A rest area, travel plaza, rest stop, or service area is a public facility, located next to a large thoroughfare such as a highway, expressway, or freeway at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting on to secondary roads. Facilities may include park-like areas, fuel stations, restrooms, and restaurants. A rest area or rest stop with limited or no public facility is a parking area or scenic area.

The most basic rest areas have no facilities: they consist solely of an exit from the highway that leads to a roadway with paved shoulders, where drivers can rest, look at their maps, or use cell phones.

The standards and upkeep of rest areas facilities vary. Rest areas also have parking areas allotted for buses, tractor-trailer trucks (big rigs), and recreational vehicles. The locations of rest areas are usually marked by signs on the highway; for example, a sign may read, Next Rest Stop 10 miles or Next Rest Area 25 miles.

Driving information is usually available at these locations, such as posted maps and other local information. Some rest areas have visitor information centers or highway patrol or state trooper stations with staff on duty.

There might also be drinking fountains, vending machines, pay telephones, restrooms, a gas station, a restaurant, or a convenience store at a rest area. Some states provide Wi-Fi access at their state-owned rest areas. Rest areas tend to have traveler information in the form of so-called exit guides, which often contain very basic maps and advertisements for motels and tourist attractions.

>City(s) = Aliso Creek; State(s) = CA; Country = USA.
>Title = I-5 Southbound Aliso Creek Rest Area, Aliso Creek, CA, USA - Video.
>Keywords = I5, Aliso Creek, Rest Area, CA, USA, drinking fountains, vending machines, pay telephones, restrooms (548)
>Catg =