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Roadside Resources

Googie, Tiki, and Preservation

Historic Donner Trail Committee: Pay a visit to the Historic Donner Trail Committee site and read about their efforts to keep the old per-Highway 40 highway open to the public.

Lotta Livin': Lotta Living links you to a golden era where Hollywood fulfills our dreams on the silver screen, where you can order an "Old Fashioned" at a swank red booth restaurant and where home still is a palace of Modern luxury and conveniences.

SV Modern: Definitely worth a visit is this site that celebrates the Silicon Valley's mid-century past.

Doo Wop Preservation League: Here's the website for the non-profit organization whose mission includes the preservation of the Wildwoods resort architecture.

Googie Architecture: A comprehensive site that captures the essence of googie, with a special focus on Orange County.

Recent Past Preservation Network: Promoting preservation education and advocacy to encourage a contextual understanding of our modern built environment.

TikiBosko: Give this site a look see if you're in the market for Tiki and Polynesian pop products that are both unique and hand-crafted.

JohniesBroiler.net: Be sure to stop and visit this fine website put together by the Friends of Johnie's organization, whose goal is to support the preservation and revitalization of the significant architecture of Johnie's Broiler in Downey, CA and help bring attention to its endangered status!

JohniesBroiler.com: Here's a new site launched after the partial demolition of Johnie's Broiler in Downey, CA on January 7, 2007.

Society for Commercial Archeology: Organization devoted to the buildings, artifacts, structures, signs, and symbols of the 20th-century commercial landscape.

PreservationDirectory.com: A new public research tool for historic and cultural
resource preservation.

Memory of Tiki Gardens: Check out "the first website dedicated to the memory of Tiki Gardens," once a tiki paradise in Indian Shores, Florida.

Tiki Gardens.com: Here's another website paying tribute to Tiki Gardens, a South Sea Island Paradise in Florida.

The Retro Shop: Retro collectibles from the 50's and 60's on sale on ebay.

MODCOM: The Modern Committee: Volunteer committee has had impacts on preservation in the Southern California region, including the famous Cinerama Dome.

Roadside Stuff

Roadtrip '62: This travelogue takes the perspective of driving on highways as they were in 1962, including eating at restaurants and staying at motels that existed in 1962.

Nothingdieswithblueskies.com: Check out this photo blog that features many roadside related treasures such as old theatres, roadside curiosities, and signage. Photo cards can even be purchased too!

Jurnii: Check out this travel blog that features fun travel "lists" like "10 U.S. Roller Coasters That Will Make Hurl" and "5 Exceptionally Bizarre California Attractions" providing a welcome getaway..

Old Signs Are Neat: Always worth a stop is Tammy Terwelp's blog featuring 1950's and 60's signs from her base in Chicago as well as other areas of the country.

Diner Hotline: Stop and pay a visit to Larry Cultrera's weblog from his personal research project documenting the American diner.

USA Yesterday: Check this site out for some great photos across the U.S. Remember the old Jack in the Box? You can find it here.

Worlds Largest: Be sure to visit this site which is the home of a feature documentary called World's Largest, about small towns with giant roadside attractions.

Kenney's Drive-in: Here is a tribute site to the Kenney's Drive-in burgers, a chain that was big in the 60's.

Eccentric America: Don't forget to stop here and check out this site dedicated to the "bizarre, mundane, and even ridiculous oddities."

Back on Tack: Roadside Attractions and Oddball Architecture. In an age of chain everything, Back On Tack sheds a gaudy spotlight on the eccentric and the individualistic.

The American Roadside: A roadside resource including news from the road.

Norm's Neon Sign Garden: Here's a gallery of Baltimore area neon signs that are in a private collection. The restoration continues, one sign at a time.

American Road Magazine: Check out this website for the magazine that celebrates our two-lane highways of yesteryear ... and the joys of driving them today.

Digital Photography for Dummies Blogspot: Digital Art Photography for Dummies author Matthew Bamberg takes bloggers on a world journey through spontaneous text and images from world heritage sites and throughout the world's greatest cities.

Route SOMA: A must stop is this site that serves as a virtual roadside tour and road trip on its own.

Historic 101.com: Don Wilson's Highway 101 project is devoted to the preservation of the history, and memory of the original route of US Highway 101 in the area from San Jose to Santa Barbara, California.

