You can still spend the night in a concrete tipi on Route 66, park beside a 1930s stone cottage, or check into a roadside motel with its original neon sign. These places survived decades of highway changes, chain hotel competition, and shifting travel habits.
Some have barely changed since the days of family road trips. Others were rescued from demolition and restored with vintage furniture, original architecture, and modern comforts.
Among them are a Missouri motor court linked to Clark Gable, a Texas motel that once accommodated reporters covering President Lyndon B. Johnson, and two famous Arizona and California properties where guests sleep inside concrete tipis.
These 13 historic motor courts still welcome overnight travelers, offering a chance to experience a part of American road trip history that nearly disappeared.
1. Blue Swallow Motel, Tucumcari, New Mexico
Lillian Redman once said she traveled the highway in her heart with every guest who stopped for the night. She ran the Blue Swallow for nearly 40 years, starting in 1958.
The motel opened in 1940 as a 12-unit L-shaped court. Each room still has its own attached garage, a big perk for early drivers who wanted their cars safe and close.
Redman was famous for kindness. Short on cash travelers sometimes traded personal items for a room.
Rooms today mix old and new. Expect working rotary phones and vintage furniture next to flat-screen TVs and Wi-Fi.
The motel joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. Many fans believe it helped inspire the Cozy Cone Motel in the movie Cars.
Here is a practical tip. Back your car into the garage nose out, the way guests have done for decades, then grab a chair in the courtyard and swap road stories with neighbors after dark.
2. Wagon Wheel Motel, Cuba, Missouri
Since 1936, the Wagon Wheel has never stopped renting rooms. That makes it the oldest continuously operating motel on Route 66.
Robert and Margaret Martin opened it as the Wagon Wheel Cabins, complete with a cafe and gas station. Stonemason Leo Friesenhan built the cottages from local Ozark sandstone.
His work gave the buildings steep roofs, arched doorways, and a Tudor Revival style. They look more like tiny country houses than motel rooms.
The neon sign arrived in 1947 and still lights up the night in orange and green. The property joined the National Register in 2003.
Rooms keep their original 1930s wooden doors and floors. Some suites add jetted tubs, which the Martins never imagined.
The old cafe now holds Connie’s Shoppe, a gift shop packed with Route 66 souvenirs. Save time for a walk downtown, where Cuba’s famous outdoor murals tell the story of the town and its highway.
3. Boots Court Motel, Carthage, Missouri
A radio in every room was the big selling point in 1939. Arthur and Ilda Boots built this motor court where Route 66 met the Jefferson Highway.
The design is pure Streamline Moderne. Look for flat roofs, curved white walls, glass block, and green neon trim.
Hollywood showed up too. Records say Clark Gable stayed in Room 6 in 1942, and his signature is kept by the local historical society.
By the early 2000s the motel nearly faced the wrecking ball. Two sisters, Deborah Harvey and Priscilla Bledsaw, stepped in and removed a later gabled roof to bring back the original look.
A nonprofit foundation now cares for the property. It earned a National Register listing in 2022.
Guests still find 1939 bathroom tiles and, yes, period radios. A welcome basket waits in each room.
Next door, an old Sinclair gas station works as a visitor center, so stop in before you drive off.
4. Wigwam Motel, Holbrook, Arizona
Superstitious guests can relax here, because there is no Room 13. The tipis are numbered 1 through 16 and skip it on purpose.
Chester Lewis built this Wigwam Village No. 6 in 1950. He borrowed the patented idea from Frank Redford after seeing one in Kentucky.
Fifteen concrete tipis stand in a half circle, each about 28 feet tall. A red zigzag sits above every door.
Interstate 40 bypassed Holbrook in 1974, and the motel closed. The Lewis family reopened it in 1988 and still runs it.
Inside, you get original handmade hickory furniture, a small bathroom, and a TV. Phones and in-room Wi-Fi are not part of the deal, so plan accordingly.
