Chicago Southland Lincoln Oasis: A Waystation in South Holland, Illinois

Should you drive up to Michigan, or even into the southern part of Chicago, you’ll find yourself on a kind of road that you’re spared from living in St. Louis: toll roads. Because of the pandemic, tolls in Illinois are no longer handled with cash, but instead are auto-assessed by camera. (You can save yourself hassle and possibly fees by registering your car and payment options ahead of time on the Illinois Tollway website.)

Tollways work by limiting access to and from the tollway. Getting off an exit prematurely, for instance, can end up costing you. Fortunately, Illinois offers a handful of oases that you can drop off onto while on the tollway. Not only are they convenient, but they can also be an experience in and of themselves.

One of the more notable along the route into northern Indiana and southern Michigan is the Chicago Southland Lincoln Oasis on a toll road south of Chicago and west of Indiana.

Getting There

The Chicago Southland Lincoln Oasis can be found in South Holland, Illinois (Google Maps link). The Oasis sits on the Tri-State Tollway at the nexus of Interstates 80, 94, and 294. It’s right around 300 miles or so from St. Louis or around 4 1/2 hours. It’s a little farther out if you are coming in from parts west or south of St. Louis, like St. Charles or Jefferson County.

It’s easy enough to spot, as there will be signs identifying it. In addition, the main plaza of the oasis sits on a windowed bridge that sits over the interstate not unlike the St. Louis Science Center’s Skybridge over I-64. You’ll be able to see the bridge from a distance going both directions as you approach.

Getting into and out of the oasis is a cinch. Just follow the signs.

Parking

There is plenty of parking on both the north and south side of the oasis, and it’s not usually overly busy. Unlike the toll road itself, parking here is free.

Costs and Considerations

The oasis is open 24/7, as are some of the businesses on property. That means if you need gas, a little food, and restrooms, you can find them at any hour. That includes holidays, which we can attest to as we’ve been in the oasis on major holidays, including New Year’s Day. Not every business is open all the time, though, so if you’re rolling in at 3 a.m. you’ll have fewer options. You’ll still have something, though.

The oasis has restrooms on each end of the building, including men, women, and family. There are two men’s restrooms on each side and two women’s restrooms, meaning there are plenty of facilities when you need them.

Things to Do

The oasis offers seven food choices inside the main building. Options and times are as of mid-2025.

• Dunkin’. Open 24/7.
• McDonalds. Open 7 days a week from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Sbarro. Open Monday-Saturday from 6 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Panda Express. Open Monday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Subway. Open Monday-Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. and Thursday-Sunday from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

• Crepe Ave. Open Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed on Sundays.
• Vending machines. Includes coffee and snacks. Open 24/7.

The following services are available inside the main building. They are:

• Illinois Tollway Customer Service Center. Open Monday-Friday from 7:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. Closed weekends and holidays.
• Chicago Southland Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. Staffed Thursday-Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Unstaffed Sunday-Wednesday.

There additional services across the parking lot from the oasis on both the north and south parking lots. They are combined Mobil gas stations and 7-Eleven convenience stores. They are open 24/7.

Our Thoughts

We’ve patronized the Southland Oasis a few times over the years, and it’s an interesting place. For starters, it gets going early on most days: it’s quite the sight seeing pizza and Chinese food for sale at 9 in the morning. Clearly someone is buying if shops are selling.

It’s also fun sitting on the tables that line the windows and watching the tollway traffic. You can bring your food over there and eat a meal or have a coffee while watching cars race by.

Should you find yourself passing through Chicago — from Michigan, from northern Indiana, or from parts of Chicago — drop in on this oasis, if only for a short time. It’s worth a few minutes. Then you can get back on your way.