Scott Hammond Polaroid Photography : Check out this site called The Lovely Road which explores roadside culture across america's heartland, how it affects us as a society, and how we have changed the landscape of the country throughout our occupation of it.

DooWopStuff.com: Well worth a visit is this site with information on doo wop and images including "stuff" from the Wildwoods.

Classic Las Vegas: The Las Vegas Centennial is here. Classic Las Vegas is researching and interviewing native born and longtime Las Vegas residents, recording their memories of old Las Vegas.

ExitHere.net: If you feel that the real fun starts at the exit ramp, a well recommended offramp is ExitHere.net and its photos, information, and links.

Roadside Architecture: Check out this site for a great collection of roadside images across the U.S.

Roadside America: The site for offbeat tourist attractions, including those of the muffler men variety, Roadside America is "chock-full of odd and hilarious travel destinations".

RoadTrip America: Take a stop and visit RoadTrip America®, a destination for North American road trip information, travel resources, and an interactive forum where road trippers share and seek advice and inspiration.

American Highway Project: The American Highway Project uses photography to document vanishing Americana such as motels, billboards, service stations, highway signs, tourist attractions, drive-in theatres and diners. We are a photographic resource for those interested in the history of transportation and architecture.

On the Road: Here's a site by the Kentucky Heritage Commission that features photos of Kentucky's roadside commercial architecture.

By The Way Online: "Explore back roads and Main Streets" at this fine site by the former editor of Roadside Magazine.

Photos of the Forgotten: Be sure to check out this Synthetrix site featuring photos of many of the lost and almost forgotten roadside treasures from Orange County.

Hat n' Boots: Check out the Georgetown Community Council's website dedicated to the Hat n' Boots in Seattle, Washington.

Clark's Travel Center : Here's the website for Clark's Travel Center, which is the oldest operating truck stop on historic Route 99 from Canada to Mexico. We've been here since the early 40's.

The UCM Museum: North of New Orleans, minutes from Interstate 12, in the historic town of Abita Springs this roadside attraction features a vintage service station, a 90yr old Louisiana Creole cottage, an exhibition hall of memorabilia, and the much photographed House of Shards.

All About Philly: Worth a peek is this site dedicated to the architecture around Philly.

Alexandria, Louisiana Retrospective: Spend some time and visit a nicely laid out tribute to Alexandria, Louisiana. Includes info and photos of Alexandria's roadside past.

Palmer California: If your looking to tour California, one of the tours by Palmer California explores most of the California-part of the historic Route 66 highway, Joshua Tree National Park, and the Mojave Desert.

Bygone Byways: A website devoted to the memory of the wonderfully unique American road of yesteryear.

Roadhouse Relics: Check out the work of Todd Sanders and his signage company specializing in vintage style hand crafted neon signs of decades ranging from the 1930's through the 1950's.

Lost Highway Museum: Purveyors of Fine American Roadside Art and souvenirs from the 20th Century.

Eccentric America Guidebook: This guidebook "is an entertaining and insightful look at the quirky, sometimes bizarre, people and places that populate the fringes of mainstream tourism."

Discount Stores of the 60's: Embark on a shopping trip back in time, to the great old discount department stores from a bygone era.

World's Fair '74: Take a splendid virtual visit to Expo '74, the Spokane World's Fair.

Louisiana U.S. Highway 90: Check out this site paying tribute to the the "Southern Route 66" as it wound its way through Louisiana.

Grandma Knapp's 37 Roadtrip: A journal, including photos, of a 1937 trip from Lincoln, NE to California and back.

Roadrunners Tour 2000: Keep up with the Roadrunners as they travel from Vancouver, Canada through the Northern states and end up on Route 66! Daily updates of the trip as well as daily Route 66 facts. Check it out before it's too late!

World's Largest Roadside Attractions: A collection of World's Largest attractions from around the world.

Roadies Right On! Line Publishing: A cyberzine that will attempt to bring you tacky, wacky, and historical attractions.

Lost America: Great night photos of the abandoned roadside West.

Fort Worth Yesterday: Old sites in and around Fort Worth, Texas.

World's Largest Catsup Bottle: Visit the Collinsville IL site of the world's largest catsup bottle!

Roadside Motels

Motel Americana: A comprehensive site including motel info and classic photos from the majority of the states.

Wigwam Village Motel: The famous Wigwam Motel in Rialto, CA has been under new ownership for the past two years and have made many improvements to the property with the intent of preserving the motel and seek to cleaning up the motel's past image as best as possible.