Old cars sit parked outside the rooms all year, including a Studebaker owned by Lewis himself. The office holds a small museum with petrified wood and Route 66 items.
Petrified Forest National Park is a short drive east.
5. El Vado Motel, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Comeback stories do not get much better than this one. El Vado closed in 2005, and a new owner planned to tear it down for townhouses.
The city of Albuquerque bought the property in 2010. After a major restoration, it reopened in 2018.
Irish immigrant Daniel Murphy first opened El Vado in 1937 near the Rio Grande. Its Pueblo Revival design used low stucco walls, uneven parapets, and exposed wooden beams called vigas.
Workers saved the original adobe walls and wood doors during the rebuild. Now there are 22 updated rooms with furniture made by local artisans.
The old parking courtyard turned into a plaza. It has a heated saltwater pool and an outdoor fireplace.
Small food pods serve meals ranging from Laotian-style fried chicken to Costa Rican dishes. Locals come for events too, so expect a busy crowd on weekends.
Book early if your trip lands near a festival.
6. Rockwood Motor Court, Springfield, Missouri
Meet Billy, a Russian tortoise who sometimes greets guests at Rockwood. He is the slowest employee, but nobody complains.
Deverne Ruckman opened this spot in 1929 as a tourist camp. It sat on the original Route 66 path with cabins, a Shell station, and a cafe.
Six sandstone cottages form a U around a courtyard. Around 1948 they got a patchwork stone pattern often called giraffe-style masonry.
Owners Phyllis Ferguson and Tim Phillips led a year-long restoration starting around 2019. In 2025 the court joined Historic Hotels of America.
Every room has its own theme. The Casablanca Cottage leans Moroccan, while The Classic celebrates old cars.
The best name belongs to Fill Er Up, a studio built inside the former gas station. Evenings bring guests to the fire pit and grill, where a wall of old license plates makes a fun photo backdrop.
7. Motel Safari, Tucumcari, New Mexico
Camels once crossed New Mexico on an Army mission in 1857. Motel Safari honors that odd chapter with a neon camel and rider on its sign.
The camel joined the sign in 1962. Before that, it carried a Best Western crown.
Chester Dohrer built the motel in 1959 in the Googie style. Look for angled lines, decorative concrete blocks, and brick mortar that bulges out on purpose.
Restoration began in 2007 after years of neglect. The work earned a 2020 Heritage Award from the New Mexico Route 66 Association.
Rooms pair custom midcentury furniture with pillow-top mattresses and fast Wi-Fi. Photos from old Tucumcari archives hang on the walls.
Music fans should ask about the Rockabilly Suite. Movie buffs may prefer the Rawhide Suite, a nod to classic Westerns.
Single-story parking keeps your car by your door. Later, guests often gather at the patio fire pit with Route 66 Radio playing.
8. Wigwam Motel, San Bernardino, California
Frank Redford built seven Wigwam Villages, and this was the final one. It opened in 1950 as Village No. 7.
Nineteen tipis stand in a double row, each around 30 feet tall. Redford reportedly drew ideas from an ice cream stand in Long Beach.
Things looked grim in 1989, when demolition became a real threat. The Patel family bought the motel in 2003 and restored it.
Their work won the 2005 Cyrus Avery Award for preservation. The National Register added the motel in 2012.
One perk the Arizona cousin lacks is a kidney-shaped pool. Palm trees line the fenced swimming area, which feels very Southern California.
Rooms include a mini-fridge, Wi-Fi, and a private shower. A few have wagon-wheel headboards.
Guests often say the tipis feel roomier than expected. Classic cars dot the grounds, so bring your camera.
Pets are allowed, which makes road trips with the family dog easier.
9. The Sunset Motel, Brevard, North Carolina
Every room here comes with a record player and a stack of vintage records. Spinning an old album is now part of the checkout ritual for many guests.
R. G. and Loe Taylor opened the motel around 1955.
Drivers were heading to the western North Carolina mountains for waterfalls and forest roads.
