I wouldn’t normally combine ‘state-of-the-art’ in the same statement with a massive wholesale retailer that seemingly is taking over the retail world by storm – and how could they fail with that that $1.50 hot dog & soda deal!? – but when you pull into this CostCo in East Peoria that’s exactly what you’ll find. This big box wholesaler is somewhat easily accessible from I74 with just a few turns left and right you’ll find yourself easily accessing the northeast end of this retailer, which sits just opposite a very upscale shopping complex across the street. But the best part about this CostCo is how they have positioned their location away from all of the other traffic that you will certainly discover buzzing around the other nearby retail shops, making this store somewhat self-contained, so the traffic you’ll encounter here is only for wholesale shopping-minded clientele.
Upsides? Well, one of the biggest assets to this particular location is all of the amenities that are right outside your RV’s front door. Whether it is other big box retailers like Walmart, Lowe’s and Bass Pro Shop, you’ll easily spot a number of gas stations, a cadre of banks as well as some decent restaurants like Chicken Salad Chick, Eggcellent Café, Chick-fil-A, Firehouse Pizza & Pub. For the more fast-food inclined folks, there’s a McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Starbuck’s and Hardee’s. But take it from me, you’d be better off crossing the Illinois River into Peoria proper to check out some better haunts like Obed & Isaac’s Microbrewery & Eatery, Sugar Wood Fired Bistro and The Blue Duck BBQ Tavern. So, whether loading up on supplies, shopping for things you didn’t even have on your list or grabbing some really excellent grub, this particular location is amazing.
As for the parking lot itself, it literally is like the best parking lot ever, because it's new, spacious, completely flat, which admittedly, isn’t all that difficult to accomplish here in the Land of Lincoln, and generally massive, so finding a spot to ‘drop anchor for the night’ won’t be too difficult. While we stopped by, it was late at night and we were on our way early in the morning, so I couldn’t tell you exactly how busy the place gets during prime time, but I would assume to be decent, particularly on the weekends and given that there’s also a CostCo gas station here, which is of course another bonus.
What I can say is that while Peoria, and particularly East Peoria, has a record of not being the most crime-free, I will say overall we felt perfectly safe here with tons of lighting at night and because there’s a fairly decent upmarket shopping complex across the street with banks and late-night restaurants, there was decent security patrolling the area at all times of night. Additionally, there’s really great peace & quiet here, despite being near a busy highway and in a fairly decent-sized city. I would suggest parking on the eastern perimeter as this places you far enough away from all the traffic swooshing by and / or coming in and out of this CostCo.
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: 4
Safety & Security: 5
Quality: 5
Peace & Quiet: 5
Amenities: 5
Overall, I scored this location a 5.
Happy Overnighting!