Motels of the Southwest: Nice images of motels signage in the good ol' American Southwest. Order a poster if you get a chance.

The Retro Motels of Highway 99: Check out some of the roadside motels that are off the US99 in the Pacific Northwest.

America's Landmark: Under the Orange Roof: A tribute/endeavor commemorating the Roadside Empire created by Howard D. Johnson (Howard Johnson's), while also documenting the end of an era.

The Great American Motel Sign: Take a moment to visit this website dedicated to motel signs and other cool signs seen on a road trip from Atlanta to San Diego and back.

Roadside Motels - Owner Sites

Tradewinds Motel : Traditional Southern hospitality meets mid-century modernism at the TradeWinds, a Eureka Springs, AR lodge reminiscent of motor inns of the 40's and 50's, yet with modern luxuries and elegance.

The Yuma Cabana Motel : Sporting a great combination of friendliness plus a great neon sign. What more could you ask for?

Roadside Eateries

Mac's Drive-in: Take a peek at the site for the Mac's Drive-In In Waterloo, New York, in the Heart of the Finger Lakes. This drive-in eatery is now celebrating 45 years!

Stuckey's: Take a peek at the company website of the Stuckey's Corporation. Stuckey's is known for their pecan log rolls and their roadside restaurants. Stuckey's has a long history of selling candy
and other treats for over 60 years.

LA Time Machines: This site focuses on Los Angeles restaurants and bars from the 30's, 40's , 50's and 60's, a concentration solely on pre-70s places with original, not overly remodeled interiors.

Holly Eats.Com: Do you prefer chowing over dining. Then take a moment to visit this eatery review site that awards in grease stains.

Upstate NY Diners: Check out this site featuring photos, info, and history on Upstate NY diners.

American Diner Museum: The American Diner Museum is a non-profit organization established in 1996 to recognize the diner's cultural and historical significance as well as its national importance.

Stuck on Stuckey's: Check out this tribute to a fine American institution, complete with memories and photos.

Lendy's: Contains extensive information and photos on Lendy's Restaurant, another great name from a bygone era.

Ohio Diners: Here's a fine site dedicated to the recognition and preservation of Ohio diners (and diners in general). Well worth a look.

HoJoLand: Remember the great Howard Johnson's Restaurants and Ice Cream Shoppes? Here's a must see tribute to the memory of the old HoJo roadside locales as well as what's still remaining..

Diner City: An fine online guide to classic diners and the American roadside.

Burger Chef: A tribute to the vintage Burger Chef chain. Contains history, menu info, photos, and more!

Gateway Diner: The site of the Gateway diner of Albany, NY.

Root-Beer.org: A personal website whose mission is to increase your enjoyment of this classic North American soft drink by providing "resources for root-beer lovers."

Gary's Ice Cream: A Chelmsford, MA ice cream institution for 27 years.

Burger Web: Meet Hamburger Harry and International Hamburger Hall of Fame here at Burger Web.

Cozy Drive-in: Check out the site of one of the last remaining original 50's car hops in the New Jersey area. Open since 1952, with no architecture, food, or (best of all) service changes!

Starlite Diner: With locations in Moscow, Florida, and South Florida, the Starlite Diner has served empty stomachs since the Great Depression.

Vintage Diners: Diner paintings and much more on this site.

Andy's Truckee Diner: Home of the original 1951 Kullman Diner transported across the continent in 1995 via flatbed. Check out the site, or better yet, stop by the diner for a visit.

Diner-Mite Diners: Diner-Mite Diners Inc. offers you a complete turnkey diner opportunity by owning your own diner.

Bob's Big Boy: The Bob's site over in Toluca Lake, honored in 1993 as a California State point of historical interest.

Drive-in Theatres

Drive-in Theater: Tim Thompson's expansive review of drive-ins across America. You need an address? Grab it here. Also has a special Route 66 drive-in section.

The Drive-in Guys: The website for the Dave Lounder Enterprises, also including Drive-in Speaker which has been around since 1995.

Southern California Drive-Ins: A tribute to the drive-in movie theatre in Southern California.

Drive-on-in: The Drive-On-In project is about improving upon the traditional drive-in experience. Includes a great resource section for drive-in information.

