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Motels Main | Googie | Neon | Other | Surf | Florida Main
Ooh, tiki! Florida doesn't disappoint in this arena with grand Tahitian Inn of Tampa. The Tahitian Inn sports great Polynesian lettering to go along with the arrowheads pointing off the top of the sign.
The Cadillac Motel is located on North US 19 in Fanning Springs, Florida. It is locally owned by a couple and is within walking distance of the famous Swanee River. "The Swanee River (Old Folks at Home)" is the official state song of Florida. There is a memorial to its author, Stephen C. Foster, in White Springs even though he never actually visited the state.
The Sun Plaza is located on SR 40 in Ocala, Florida. The 47 room hotel has been family owned and operated for 40 years. It has many of the little amenities that you just don't find in the chain hotels anymore; a large children's playground, picnic area, and even shuffleboard courts. The place is well kept up and with its neon marquee, the Sun just seems to light up the roadside. The Sandman Motel is a fantastic pastel color. Looks like a scene straight out of a dream.
Author Jack Kerouac spent his last years in a home not far from these motels with his wife and mother. His life "on the road" ended here in 1969 with an abdominal hemorrhage in large part due to his alcoholism. Info above courtesy Steve/Back on Tack
Most likely the Grant Motel was built to allure Florida tourists who were visiting Sunken Gardens, which is just a hop, skip and a jump down the road. It is one of the oldest attractions in Florida opened in 1935. The park, recently taken over by the state, is set 15-feet below street level and is filled with hundreds of tropical plants and some scattered birds and animals.
The Skylark outdoes its script lettering sign with some strange architecture over the check-in lobby.
The E & L Motel sits on Highway 92 in Seffner, FL. Before I-4 was built, which leads travelers from both FL coasts into the heart of Disney country, 92 was a west to east route through central FL. Today the motel cabins seem to have been converted to low rent housing, but the sign remains the same.
This sign for the Catalina Motel was spotted in Dundee on US 27. The four-lane road that runs the length of central Florida was a popular tourist route called the Orange Blossom Trail. Citrus canker and early frosts have killed off some of the orange groves along it, but there is still ample opportunity to buy some Florida sunshine. Not far from the Catalina is Cypress Gardens, one of the states first tourist attractions.
The Capri Motel brings up mental images of wizardry and fortune telling. A unique sign located in Florida.
The Venice Motel, also of Sarasota, shows off its classic motel marquee. The only item betraying its historic heritage is the cable TV amenity advertised below the marquee.
Motels Main | Googie | Neon | Other | Surf | Florida Main
Home | Search | What's New | Contact Disclaimers, Copyright, and Trademarks Page Last Updated February 17, 2003
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