Funk’s Grove: A Rest Area at the Midpoint Between St. Louis and Chicago

Any traveler driving I-55 between St. Louis and Chicago will have to decide where and when to stop. While some drivers might opt to just drive straight on, most people will need a pit stop, especially if they have children. Google Maps pegs the drive time at about 4 1/2 hours, but I can tell you that, from experience, it’s usually longer. Chicago traffic is often to blame: more than once I’ve trekked up from STL only to get mired in stopped traffic from construction / crashes / general mayhem. Rush hour adds to the time.

Experienced 55 drivers know there are a few rest areas along the route. Closures because of cost and construction have been an issue the last few years along the corridor: in 2025, for instance, the RailSplitter Rest Area north of Springfield is closed for reconstruction.

One rest area that is both open and quite helpful for STL –> CHI travelers is the Funk’s Grove Rest Area, named after a nearby community with a rich history in maple syrup production. Not only does the rest area sit at the midpoint of the two cities, but it’s also got several useful amenities for tired travelers.

Getting There

Funk’s Grove Rest Area (Google Maps link) can be found on I-55 just south of the Bloomington-Normal area. You can access it by following those distinctive blue signs on the interstate. It’s about 2 hours and 15 minutes (roughly 150 miles) from St. Louis and from Chicago. The time and distance may vary depending what part of St. Louis and Chicago you’re traveling to and / or from.

Parking

Typical to rest areas, Funk’s Grove has both car parking and RV / truck parking. The car parking is slanted parking running along the main rest area facilities, while the RV parking is farther out. Both are easy to get to, marked by brown signs, and both have ample parking for travelers. Depending on the time of day, you may see cars coming and going, but we’ve never seen the lot completely full in our many stops there.

Parking, obviously, is free.

Costs and Considerations

In most rest areas we visit, there are two different facilities for each direction of traffic. Funk’s Grove is different: there is one building and grounds for northbound and southbound traffic. When you approach the rest area from St. Louis, you’ll find yourself weaving along a fairly long road that runs under I-55 before reaching the rest area. The rest area has never felt overly busy to us, though.

Consistent with your typical rest area, there are vending machines inside the building. They accept credit cards.

The rest area is open 24/7. For those concerned about late nights or early mornings, there are emergency contact stations just off of the parking lots and inside the building.

Things to Do

Rest areas are about providing a simple respite from the toils of driving. Funk’s Grove does just that, and not a lot more. Still, it does offer a few amenities.

Outside, the area offers several picnic benches. Some of them are under small pavilions that provide some protection against the elements. Many of them are under partial or full shade on account of the many trees in and around the area.

There is also a playground with a few features to entertain kids for a while.

The building has two restroom spaces each for men and women. There are also, as I mentioned earlier, vending machines. Other things of note include a map and some Route 66 interpretive exhibits.

Our Thoughts

Funk’s Grove isn’t a particularly revolutionary rest area, other than maybe the drive into the facility from I-55 northbound. We’ve been to rest stops with visitor’s information centers, cool outdoor displays, trails, and even dog parks. Funk’s Grove has none of those things. To be sure, it’s a clean, well-kept space. But it’s not a tourist attraction.

Instead, the primary value of this spot is location. For a traveler setting sail from St. Louis in the morning, you’ll hit Funk’s Grove right around lunchtime. Here you can walk across the grass, sit at a table, and have lunch under the partial shade before hitting up the restroom and getting back on the road toward Chicago … or perhaps St. Louis, if you’re headed home from the Windy City.

Either way, if you’re on the I-55 corridor, this is a good rest stop to stretch your legs before continuing on your journey.