Drive-in Jim's Index: Features a number of topographic map and Geodetic Survey maps and aerial photos of a number of locations throughout the States.

Drive-in Theaters of Western Washington: A nice tribute to both open and closed drive-ins of the state of Washington. Contains maps and pictures.

Starlight Six Drive-in: Check out this new website from this Atlanta, Georgia open air theatre. Better yet, check it out in person.

66 Drive-in Theatre: Stop in and check out the grand old drive-in on Route 66 in Missouri that recently came back to life. Great before and after photos.

Valley Vu Drive-in Theatre: Photos and a short chrono on the demise of the Valley Vu Drive-in in Utah.

Colorado Drive-In Theatre Guide: A nice site specializing in Drive-ins of Colorado.

Classic Theatres

Cinema Treasures: The this the site to go to for comprehensive information and is devoted to movie theater preservation and awareness.

Bijou Memories: A tribute, including interesting photos and info, to the movie palaces of Burbank and Glendale, CA.

Egyptian Theatre of Hollywood: The fabulous Egyptian Theatre is back and restored to its former glory by the non-profit American Cinematheque. Check out this site for current showings and photos.

Huntridge Theatre of Vegas: The online home of The Huntridge Theatre of Las Vegas, whose architect was S. Charles Lee.

Fine Arts Group: Check out the site for this group that has restored classic Kansas City theaters.

Route 66

Route 66 News: A daily stop should be made to this website which is a clearinghouse of news and events pertaining to historic Route 66, the Mother Road.

Route 66 Memories: A website for fans of Route 66. History, lore, and a Kids Club await you. Record your memories of traveling this historic road in our Memory Album.

Lucille's Route 66 in Oklahoma: Check this out for interesting Oklahoma Route 66 info and photos.

California Route 66 Preservation Foundation: Any site with a mission like this, especially for the great Mother Road, is worth a visit. The mission of The California Route 66 Preservation Foundation is to develop and share resources for the benefit and common good of those portions of historic Route 66 that traverse California now and for future generations.

Martin Mathis' Route 66: Here's Martin Mathis' Route 66 Page with photos, essays, links and more!

Route 66 Products: Be sure to take a visit to this San Bernardino family owned outfit providing unique and highest quality Route 66 Collectibles.

Nob Hill-Highland Albuquerque, New Mexico Historic Route 66: Albuquerque, New Mexico Historic Route 66 75th Anniversary of Nob Hill - Highland. Celebrating Heritage Tourism.

Arizona Creative Edge Art: Southwestern Art Gallery featuring exclusively designed Sterling Silver Jewelry, Collectible Knife Art, and Sculptured Sandstone Gifts by Master Silversmith and Award-Winning Artists Scott and Mary Watson.

Route 66 Drive for Multiple Sclerosis: Take a moment to check out the site of a drive for a very worthy cause ... on the best road there is.

Oatman Photo Gallery: Check out this gallery of Oatman photos. This site also has nice photos of Laughlin, NV.

National Historic Route 66 Federation: The nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Route 66 across the country. Features some must see photos.

The Route 66 Collection: A one stop shop for California Route 66 aficionados. Features extensive content and photos.

Shellee Graham's Return to 66: Check out the site of Return to Route 66 Postcards author Shellee Graham, who's also coming out with a new book. Learn details of how to order.

US Highways: From US 1 to (US 830): A historical resource, dedicated to the preservation and celebration of the US numbered highway system.

Sight and Sound Productions: Nice Route 66 section and photos in general.

Fifties Trailers Inc: In the market for a 50's style trailer? Check this site out.

Nostalgia

Thunderbird Circle of Orange County: To bring owners and admirers of the 1955, 1956 and the 1957 Ford Thunderbird together and serve as an accurate and technical source of information.

Remember the 70's: This site is devoted to the old Kenny Rogers tv show "Rollin on the River" from the 70's and advertises a new DVD with rarely seen musical performances from some of the 70s legends including Jim Croce, Otis Redding, B.B. King and others.

The Seattle Pilots Baseball Team: A fantastic well researched site and tribute to the Seattle Pilots, a team destined for just one year in Seattle. Yes, this is the team of Jim Bouton's Ball Four fame.

Roadside Newsletters

Burger Boy Magazine: A fresh face in the newsletter business is Burger Boy, columns which deal with drive-ins, restaurants, and of course, Bob's Big Boy! Contact Dirk for more details.

