Community Forums

Sorrell Dad · 11-15-2020, 07:06 AM

I am planning my first trip and I would like to have the family stop and take a picture in front of the Welcome to ... signs for each state. Other than the rest area feature, is their a way to mark where the state lines are other than zooming in and manually adding a POI. Also the rest area POI option doesn't give any info on whether or not the rest area is also a welcome center. Thanks

mr.tommy · 11-15-2020, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sorrell Dad

I am planning my first trip and I would like to have the family stop and take a picture in front of the Welcome to ... signs for each state.

Not sure I totally understand your question but all the authentic Welcome To State Signs we have come across are on the side of the freeway and there would be no way to stop and take a group picture in front of it. Our GPS alerts us usually about 5 miles ahead and tells us state line is coming up and that's where the signs are.

Sorrell Dad · 11-15-2020, 08:27 AM

All welcome centers on interstates have a Welcome to Ohio, or whatever state where a picture can be taken. However in some states the welcome center is not always close to the state line, such as I-65 crossing from Indiana into Kentucky. What I am looking for is a way to determine if a rest area is actually a welcome center for taking a photo. Also how do you turn on the notification to let you know that you are within 5 miles of the state line? Is that on the RV life App?

mr.tommy · 11-15-2020, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sorrell Dad

Is that on the RV life App?

No. As I said it's a built in feature of our GPS.

Mike8253 · 11-15-2020, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sorrell Dad

I am planning my first trip and I would like to have the family stop and take a picture in front of the Welcome to ... signs for each state. Other than the rest area feature, is their a way to mark where the state lines are other than zooming in and manually adding a POI. Also the rest area POI option doesn't give any info on whether or not the rest area is also a welcome center. Thanks

There is neither a State Line nor Welcome Center notification in RVTW. I don't think I have anything formal like that in my Garmin either, except that there is a State Line flag that pops up on the periphery of the display when approaching it.

As far as Welcome Centers are concerned, I think you know from your previous comment that most 1st Rest Stops after State Lines are Welcome Centers, but there are exceptions. But you know you can anticipate them as you drive and deal with the exceptions as they occur.

Mr.Goodbar · 11-16-2020, 10:52 PM

Google Maps does pop up a Welcome to x message, but like Mike8253 said, you can't just stop by the side of the interstate for a photo shoot. I make a point of watching the mile markers and alerting the DW to get here phone ready to take a picture.

I hear you about I-65. I'm originally from Indianapolis and know all the rest stops between Nashville and Indy. I even remember all the ones that KY closed after the built all of the Welcome Centers. It seems welcome centers were an after thought to the interstates. When I-65 was built they probably just concetrated on getting the highway built through the cities of Louisville & Jeffersonville. Southbound the first KY rest area/welcome center is at MM 115. Northbound the first rest area in Indiana is around MM 19.

We travel I-24 to I-57 in IL and you'll find that eastbound, crossing the Ohio River at Paducah, KY, the first rest area/welcome center is east of Paducah.

Sue46 · 11-17-2020, 03:47 PM

You generally only get the Welcome signs if you are on the interstate, if you travel secondary roads minimal.

Also, your GPS will tell you when you are close to crossing state lines.

Mr.Goodbar · 11-17-2020, 08:42 PM

If you are westbound on an east-west interstate or southbound on a north-south interstate, the mile marker numbers get smaller as you approach the state line. Like I-65 in Indiana at the Ohio River, there is an EXIT 0.

I usually keep the iExit Trucks app running on my iPhone and it shows exits and mile markers as well as where the state lines are (and rest areas among other things). Can't remember if it switches from state to state automatically while driving.

Mike8253 · 11-18-2020, 07:52 AM

I know you are looking for something within RVTW to do the looking up for you, but as a fall back, nearly all of the State DOT websites identify their Interstate Hwy. Welcome Centers. Once you set your route plan, it won't be much to correlate the Rest Stop POI's that RVTW does provide with the DOT Welcome Center data for the Interstates you will be traveling. Just a thought.

RVElzes · 11-23-2020, 06:06 AM

We just completed traveling the lower 48 and captured a picture of the "Welcome to ... " state sign for each and every one of those states. Like mr.tommy said, our Garmin GPS also alerts us five miles before each state line so there was plenty of time to get the camera ready on approach. Another thing about our trip was that we avoided Interstates like the plague. We much preferred back country roads and highways which also have the "Welcome to ..." signs. And, unlike Interstates many of those signs have safe areas to pull over and the signs are much lower to easily capture that family shot.