Vintage roadside

[dh66]

I've been looking at cool photos of old gas stations on another thread, and while chatting with fellow lounger Ghostsoldier I discovered that at least one other lounger besides myself digs all things roadside; gas stations, diners, drive-ins, motels, tourist traps, neon signs, you name it, so here's a thread to post pics of all that kinda cool stuff.
I'll start it off with some shots of one of my personal favorites.

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[dh66]

That's in Cave City, Kentucky, near Mammoth cave. Here's a couple from Cherokee, NC

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[dh66]

Gulf Shores, AL

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[Ghostsoldier]

Awesome thread, Dale! :eusa_clap

I shopped at the Cherokee on my honeymoon weekend, 25 years ago last October (and bought the wife and myself some moccasin boots, IIRC); I remember this trip, because of all places, there was John Wayne Week festival of Duke movies playing on the local TV station at the Amerindian motel we were staying in...the wife and I still laugh at the irony!

Anyway, when I get home from work this evening, I'll start posting up some of my own photos....this should be fun!

Rob

 

[storman113]

Some places from my trip last October. Found its better to take pictures and not stay, they are really old motels!!!

I like the neon signs, they show some imagination.

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Here's a few of mine; I have a lot of photos that I have never scanned (being pre-digital age, 35mm format, lol), so I'll add those as I can....

High Springs, Florida


Ocala, Florida (there was similar one in Gainesville many years ago---same old-country Italian guy owned it, too---but it has long since closed)


Silver Springs, Florida



Rob

 

[Ghostsoldier]

Somewhere in central Florida...


High Springs, Florida...


Central Florida....


Georgia....


Rob

 

[dh66]

Absolutely awesome Rob and Storman 113.
I like to stay in the old ones when I can. Usually they're cheaper, and especially if I'm on the road and won't be staying long anyway.

Here's a few of a mini-golf place in Pigeon Forge, TN. The guy working there told me his uncle first opened it back in the 30s. Are there very many of these left in Florida, Rob? I can remember being in awe at the miracle strip in PC when I was a kid.

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[dh66]

And Rob, Awesome story about you honeymoon in Cherokee, btw. My wife and I went to Graceland for ours. I'll try to find some pics from that trip. That place is CRAZY over the top.

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[AtomicEraTom]

I do love Motel Signs.

Two of my favorites just down the road.

The Shady Lawn is actually just down the street from our shop, a block or two.

 

[dh66]

Cool pix! Welcome to the party AE Tom. We dig old motels and everything else on the side of the road. Maybe you could post up some photos of your shop.

Also- there's a place called the Shady Lawn at the AL/TN line that's a motel/truckstop/diner/go-go bar. There's a GIANT statue of a chicken holding a knife and fork out front

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[AtomicEraTom]

Ask and you shall receive:

Took this one just the other day, after putting up the Christmas lights.

Another night-time shot. I love it there at night.

For the architecture and bathroom fans. I have a pair of bathrooms, original to the 1951 construction of the building.

Shot this one from the levee.

The building was owned by the Jenkins family from the time it was new, until we bought it, according to folks old enough to remember.

It was a Sinclair, a Texaco, a Hudson Dealership, a Dodge Dealership, a Used Car Lot, and a School Bus Depot, from what folks have told me.

We now sell guns there, and I will be continuing the tradition of selling cars there. I have sold a few already.

 

[dh66]

Thanks Tom. Great looking place. It's always a good thing when someone can find a use for cool old buildings instead of tearing them down.


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[V.C. Brunswick]

Funny, but for all the talk of gas station burritos I was in L.A. last week and ate here.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

For vintage roadside in L.A. there's also the original location of Tommy's (established in 1946), a well-known local chain in Southern California.

 

[dh66]

Perfect!! I guess you can still get gas there.

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[Ghostsoldier]

Absolutely awesome Rob and Storman 113.
I like to stay in the old ones when I can. Usually they're cheaper, and especially if I'm on the road and won't be staying long anyway.

Here's a few of a mini-golf place in Pigeon Forge, TN. The guy working there told me his uncle first opened it back in the 30s. Are there very many of these left in Florida, Rob? I can remember being in awe at the miracle strip in PC when I was a kid.

Yeah, we always stay in the older ones when we're on a trip (if they look safe, that is)....BTW, this site: http://www.momandpopmotels.com has a great directory for finding the older jewels.

The older miniature golf courses have gone the way of the public shuffleboard courts, I'm afraid; most of the vintage versions have been replaced by Mega-mountain/pirate-ship/exploding volcano do-everything-under-the-sun-arcade monstrosities....there's only a very few of those nostalgic courses left.

And Rob, Awesome story about you honeymoon in Cherokee, btw. My wife and I went to Graceland for ours. I'll try to find some pics from that trip. That place is CRAZY over the top.

Yeah, I've been there, too...I love that place, even though the urban sprawl of Memphis has extended waaay beyond the limits of where Graceland stood in it's singularity....I've got some photos of those environs, too, but I'll have to scan them up.

Rob

 

[Ghostsoldier]

A few more....this is a state historic site building in Georgia, outside of Augustus, IIRC....



This is the water tower from our local military base (Camp Blanding); alas, it's no longer here, having been scrapped about 15 years ago. Legend has it that a couple of Afrika Korp prisoners escaped from the stockade here during the war, and we apprehended climbing the tower in attempt of adding poison to the base water supply...don't really know how true it is, but the place was a POW camp in WW2, with plenty of AK and Heer detainees.



This is in Ocala, Florida....




These were taken in Cooperstown, NY, at a motel known to have had the likes of Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb and a host of other famous Baseball HoF inductees, stay here overnight; the inside walls of the office are loaded with who's who photos of famous ball players. This old (former) cigarette machine was outside the door of my room; I like to imagine those old-time ballplayers picking up a pack or two of coffin nails for a paltry sum, and checking the tilt of their fedoras in the mirror!






Rob

 

[Ghostsoldier]

My wife's old elementary school in the north side of Jacksonville (and is still being used--the fence is to keep in the kids, and keep out weirdos)...



These are in Orlando, Florida....

MacNamara is now closed, and it's a miracle the sign is still there (it probably won't be for long).


This looks to have been an old Howard Johnson's....


Streamline Moderne, perhaps?


And yes...people are still 'living' (technically) in these cabins.......notice the sign on the pole, lol.


Rob

 

[AtomicEraTom]

Thank you. I hate when people tear things down and believe in using things in the most original form possible.

Thanks Tom. Great looking place. It's always a good thing when someone can find a use for cool old buildings instead of tearing them down.


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