The Home Depot — Oswego

Whether heading east-west on Highway 34 either heading to or away from Chicago, you’ll run across this incredibly flat piece of sprawling pavement amongst a seemingly never-ending stretch of strip malls with no shortage of restaurants, retail shops and other diversions. As you crawl further east on 34, you’ll notice as you edge ever closer to The Windy City, things have a way of getting more compact, moving at a faster speed with more crowded lanes to traverse and traffic to maneuver.

As you’ll find yourself here on the eastern side of Oswego, you’re also just down from the roaring suburban metropolis of Aurora, so because of the overall increase in busyness, you are going to see that both the peace& quiet as well as the safety& security meters will decrease correspondingly. With regards to this particular lot, it’s in fairly decent condition and while certainly not new, has been pretty well maintained, although what you will find in pretty good quality is somewhat compromised by all of the things this particular Home Depot is hawking in its parking lot– everything from an extended garden area with soil and wood chip bags on one side of the parking lot, to sheds and semi-permanent structures in another area with oversized machines and rigs for rent. While there is certainly vacancy to be had, you’re going to have maneuver around a bit before landing on your little stretch of lined pavement.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few:(1) Should you be RVing with your four-legged friends entowe, you’re in luck as right nearby is Hudson Crossing Park, which offers up a patch of green space for a nice stroll, sheltered BBQ/ picnic areas, children’s playground, sandbox, garden sculptures and even a decent pond for a quick kayak or to drop a line in;(2) When you grow tired of trying to conjure up that next meal from the remains of what is in your onboard mini-fridge, you are going to struggle to find anything that isn’t a national chain in these parts with offerings like Olive Garden, McDonald’s, IHOP, Chili’s, Panera, Burger King and Subway… but if you want to find something truly amazing and local to these parts, try out nearby Portillo’s for a combo Italian beef+ sausage sandwich; and(3) If you are looking for something truly unique and have kids along with you, then head west on 34 to Little White School Museum, which is a quaint 1850 former church& school that hosts historical events and community events.

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: 4 

Quality: 3 

Peace & Quiet: 3 

Amenities: 3 

Overall, I scored this location a 3. 

Happy Overnighting!