Hickory Run Service Station

This service plaza has always treated me well. I drive up and down 476 for work often so this is a convinient stop. My trips to this service plaza usually consist of
1. Fueling up
2. Buying food, I like Quiznos, they have a decent vegetable hoggie
3. Using rest rooms, they are clean everytime I go
This building is a good stop for travelers and passers by.

As service plazas on limited access highways go, I thought that Hickory Run on this branch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike was pretty good. It’s a single plaza for both northbound and southbound, so follow the correct exit from the building. Signage was good, but they could have done more to slow down the traffic from the highway into the parking areas.
Pros…
Plenty of well marked parking that’s not too far from the building.
Clean bathrooms
Plenty of seating
Good choice of food options

This is a very good rest stop. The bathrooms are always clean, parking is easy, and plenty of food and drink options. I prefer this location better than the Allentown location. This is less busy than Allentown, but it does its job.

Typical service stop. Bathrooms are actually clean, there are food here (auntie Anne’s, Burger King) but most of the places was closed probably because I was here around 12−1am. Good place to stop by for a rest when heading back towards Philadelphia.

Great Service plaza. Get your coffee for ¼ the price at the mini mart vs The National coffee chain

Let me set the scene for you, Unilocal: it’s 2:00 am and I am walking up to the door of this service plaza, and all of a sudden, I am hit with a wall of smell. I would have known that smell anywhere. It was the smell of freshly cut onions dropping into boiling grease. It was the smell of BK onion rings. I had to have them. At that moment, I would have sold my soul for them. So, when I walk in, imagine my disappointment when I discover that the breakfast menu is hanging above the BK. «Riddle me this,» I say to the BK employee, «why does this whole plaza reek of onion rings if you are serving breakfast?»
«Well,» she replies, «I was just cutting onions for tomorrow.»
«How dare you tease my taste buds that way?» I asked before walking out. It was agony. I was almost in tears.

Pretty simple review for a simple space:
Clean — the area and the bathroom are both clean.
Food — there’s a variety of food, including a Starbucks, Burger Kind, and convenient store. It’s not amazing, but it is a variety that helps with dietary needs. Even if you just need coffee, there are alternatives from the Starbucks at the store.
Good location — especially as you might be driving to Philly. Stop here before you get caught in Philly traffic for a long time.

This is a good service plaza. It has all the essentials, which in my book is basically Starbucks and Auntie Anne’s. The lines can get a little long since it’s so busy, but they moved pretty fast.

This service station is among the cleanest I have been to. Their bathrooms are well-​stocked and clean. They are clean because they have garbage bins right beside each sink, which leaves no excuses for those lazy ones to not throw away their paper towels in the right place.
They have a Sunoco gas station. Inside, they have an A Plus mini mart, Burger King, Jamba Juice, Auntie Anne’s and Quizno’s from which a hungry traveler can get some grub. They also have a Starbucks if one were in dire need of some caffeine. There is a food court if one wants to eat inside.
Hickory Run Travel Plaza is a good pit stop for weary travelers.

On our trips to Philly or Atlantic City, this is the go-​to place when you have to take a leak. Easy on, easy off. What else can I say? It is typical crap fast food that some people love.

It’s clean, bright and open. Good selection of fast food, I recommend Quiznos or Auntie Anne’s Pretzels. Restrooms are almost always clean. There’s a nice little A-​Plus mini mart with inflated prices for a drink or snack to take with you. A usual stop for me going from Scranton to Philly.

Best time to come is late at night. During the day it can get can crowded. It’s small but it does have some good food station and it has … wait for this … Starbucks!

This way station on the Pa. Turnpike Northeast Extension is one of the new concept roadside attractions for those to-​ing and fro-​ing between the Philadelphia area, the Poconos, and New York State. Clearly, someone has taken the time to reinvent the commercial rest stop, and they are appearing everywhere.
This one is typical, with clean restrooms, a few fast food alternatives (Burger King, Hersey’s, Starbucks, etc.), and a take out food shop full of refrigerated drinks, coffee, and too many snacks. If you look hard enough, a relatively healthy alternative may be found.
There is nothing to love about such places, but it must be noted that the Howard Johnson’s and single choice fast food option is being replaced with more variety and open, airy spaces.
World in changes.