YAP Zine: Suzanne's magazine discusses roadside attractions, contemporary folk art environments, and reviews road books.

Vintage Clothing, Furniture, and Memorabilia

VintagePostcards.org: Your old vintage postcards shop. Thousands of antique postcards, emphasizing roadside America, vintage real photos (RPPC) and topicals.

Out of Vogue: This site is an eclectic department store of vintage furniture, clothing, housewares, jewelry, collectibles, original pop art and more, with an emphasis on mid-century modern design.

Time Bandits: Don't forget to take a moment and visit the website of Time Bandits if you're in the market for mid-century furniture, lamps, ceramics, and art pieces.

Do Wah Diddy.com: Here's the home of 20th Century Pop Culture Collectibles. Check it out.

Florida Retro Roadside Calendar: Well worth a purchase is this 2003 calendar featuring roadside images of Florida. Especially since many images from Roadside Peek contributor Steve from Back on Tack are featured.

Bluntgraffix: Visit this site for a Hawaii based concert graphics artist. Blunt Graffix creates custom graphics for all your visual needs.

Tip Top Atomic: Check out Milwaukee Rockabilly site, including a vintage clothing and collectibles store.

Vintage Vending: If you're in the market for soda machines, 50's furniture and gas pumps to juke boxes and small gifts and collectibles, give Vintage Vending a look see.

Cruisin' USA: We are the world's largest manufacturer and distributor of Fun, Fads, and Fashions from the Fabulous Fifties era! We specialize in poodle skirts, bowling shirts, Pink Ladies & T-Birds apparel, cool retro items, and our famous Party In A Box!

BowlingShirt .com: Making the world a better place one bowling shirt at a time.

Catching the Butterfly.com: Check out this cool new source for "vintage and modern day used clothing" from "back in the day."

Bud & Betty's Vintage Living: We specialize in vintage lifewares; from designer furniture to practical kitchenware of the 40s, 50s and 60s.

Art and Photography

GM Panter Photography: Whether called "joints," "stands" or "shacks," these are the little, free-standing fast-food eateries which cater to hungry Angelenos eating on the run.

Tony Craig Art Gallery: Make sure to visit this site illustrating the fine art work of artist Tony Craig, depicting many of the roadside highlights found during his travels.

Kelly Coalier Art: Check out the great art work of sign artist Kelly Coalier, including renditions of signage found along the great American roadside.

Jeffrey Neumann Fine Art: Take a moment off the road to visit this site of fine art work by Jeffrey Neumann. Many of the roadside classics can be found here.

Photo Realism Painting: The new book, SIGNS OF ART, has over 100 full color pages of the roadside paintings of photo-realist painter, James "Kingneon" Guçwa.

The Gallery At CDC An Artist's Collective: An online collection of artists and their works, links to other art sites, galleries, and Notes from Hollywood. Well worth a visit!

Photos by Thad V'Soske: Pay a visit to the website of freelance photographer Thad V'Soske who specialize in night photography.

Instant Living: A site which offers a fine selection of Pop Culture items for the Home and Body including Retro Jewelry, Funky Magnets, Cool Books, Mouse Pads, Repro Vintage Movie Posters, one-of-kind Vintage items and more.

World Wide Retro: Check out a great source for all things "kool, retro, and hep!" Contains a nice section on neon signage. Don't forget to check out the retro merchandise for sale.

Cars.com: Whatever you'd like to know about automobiles... you can find it here!

Swanky Radio: Check out this internet radio site playing the rat pack crooners, gipsy kings and other swanky tunes on a semi-regular basis...

Unknownwriter's Sanctuary: Check out this site celebrating nature and animals.

300 Incredible Things for Seniors On the Internet Book: Check out the book that provides info on some interesting sites on the web. And yes, Roadside Peek is listed.

American Folk: Site dedicated to people, folklore, and popular culture.

Remembering the Sea: A heartfelt, nostalgic visit back to a San Pedro, California landmark.

AAA: Check out the Automobile Club's website.

Gasoline Emblems: Over 100 gasoline emblems and photos. Great collection!

Night Owl Books: Specializing in rare movie posters from the golden age.

Yahoo: What's a link page worth without the best search engine out there

QuickLInks


 

 

 

 

 

 

© Copyright 1998-2021 Syd Nagoshi. All rights reserved. No portion of this document may be reproduced, copied or revised without written permission of the author.