POINTS OF VIEWMANITOWOC COUNTY REST AREAS
On the northern end of Manitowoc County, serving travelers both northbound and southbound on Interstate 43, are Rest Areas 51 and 52. The circa 1980 buildings were constructed when solar heating systems were coming into popularity and forced air furnaces had not been engineered into the high efficiency units available today. Thus, the Manitowoc rest areas were built with both solar and furnace heating sources. Due to the knowledge of the service providers and the care given to the solar units, they still provide reliable ancillary heat to the buildings even though the media in the solar panels has been compromised with age. The roofs of the rest area buildings were constructed to be high and severely angled to accommodate the solar panels. The solar systems have compensated nicely for the relatively inefficient forced air furnaces still operating after 29 years of service.
On the way to and return from Door County and Green Bay from Milwaukee, Chicago and regions beyond, the rest areas serve thousands of travelers on their way to vacation locations all around Wisconsin's "thumb". The faithful "Packer Backers" and other pleasure and business sojourners utilizing I-43 to find their final destinations also make use of the Manitowoc County rest areas. Many comment on the care given to both buildings and landscaping at the sites, noting the cleanliness of building and grounds and the variety of plant species planted and cared for by the contracted crew from Holiday House, Inc. in Manitowoc. Holiday House is a work center that provides services, education, training and employment to citizens with disabilities. Many bus tour operators make use of the I-43 corridor, so the crews are kept busy year round by visitors looking to stop, relax and refresh.
So remember, whether you're on your way to sail the lakes, pick cherries or cheer like a cheesehead for "dem Packers", the Manitowoc County rest areas are a good place to take a breather on your journey.
