These Minnesota Restrooms Are Some of Best in the US

These bathrooms here in Minnesota are number one when it comes to #1 and #2!

Finding decent restroom facilities when you're on a road trip is always appreciated, and now these two bathrooms right here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes have been recognized as some of the best in the country.

And, in fact, they were nearly THE best restrooms in the U.S., as they were selected to compete in the most recent America's Best Restroom Contest. It's an annual contest put on by the Cintas Corporation to find the best bathroom facilities around.

READ MORE: Have You Visited Minnesota's Strangest Roadside Attraction?

Cintas says their America's Best Restroom Contest is all part of the mission the company is undertaking to 'locate America's porcelain pioneers who are taking dramatic steps to create unforgettable facilities.'

And two rest areas recently built by the Minnesota Department of Transportation were one of 10 finalists in the most recent competition. Specifically, MnDOT's Clear Lake and Des Moines River Safety Rest Areas (SRA) in Jackson, along I-90 in southern Minnesota, repped the Bold North in the latest contest. They're located just under 3 hours southwest of the Twin Cities, a little over 2-and-a-half hours west of Rochester, and about an hour and twenty minutes east of Sioux Falls.

Here's how Cintas describes these two MnDOT Safety Rest Areas: 

Open 24 hours to the traveling public, the SRAs share a similar design language that focuses on cleanliness, durability, safety and inclusion. Dual restrooms for each gender enable access to one pair during cleaning. Family restrooms are designed to meet the needs of families, adults with special needs and users desiring gender-neutral facilities. Entrances to the multi-user restrooms are enhanced by large photographic murals illustrating detailed views of the prairie landscape by a well-known local photographer.

Minnesota's entry in the contest competed against other stellar restroom facilities in Baltimore, Maryland; Nashville, Tennessee; San Francisco, California; New York, New York; Melbourne, Florida; Baton Rouge, Louisiana; Huntsville and Salt Lake City, Utah;  and Greenville, South Carolina.

Sadly, though, while Minnesota's restrooms were noted as some of the best in the U.S., they didn't win the contest-- that honor went to the Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) Thurgood Marshall Airport.  Either way, though, well done, Minnesota! And speaking of road trips, keep scrolling to check out the Must-Drive Roads in Every State.

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