Cracker Barrel — Stuart

Perhaps you find yourself looking at this here review because you’ve found yourself plowing north or south up or down the mighty I95 highway corridor here in central Florida and likely wound up in desperate need of a place to pull over for the night. And if that’s the case, whether you are in dire need of a decent shut-eye or simply need to locate a decent patch of pavement for a layover, then you could do far worse than this roadside cooking stain of a restaurant called Cracker Barrel here outside Stuart. And look, as long as the wickedly poor grub doesn’t temp you, let the EZ on-and-off again access be the main attraction, plus, it really is a fairly massive parking enclave the likes of which you won’t easily find elsewhere.

As for the parking lot itself, OK, it’s flat, but you’re in Florida, so that really shouldn’t be too difficult of a requirement. And while it’s literally located right next to the highway, it is somewhat quiet as it sits down lower than the interstate highway traffic would lead you to believe. Unlike many Cracker Bucket parking lots, which unfortunately I have become all to acquainted with, this particular paved paradise exists completely devoid of divots, pot holes and massive earthquake-like cracks in the otherwise ill-laid pavement. If I was to steer you in one direction or another in this roadside depot, it would be either to the shady enclave on the entirety of the southern, eastern or northernmost patch of this lot, but it is easily the easternmost fringes that will keep you far enough away from the nonstop bustling traffic swooshing from I95 as well as the incessant drip drop of inbound traffic looking forward to getting their heartburn on eating this cheaply ill-prepared and hard-to-digest low country fare. 

Now, once you’ve anchored here for the night and should you be itching to get out of your immediate surroundings – and why wouldn’t you, because there is no more foul food on the face of the planet than at this humble establishment that you find yourself parked in front of – then the immediate options are only slightly better with joints like Popeye’s Chicken, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, The Bistro (over at the nearby Marriott), Taco Bell or Louisiana Kitchen. But if you’re looking for some decent grub, then check out La Forchetta Italian for some delicious homemade meatballs, Wok & Roll for amazing Philly Rolls, Roma Pizzeria for some gorgeous tomato-laced pies or Galaxy Diner for a simply exquisite patty melt and chocolate shake. And should you need to stock up on supplies, nearby there’s a Publix and Walgreens located due west and north of here that should have you covered.

While scoring criteria may vary from one person to the next, here are the 5 most important criteria that informed my rating of this overnight location: convenience (EZ on- and off-access), safety & security, quality (of facilities), peace & quiet and amenities (either on-site or nearby). Here’s how I ranked this particular overnight spot:

Convenience: 5 

Safety & Security: 4

Quality: 3

Peace & Quiet: 2 

Amenities: 2 

Overall, I scored this location a 2. 

Happy Overnighting!