Cracker Barrel — Ottawa

This Cracker Barrel in Ottawa sits just off the I80 highway with a generously sized, mostly level lot that’s EZ to navigate and offered us a calm, well-lit place to tuck in for the night. While the restrooms were tidy and the familiar glow of the storefront felt reassuring, we decided to skip dinner here and instead treated the family to a sweet little adventure downtown along the historic Illinois River, where we enjoyed a peaceful walk before settling in @ Lone Buffalo Brewery. My hubby happily sipped on a crisp blonde lager while the boys lit up over their beer-battered fish-n-chips, which felt like a special memory in the making. Later, back at the RV, we cozied up for some quiet downtime as this highway outpost settled into its evening hush. I would recommend this spot for families thanks to its EZ access from I80, incredibly clean bathrooms, sense of safety and the added bonus of nearby riverfront charm along with quick access to the nearby Walmart where we loaded up on supplies for our journey.

This bit of parking pavement is easily accessible from nearby I80, where within less than a minute from exiting this major highway, you'll find yourself in a position to lay-up at this restaurant's parking pad.  My personal advice though would be to avoid this place though given that the parking lot itself is full of pot holes, divots and on top of that is generally jam-packed as the lot itself isn't all that big.  In and around here you can find much better and more spacious accommodations that this, so I would recommend you look elsewhere.

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: 2 

Quality: 1 

Peace & Quiet: 2 

Amenities: 2 

Overall, I scored this location a 1, given that the surface of this parking lot is quite horrible on top of the fact that it is just too incredibly small and jam-packed. 

Happy Overnighting!