Mid-Michigan Dining

• 700 E. Tri State Tollway
• I-80/294 Milepost 1 – Lincoln Oasis
• South Holland, IL 60473
• (708) 596-3195
• Website
• Menu

The business listing for the Lincoln Oasis on the Tri-State Tollway

OK, this is my last Illinois review for….two weeks.  Finally, after a week back in Illinois for a family emergency and then work, I was heading back to Lansing.  I like my family and miss them a lot, but I was really, really ready to get back to Michigan.  J and I had been watching the radar for the last two days wondering if I was even going to make.  It never fails, if we have to drive through southwest Michigan and Northwest Indiana, it’s guaranteed to snow.  Guaranteed.  Today didn’t look much better, but I decided to chance, so after a quick phone call to J to let her know I was on the way, I packed up my truck and headed north.

I left my parents right around 11:30 and sort of ran out in a hurry wanting to be on the road in between snow storms, so I didn’t get lunch with them.  I was on the road about an hour when I started to get hungry.  I knew I was coming up on the Lincoln Oasis, so I decided just to wait.  For those of you that aren’t regulars on the toll roads, the Oases are stops along the toll road where you don’t actually get off the highway, so you don’t have to pay to get off and get back on.  On I-294 (the Tri-State tollway), the Oases are suspended over the road.  In other places, they usually look more like rest stops with gas stations off on either side of the road, but around Chicago, there’s not much room, so they built a parking lot on either side then built the actual building across.  We used to stop at one of the other Oasis’s near O’Hare when we went to shows at The Rosemont Horizon (later called Allstate Arena).  They always have some sort of fast food.  Some have Wendy’s.  Some have McDonald’s.  This one has McDonald’s.

This McDonald’s is located in the Lincoln Oasis which is near South Holland, IL on the Tri-State tollway.  There are are other restaurants and services.  The McDonald’s only takes up a small part of the space yet they are pretty much the main attraction since they are open 24/7.  I was northbound on I-294 when I stopped.  The McDonald’s is near the south bound side, so I had to walk all the way through to find McDonald’s tucked in to a little corner. 

The Lincoln Oasis over the Tri-State Tollway near South Holland, IL

The menu is the same and prices are pretty consistent with Chicagoland prices.  There were a couple people in front of me when I got there, but the counter people were working quickly and getting people through.  They’re probably used to people being in a hurry.  I wasn’t in a super big hurry, but I didn’t want to be there forever. 

When it was my turn to order, I went with my usual McDonald’s order.  A plain double quarter pounder meal.  The girl tried to get me to make it a large, but I politely declined.  What I was eating was bad enough for my diet.  Once I placed the order, I stepped back to let other people up.  A bus or something must have came in because the line grew in a hurry.  I only waited a couple minutes for a different employee to call out my order.  I grabbed the bag and headed out.

If you’re not one to eat on the road, the Oasis has plenty of seating and even a small play area for the kids.  It’s not as big as a play area at the stand alone stores, but I was still impressed to see a McDonald’s play land built into the Oasis.

The entrance to the Lincoln Oasis in South Holland, Il

My brother called as I was getting in my truck and while I was talking to him, J called, so it was a few minutes before I could actually start eating.  I started with the fries which were really, really salty.  I’m not one to complain about salty fries, but I almost stopped eating them.  Almost.  Good thing I had two drinks the in the car.  I still had my original “driving Pepsi” in addition to the Sprite I got with the meal.  When I got done with the fries, it was time for the main event.  I actually really like McDonald’s hamburgers.  They’re not great, but as far as a fast food burger goes, they’ve at least got some flavor…even if that flavor is grease.   I’ve always preferred McDonald’s if I had to stop for fast food.

I’ve blogged about McDonald’s before, so this review shouldn’t really surprise anyone.  My real purpose was to blog about the Oases on the Illinois Tollway’s.  Growing up, it was always a treat when we got to stop at one.  Now, they’re more of a matter of convenience since my bladder has gotten smaller and I’m paying the tolls. 

…and that ends the Illinois dining tour for another couple weeks…….