Last month, my stepdad came down from the attic with a dusty box of postcards his mom had collected over the years and asked if I wanted to take a look. I did! Most of them were what you’d expect -scenic views, roadside attractions, and a random one from North Webster, Indiana- but tucked between the usual suspects were vibrant little advertisements for motels that once dotted the American highway. I picked out ten of my favorites to share.
Frankenmuth Motel (Frankenmuth, Michigan)
The Frankenmuth Motel stood at 1218 South Weiss Street in Frankenmuth, Michigan, two miles from I-75 and US-23. The back of the postcard trumpets the motel’s nicely landscaped grounds; thirty pleasant, well-furnished rooms; TV; phones; radios; air conditioning; and a free breakfast buffet. At the time of printing, George F. Miles owned the Frankenmuth. Believe it or not, the motel still exists!
Woodstock Motel (Woodstock, Virginia)
The Woodstock Motel stood on US-11 a quarter mile south of Woodstock, Virginia, “in the Beautiful Shenandoah Valley.” There, air-conditioned rooms featured ceramic tile baths, hot water heat, and T.V. Mr. and Mrs. J.W. Whitten owned the place at the time the postcard was produced. I could be wrong, but it looks to me like the motel may have been converted into Community Alternatives Virginia.
Astromotel (Blythe, California)
The Astromotel at 801 East Hobson Way in Blythe, California, advertised a ton of amenities: spacious rooms, free TV, room phones, clock radios, AAA service, a heated pool, kitchenettes, a recreation room, complimentary breakfast, and a coffee lounge. All of that came with “Space Age Luxury…Down to Earth Rates!” Today, it advertises free WI-FI as a Motel 6.
Moon-Glo Motel (Lake City, Florida)
The Moon-Glo Motel of Lake City, Florida, stood four miles south of US-41. Its twelve rooms featured air-conditioned rooms with electric heat, tubs, and showers, with “some family rooms.” The greater motel featured a swimming pool and restaurant, the Chuck Wagon. Today, it appears that the old Moon-Glo has been turned into efficiency apartments. If I’ve got the location right, the old Chuck Wagon is nowhere to be found.
Hill Crest Motel (Pratt, Kansas)
As “Pratt’s Finest Motel,” the Hill Crest featured thirty ultra-modern units with heat and air, TV, and telephones. The rooms were “tastefully decorated” with wall-to-wall carpets and tile tub-shower combination bathrooms. A heated swimming pool sat dug into the premises, while a restaurant stood nearby. At the time the postcard was published, Mr. and Mrs. A.E. Guthrie served as owner-managers. Today, the old Hill Crest is known as American Inn.
Mountain Shadows Motel (Durango, Colorado)
The Mountain Shadows Motel stood at 3255 Main Avenue in Durango, Colorado, and featured “luxurious rooms furnished by American of Martinsville.” What’s more is that the motel was home to long boy beds, room phones, hot water heat, air conditioning, free TV, and even a heated pool! Today, the remodeled site is home to Baymont Inn.
Sun Tan Hotel Court (Biloxi, Mississippi)
The Sun Tan Hotel Court stood on Highway 90 on the Gulf of Mexico, in the center of Biloxi beach near the city’s shopping district. It offered air conditioning and room service, telephones in each room, carpeted floors, foam mattresses, tiled tub and shower baths, and private parking with a private sand beach. I may be wrong, but I believe that Biloxi’s Margaritaville resort stands on the property today.
Surf Motel (Santa Rosa, New Mexico)
At US-66-54 and US-84 west of Santa Rosa, New Mexico, the Surf Motel featured fifty units with free TV service, telephones, ceramic tiled baths with a tub/shower combination, and electric heat. H.D. McAda and F.G. Allen served as the owners and operators of this motel on the bank of the Pecos River. I think the property might be home to America’s Best Value Inn today.
Driftwood Motel (Superior, Wisconsin)
At 2200 East 23nd Street in Superior, Wisconsin, The Driftwood Motel was the city’s newest and finest motel at the time this postcard was published. Standing at US-2 -13- and 53 on Lake Superior, the motel featured individually-controlled hot water heat, carpet, soundproofing, and free TV. Art and Marianne Simensen owned and operated the business, which, today, appears to be home to a McDonald’s.
Colonial Cottages (LaFollette, Tennessee)
Joe Baird owned and managed the Colonial Cottages of LaFollette, Tennessee. The court featured twenty-two modern guest rooms with private and connecting baths. Air-conditioned rooms were available, as was steam heat and an “excellent” dining room. The motel sat on US-25, three-and-a-half miles south of LaFollette, but I’m not sure what stands at the site today.
Old postcards of motels like the ones I found are windows into a time when America’s highways were dotted with independent lodgings that thrived along busy routes. Traffic patterns shifted, though, and countless roadside inns were left behind. Fortunately, postcards that capture the optimism of mid-century travel still endure. Many of the motels themselves do, too- hiding in plain sight.
I love these, especially the variety of cars parked out front that were normal and random then but that are rarely seen classics now.
It didn’t occur to me to pay attention to the cars!
Quite a change from the “good old days” of 50-75 years ago to the multi-story high rises we have today. But it was harder to tell if you were getting into a good one or a poor one when there was no consistency among them.
You might take a closer look at the sign of the Frankenmuth Motel to see that it and the town are spelled without an “r”.
Agreed about the consistency. Mighty different today. And thanks for catching that! I’ve fixed the typos.
I love the architecture of mid-century Americana, and these motels have some fantastic shapes to them, especially the western ones. I’d love to see this style come back as more than just exaggerated novelty nostalgia.