30 cool roadside signs and where to find them
Stephen H. Provost
As I’ve traveled the country researching four books on America’s highways, I’ve seen a lot of signs: some shiny and new, others old and faded; some official, others anything but. They tell you where you are and where you’re going. They advertise some businesses and point the way to others.
What follows is a list of 30 signs that caught my eye: the most striking or intriguing I’ve seen so far. This is a brief pictorial overview of my favorites and where to find them.
All the photos are mine, and I only included signs I’ve seen and photographed myself. I hope you enjoy the trip.
30
Burma-Shave — Houck, Arizona
This one would rank higher on the list, except it’s not original. This replica is one of several that line a stretch of old Route 66 near Houck, Arizona. Burma-Shave erected thousands of signs, each in series of five or six lines that rhymed and touted the virtues of driving safely and (of course) using the company’s shaving cream. Learn more about Burma-Shave in Yesterday’s Highways.
29
Fort Courage — Houck, Arizona
Just up the road from the Burma-Shave replicas on old Route 66 is this blast from the past: a now-abandoned tourist stop named after the fictional setting of TV’s F-Troop series, which starred Ken Berry, Forrest Tucker, and Larry Storch. The show was canceled in 1967 after its second season, and this roadside stop was eventually shut down, too.
28
Chef’s Drive-In — Alta Vista, Virginia
This old-school drive-in, which is sometimes spelled “drive-inn,” can be found at 1101 Main St. in Alta Vista, Va., otherwise known as U.S. Business Route 29. According to one newspaper review, it “hasn’t changed much since the days of carhops and poodle skirts.” You can give servers your order from the comfort of your car, or go inside and sit at one of four booths or the counter.
27
Frontier Lanes — Selma, California
Bowling alleys were once common sights along highways across the country. Frontier Lanes, shown here, was built along Golden State Boulevard in Selma, California, a section of old Highway 99 now bypassed by a freeway just to the west. Bowling alleys and another highway staple, drive-in movie theaters, have both dwindled in number as interstates have replaced old rural highways.
26
Mountaineer Inn — Asheville, North Carolina
The Mountaineer Inn in Ashville, N.C., also features a neon Popeye on its roof. Its sign hails from a bygone era when neon signage reached its pinnacle, incorporating not just lettering but symbols (such as the star here) and intricately drawn figures. The invitation to “sit a spell” here is reminiscent of the old Beverly Hillbillies TV show.
25
Fremont Street — Las Vegas, Nevada
What would a celebration of signage be without a visit to Vegas? It would be a simple matter to include the iconic sign at the south end of the Strip, but this one at the north end of town is no less striking. It’s on Fremont Street, the original downtown gambling district, and features several other neon markers — including a replica of the south-end sign (lower right) and a neon showgirl in the distance.
24
Pepsi-Cola — Roanoke, Virginia
Billboards painted on the sides of buildings were once commonplace, and this one can still be seen in downtown Roanoke, Virginia. It advertises Pepsi-Cola and the Virginia Carriage Company. Over time, weather wore away the paint on the billboards, some of which were repainted, while others were left to fade into obscurity or painted over with other advertisements.
23
Lim’s Cafe — Redding, California
One of the most recognizable signs in Redding, California, this neon beauty could be found on a stretch of old Highway 99 (North Market Street) at the north end of town, where it moved in 1957. The restaurant was founded as a family business in the 1930s, serving up everything from Mongolian beef to burgers, milkshakes to mai tais.
22
Western Motel — Santa Clara, California
The Western Motel features one of the most distinctive signs in Northern California, a huge cactus. Unfortunately, the lights that once illuminated the sign at nigh have been removed, but you can still see the sign from a distance during the daytime. Built along U.S. 101, it can be found at 2250 El Camino Real in Santa Clara, California.
21
Bill’s — Santa Maria, California
Another gem along old U.S. 101 — this time on a segment in Santa Maria, California — Bill’s Take Out stands along El Camino Real. It’s a throwback do the days of the drive-in, when you could get a burger for 15 cents and McDonald’s had plenty of competition from regional and local businesses like this one. It’s likely that the menudo mentioned on the lower sign is a more recent addition to the menu.
