FENTON, Mo. — It was a packed house at Wally’s as the roadside travel shop off I-44 in Fenton opened Friday.

Known as the “Home of the great American road trip,” Wally’s is a family-friendly, reinvented roadside travel stop experience.

Inside the 36,000-square-foot facility, there is a variety of fresh food, including pizza, popcorn, bakery treats, jerky, hand-carved barbecue, in addition to soda, coffee, and “sloosh” machines, ice cream, snacks, camping equipment, apparel, gift shop items, “immaculate, clean” bathrooms, and more.  

Outside, there are 72 fueling stations and six high-speed electric charging stations. 

The concept of Wally’s was started by Michael Rubenstein and Chad Wallis who grew up in the Sullivan area. The design of Wally’s throughout the store is a nod to 1970s and 1980s road trips. 

Rubenstein, president and CEO of Wally’s, said he was amazed at the turnout for the grand opening.

“It’s kind of hard to put into words, we always had hoped for a big turn out and we knew that our friends and family would come, but everyone else showing up was just amazing,” he said.

Being from Sullivan, Rubenstein said he is familiar with I-44 and the new Fenton spot used to be home to the former Chrysler plant. He said the store’s location also has an access road that “is going to make it really easy to get on and off, so we’re just happy to have people come in.”

“Our location here is not for truckers, 18-wheelers, but really for the families and commuters.”

Ashley Jones came with her family, traveling from Pevely. Upon arriving, she said it was a lot to take in all at once.  

“It’s pretty cool,” she said. 

While on a road trip in Chicago, Dave and Dawn Oldenburg, from Eureka, visited the Pontiac location, which opened during the pandemic. On Friday, they attended the grand opening of the Fenton location.  

“We’ve been to a number of Buc-ee's in different places and glad to have a Wally’s nearby, and all of the variety of things here,” Dave Oldenburg said.

They were set out to try Wally’s jerky, pizza and barbecue, and recommended newcomers to try the popcorn.  

Wally’s is located at 950 Assembly Parkway in Fenton and is open 24/7.