The layout is a classic U shape, with doors opening right onto the parking area. Breeze block walls hold up the car canopy and porch.
New owners reopened it in 2013 after a full retro makeover. USA Today later named it one of the 10 best roadside motels.
There are 20 individually styled rooms plus suites, an apartment, and a cottage. Five rooms have kitchenettes, handy for longer stays.
Out back, an acre of land holds hammocks, picnic tables, and a fire pit. It is the only motel in downtown Brevard, so you can walk to dinner, then drive to waterfall trails in the morning.
10. Mother Earth Motor Lodge, Kinston, North Carolina
James Brown and his band once checked in here. Back then, in the 1960s, it was called the Mid-Town Motor Lodge.
George Dubose opened the motel in 1963 for shoppers and drivers on Highway 70. By the mid-2000s, it had fallen into rough shape.
Local business owner Stephen Hill bought it in 2012. After years of work, it reopened in April 2017 with a bold 1970s Miami look.
Outside, expect white walls and bright blue doors. Inside, the rooms use orange, lime, and teal, with wood paneling and midcentury furniture.
Each room features original paintings of Kinston scenes. That local art makes every stay a little different.
The courtyard steals the show. A kidney-shaped pool stays open year-round, and guests can play shuffleboard, ping pong, or a nine-hole mini-golf course.
Breakfast and afternoon snacks are included. Downtown restaurants and shops sit within easy reach, so leave the car parked.
11. Stonewall Motor Lodge, Stonewall, Texas
Reporters covering a president once filled these rooms. Tillie and Kermitt Hahne, friends of Lyndon B.
Johnson, built the Stonewall Motel in 1964.
The nearby LBJ Ranch was known as the Texas White House. Secret Service agents, politicians, and press all needed beds.
One space was called the Press Room and even had a darkroom for the Associated Press. The Hahnes hosted barbecues and served hand-cranked peach ice cream.
After those busy years ended, the motel slowly declined. In 2018, a group of 12 family friends bought it and reopened it in January 2019.
Today there are 12 rooms, 4 cabins, and 4 RV spots. Blue doors and midcentury art give the place a cheerful look.
The Press Room survives with a kitchenette and a photo wall about its presidential past. You can book it or ask for a tour.
LBJ State Park and Enchanted Rock make easy day trips.
12. Thunderbird Inn, Savannah, Georgia
A MoonPie on the pillow and an RC Cola by the bed make a sweet Southern welcome. The Thunderbird Inn has turned snacks into a signature.
The motel opened in 1964 on old U.S. Highway 17.
Ads promised refrigerated rooms and drive-in parking.
Its two-story L shape has covered walkways and bright yellow, teal, and red panels. A bold canopy juts out above the office.
The Jackson Five reportedly stayed here during their early rise. That bit of pop history still draws music fans.
It joined the National Register in 2010. Renovations wrapped up in 2016 and 2018.
All 42 rooms have a sixties style, with rotary phones next to flat-screen TVs. Mornings bring free donuts and coffee in the lobby.
Dog owners will like the enclosed dog run. The Historic District and its famous squares are close by, so the motel works well as a base for walking tours.
13. Earl’s Rt 66 Motor Court, Winslow, Arizona
Sleeping on the corner in Winslow, Arizona, reads the motel sign. It is a cheeky nod to the Eagles song Take It Easy.
The place began around 1952 as the Marble Motel. Lee and Floranel Earl bought it in 1974, and their family ran it for decades.
Winslow natives Angela Archibeque and Blas Sanchez took over in 2018. They are restoring it one piece at a time.
All seven rooms are open to guests. Handmade quilts cover the beds, and each room has a mini-fridge and air conditioning.
Every room also holds a traveler’s journal. Guests leave tips and stories for whoever arrives next.
The owners live on site and take bookings by phone or email. Their motto is Arrive as a guest, leave as family.
Standin’ on the Corner Park sits a few minutes away. Plan time for the Old Trails Museum and La Posada Hotel too.
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