20
McDonald’s — Fillmore, California
Speaking of the golden arches… Before there was Ronald McDonald, there was Speedee, the original McDonald’s mascot, a little guy in a chef’s hat seen here on this throwback Micky D’s location on State Route 126 in Fillmore. This entire area was submerged in a huge flood with the St. Francis Dam burst in 1928, one of the worst disasters on record. You can find a detailed account in my book on Highway 99.
19
11-70 Motor Court — Knoxville, Tennessee
This iconic sign can be found along the old Dixie Lee Highway, south of Knoxville, Tennessee. The 11 and 70 are old federal highways that share the same routing in this area — the Dixie and Lee highways, names that date back before the federal highway system was created in 1926. The black-and-white U.S. highway shield forms the border of this motel sign. Find out more in my book America’s First Highways.
18
Waylan’s Ku-Ku Burger — Miami, Oklahoma
Ku-Ku Burger was once a thriving chain with as many as 200 locations in the Midwest during the mid-1960s, a time when McDonald’s had competition from chains like this one and Burger Chef. This sign’s got just about everything, from the birdhouse on top to the ice cream cone and, of course, the cuckoo bird in the chef’s hat. It’s a Route 66 icon, and the only one in the chain still left.
17
Arby’s — Danville, Virginia
Arby’s has largely abandoned this iconic multi-lighted design in favor of cookie-cutter plastic box signs with lights inside. Thankfully, unlike the old-school Taco Bell and Jack-in-the-Box signs, a few of the original Arby’s models are still around. You can find this one in Danville, Virginia, in the southern part of the state, along U.S. Highway 29.
16
Uranus — Uranus, Missouri
One of the newest and most expansive Route 66 roadside attractions, the Uranus Fudge Factory features everything from dinosaurs to spaceships and a whole lot of double-entendres. It looks like a collection of props from every movie set you can imagine, plus a store, a tattoo parlor, a museum, and a whole lot more. This sign, featuring a T-Rex and the Flying Spaghetti Monster, captures the spirit of the place perfectly.
15
Eel River Cafe — Garberville, California
This sign, when seen at night, shows the chef flipping a pancake. Seven pancake outlines light up one at a time, in succession, showing a single pancake as it makes its way through the air from the chef’s spatula to his pan . The cafe along California’s Redwood Highway dates back to 1927, and the sign was added by 1952. For more about the Redwood Highway in Highway 101, the History of El Camino Real.
14
Mail Pouch Tobacco — Lanesville, Indiana
Mail Pouch Tobacco signs were ubiquitous in the early 20th century, adorning barns along numerous highways. Barn owners were paid a small fee to allow the West Virginia company to splash its name on one or two sides of the barn. A few of the barns remain, in various states of repair, many of them in the Ohio Valley and western Pennsylvania area. This restored sign is on Indiana Route 62 in Lanesville.
13
Pink Motel — San Fernando, California
The Pink Motel along San Fernando Road, is one of the few remnants of an era in which motels lined this section of old Highway 99. A diner called Cadillac Jack’s is right next door. The motel has served as the backdrop for some Hollywood productions and is featured in my book Highway 99: The History of California’s Main Street.
12
Palm Reader — Fowler, California
If you’re heading to Fresno from the south, you’ll know you’re almost there when you see this palm reader sign in Fowler, a small community just a few miles to the south on Highway 99. Palm reader signs along highways aren’t unusual, but this is one of the best ones you’re likely to find. It’s been there for about half a century, and (at least as of a couple of years ago) it still lights up at night.
11
Hacienda Cowboy — Fresno, California
This neon (not rhinestone) cowboy once waved at travelers along Highway 99 in Fresno from his perch atop a sign at the Hacienda. The city’s most glamorous hotel during the 1960s, it hosted big-name entertainers and boxing matches in its heyday. The sign’s twin from the Las Vegas hotel of the same name is still visible at the north end of the Strip. Learn more about the Hacienda in my book Fresno Growing Up.
