcome to The Gateway Travel Plaza Orientation Trainings. The information provided in this series of videos will help you to get on the right path towards building relevant skills for your future with The Gateway Travel Plaza. Log In.
Busy and interesting place to work. Shift Leader (Former Employee) - Breezewood, PA - January 21, 2015. Work at the Gateway Travel Plaza was never boring. There was always something to do from waiting on customers at the Dairy Queen, Subway, or Gateway owned Papi's Pizza and Wings to cleaning the cooler or freezer, fryers, floors, dining room ...
6 Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations at Gateway Travel Plaza (1). Stations maintained by Rivian Adventure Network and located at 16563 Lincoln Hwy, Breezewood, PA 15533, USA ... PA 15533, USA. 10.0. Gateway Travel Plaza (1) share. check. Check In. star. Bookmark. photo. Add Photo. directions. Directions. mode_edit. Edit. location_on. 16563 ...
RadioShack Sales Associate (Current Employee) - Breezewood, PA 15533 - May 18, 2019. Working at Gateway was neither bad nor amazing. It has it's perks but also it's bad moments. Most of the employees are amazing, but some of the managers are power hungry. Pros. Discounted Meals, Flexible Hours. Cons.
Lodging - Gateway Travel Plaza
Find out what works well at Gateway Travel Plaza from the people who know best. Get the inside scoop on jobs, salaries, top office locations, and CEO insights. Compare pay for popular roles and read about the team's work-life balance. ... Former Employee in Main Building / Breezewood Pa. 3.0. on December 12, 2023. Better Places to Work. Open ...