The TripAdvisor travel community released its list of the world's quirkiest motels, and a Route 66 establishment made the top 10. At the No. 9 slot is the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Ariz.: Its second year on the top ten quirky hotel list and with a unique price to match, the Wigwam Motel is a … Continue reading Wigwam Motel is among world’s quirkiest
Category: Motels
Jewel of the Southwest
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch this weekend had an article about the history and rebirth of La Posada, a former Harvey House, on Route 66 in Winslow, Ariz. Even though it's been a major attraction for several years, owner Alan Affeldt isn't done. He's undertaking a landscaping project at La Posada that will cost about a … Continue reading Jewel of the Southwest
A motel to avoid
Usually, if someone recommends to stay away from a certain Route 66 motel, it's taken with a grain of salt. After all, standards for lodging range as widely as the Mother Road's topography. But when that recommendation comes from the commander of a nearby military base, that gets your attention. A tidbit in the Friday … Continue reading A motel to avoid
Book review: “Roadside Attractions”
Rating high on our wish list is an updated volume of "Roadside America." "New Roadside America," an irreverent but fond look at highway oddities, proved to be a critical influence to us at Route 66 News. The Roadside America site is still going strong, but the dead-tree version hasn't been updated since 1992. Brian and … Continue reading Book review: “Roadside Attractions”
A struggle to preserve what’s left
The Chicago Tribune today tells about Route 66's struggles to preserve its historic motels. The article focuses on the closed and deteriorating Palamar Motel in Pontiac, of which a recent photo of it can be seen here. The Tribune lays out the dilemmas: But old motor lodges present trickier problems because they are larger and … Continue reading A struggle to preserve what’s left
Triangle Motel rehab continues
About a year ago, Alan McNeil purchased the long-closed and long-neglected Triangle Motel on old Route 66 in Amarillo, Texas. It had been condemned, but the city gave a one-year moratorium if McNeil could show progress was being made in the cleanup. A review of the progress is coming shortly, reports the Amarillo Globe-News (free … Continue reading Triangle Motel rehab continues
All-American motels
Time magazine published an article online about Asian-Americans who own motels along historic Route 66. The article mentions the Asian-Americans who brought back dignity to the Wigwam Motel in Rialto, Calif., and who continue to improve their properties, such as the Desert Hills Motel in Tulsa. But then ... ... [I]t's a shame that the … Continue reading All-American motels
Notes from the road
Seaba Station near Wellston, Okla., has been put up for sale. I'd been aware that Sue Preston and her husband, Sonny, had moved nearly 50 miles away to Yukon and that the operating hours of the Route 66 antique store had become sporadic. The well-maintained Seaba Station sits on more than an acre, and the … Continue reading Notes from the road
Hillbillee’s closes
While passing through Arcadia, Okla., on Tuesday to go to POPS, we learned that Hillbillee's, a colorful restaurant and bed-and-breakfast on Route 66 in Arcadia since 1993, had closed on Aug. 2. "We decided to retire," said Norma Braxton, former co-owner of the establishment with her husband, Wade. "It's bittersweet for us, but we're just … Continue reading Hillbillee’s closes
Preservation video
KOKH-TV in Oklahoma City interviewed Emily Priddy of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association preservation committee and aired video from the Ray's Motel preservation project in Clinton, Okla., and the National Route 66 Festival in June. The interview was conducted live on the station's morning show a few weeks ago, and was recently posted on the … Continue reading Preservation video