10
James Dean — Blackwell’s Corners, California
George Blackwell started a rest stop on California State Route 46 near Lost Hills, west of Bakersfield, in 1921. It was the last highway movie star James Dean drove on a trip that would end in a fatal car wreck near Paso Robles. These two signs at an intersection on Route 46 in the unincorporated community pay tribute to Dean in larger-than-life fashion.
9
Star Theatre — Oceanside, California
There are plenty of impressive theater signs and marquees along the nation’s highways. In California, the Ukiah, Crest (Fresno), and Fremont (San Luis Obispo) come to mind. But this one at 402 North Coast Highway in Oceanside, is among the most original and memorable. It opened in 1956, and the cascading stars have been lighting up U.S. 101 ever since.
8
H&C Coffee — Roanoke, Virginia
Built in 1948, the H&C Coffee sign in downtown Roanoke, Virginia, was originally animated: the coffee would appear to “pour” from the spout into the cup. That’s no longer the case, but it still lights up, sharing the skyline with a vintage Dr Pepper sign near the Roanoke City Market, a revitalized downtown district in this Southern city.
7
Bakersfield Hotel — Bakersfield, California
This sign at Buck Owens’ Crystal Palace, north Bakersfield, incorporates the original letters and design from the Bakersfield Inn Motel sign that once spanned old Highway 99 near the southern end of the city. The original sign was actually a bridge from one section of the motel to the other, across the highway. Country music star Owens salvaged the letters and recreated the sign on his property.
6
Meadow Gold — Tulsa, Oklahoma
The Meadow Gold neon sign dates back to the 1930s in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It stood watch at 11th Street and Lewis Avenue until 2004, when the building that supported it was torn down. The sign, however, was saved and gifted to the city, which put it in storage until it could be reassembled and installed atop a single-story structure on historic Route 66.
5
Henry’s — Cicero, Illinois
Who puts fries on their hot dog? Apparently, Chicagoans do — or at least patrons of this Route 66 fixture in Cicero, just south of the city. Henry’s has been open since the 1950s, serving up “a meal in itself”: a hot dog on a poppy-seed bun adorned with chopped onions, mustard, pickle relish, pepper, and of course those fries. Crazy stuff, but apparently very memorable, just like this iconic sign.
4
Blue Swallow Motel — Tucumcari, New Mexico
The Blue Swallow Motel is one of the must-see sights along Route 66. Located in Tucumcari, New Mexico, it’s the most iconic in a cluster of 66 relics and remnants. The 12-unit motel, built in 1939 and opened two years later, is on the National Register of Historic Places. it offered TV’s and “100% refrigerated air.” Pretty cool for a desert stop.
3
Whiting Bros. — Moriarty, New Mexico
I was so taken with this restored sign in Moriarty, New Mexico, that I put it on the cover of Yesterday’s Highways. The Whiting Bros. chain was almost entirely a Route 66 phenomenon in the Southwest, with locations stretching from Texas to the Mojave Desert. The company has been out of business for many years, but its buildings and a few signs remain, mostly in Arizona, New Mexico, and eastern California.
2
Madonna Inn — San Luis Obispo, California
This neon masterpiece in San Luis Obispo, off U.S. 101, features a lighted horse-drawn carriage that appears to gallop along at night. How do you top that? Try a hotel with scores of themed rooms that fall somewhere between kitsch and luxury. This roadside inn was built by a contractor who actually built portions of many roads, as detailed in my book, Highway 101: The History of El Camino Real.
1
Roy’s — Amboy, California
There’s nothing left in Amboy except for Roy’s. Even the school is closed, but the roadside gas stop and motel still welcome travelers in temperatures of up to 120 degrees in this Mojave Desert wasteland. Built along old Route 66, it stayed open after the Mother Road was bypassed by a modern interstate. The very fact that there’s nothing around for miles has helped make it one of the nation’s most recognizable signs.