Ozarks TravelCenter – Truly One Of A Kind!

MT. VERNON, MO…. If you want a unique travel plaza experience, visit Ozarks TravelCenter off I-44 Exit 46 in Mt. Vernon, Missouri.  The travel center has been open for one year now and is a franchised Travel Centers of America (TA) location, owned by the Wilmoth family.

So what makes Ozarks TravelCenter unique?  For starters, when you pull up to the fuel pumps, the owner Brent Wilmoth and his son Eric are there all day to greet drivers, cleaning their windshields and checking their oil.  Brent takes selfies with drivers and photos of their trucks, posting the photos daily to his Facebook page, “Brent Wilmoth”. 

Brent said, “We like to get to know our customers personally and show them that we appreciate their business. An added bonus is that we have also made a lot of friends along the way.”

The Ozarks TravelCenter was built at a cost of 30 million dollars and has parking accommodations for upwards of  300 trucks with a few spots set aside that can be reserved by calling ahead.  A full service facility, the travel center has a big screen TV with theater seating in the waiting room of their service facility for drivers convenience.  They feature state-of-the-art restrooms and oversized showers.  Inside the spacious travel center is a Wendy’s and Subway, fudge and cookies made on the premises, and soft serve ice cream.

The restaurant at the Ozarks TravelCenter is the talk of the town out on the road.  They fresh smoke their own meats – brisket, pork, chicken, bologna, turkey and ribs each day.  There are 15 different meal specials on a 3 week rotation featuring 5 specials each day for a week.   However, the fried catfish is available every day.

The signature feature of Ozarks TravelCenter is their 66’ tall obelisk – built to commemorate the famous Route 66.  The obelisk has 4 sides, facing the 4 points of the compass and has the mileage to 37 major cities from the East Coast to the West Coast.  It is surrounded by green space and has picnic tables for their customers enjoyment.  There is a RV park and a Dog Park as well. 

Brent Wilmoth said that they are a favorite spot for many beautiful trucks from the “717” area code of Central Pennsylvania.  Brent and his son Eric are very hands-on owners, when you stop at Ozarks TravelCenter, their goal is to make sure your visit is a good one. Their obelisk is featured on Roadside America when you search Mt. Vernon, Missouri. The travel center was voted one of the top 10 travel centers in the country on Trucker Path and that was with only 6 months of votes tallied.