Walmart — Starke Supercenter

Located in Starke, which is a small town out in the boondocks southwest of JAX, this Walmart Supercenter is a monstrosity version of the low-cost big box retailer and can be accessed right as the main 301 highway forks with the eastern thoroughfare leading you into Starke. The accompanying parking lot is equally massive, which given the rather rural and unpopulated area you are in, equals tons of parking options all on top of what looks to be a fairly new looking, freshly poured piece of pavement that offers up incredibly level parking options with individual slots appearing to be fairly spacious … JACKPOT! Right?!

While turning into this small retail operation anchored by Walmart was easily the longest traffic light of my entire existence (seriously, like 10 minutes to turn into this place!), once accessed, you’ll spot a very large Murphy’s pumping gas, but beyond this there’s just a drive-thru bank, Verizon store and a tax preparation office. Inside this seemingly brand-new Walmart Supercenter, you can stock up on pretty much anything with the restrooms being pretty amazingly clean. There’s great parking lot lighting here and because you are out in the middle of nowhere there is an overwhelming sense of both peace & quiet to be experienced as well as feeling safe & secure.

Should you need to load up on anything else while in the vicinity there’s a Winn-Dixie and Aldi’s, but not much beyond that, and if you’re looking for a bite to eat there’s a combination of local eateries like Blueline Q, Tony & Al’s Deli, Cedar River and Grannie’s Country Cookin’, while you absolutely need to swing by Strickland Scoop for some excellent homemade ice cream.  Oh, near the center of town, there's just about any kind of fast-food restaurant imaginable, so you really shouldn't have any issues on the food front.

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: 3 

Safety & Security: 5 

Quality: 5 

Peace & Quiet: 5 

Amenities: 4 

Overall, I scored this location a 5. 

Happy Overnighting!