Cowboy Motel
Amarillo, TX
Photo courtesy Don Gardner

A must see sight for Route 66 aficionados is the Cowboy Motel in Amarillo, Texas. The marquee is still in pristine shape and features a lifelike cowboy with a welcoming grin as big as the Lone Star state.

Word is the motel began in the 1940s when it was known as the Del Camino Motel. Around the 1950s the motel became the Cowboy Motel and then the iconic sign with the Cowboy was installed. Today the sign is a symbol of Route 66 in Amarillo and hopefully this sign will stand guard over Amarillo Boulevard for many years to come.

Austin Motel
Austin, TX
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

The Austin Motel shown here is still in good shape with its circa 1936 vintage marquee. Well, at least the motel is. Actually word is the motel has been around since 1938.

The motel was sold then remodeled in 2017 as a boutique motel. This motel has survived the aggressive changes going in Austin especially along South Congress.

Stardust Motel (Demolished)
El Paso, TX
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Though the Stardust Motel does not quite identify with its name, the design and paint scheme of this old motel looks to date back to the 50's.

This motel lost its charm and became the El Paso Inn some before 2013. Now the El Paso Inn was demolished around 2022 and at this location there is nothing but an empty dirt lot

Town House Motel
Waco, TX
Photo courtesy Chris Richey

The Town House Motel features a marquee that looks somewhat like a key or a weird shaped arrow. Or something like that. Now in the clouds I can see a bear, a cat, a ....

UPDATE : The Townhouse Motel was torn down in 2009 after it burned down the year prior. The sign is also gone now and all that is left on this property is a vacant dirt lot withing nothing on it. 07-23

Mardi Gras Motel (Demolished)
Waco, TX
Photo courtesy Chris Richey

The marquee for the Mardi Gras Motel of Waco looks rather festive in its colors and shape.

This motel back in its day was considered to be ultra modern and also said to be the motel of tomorrow. The swimming pool here even had underwater music.

The motel was demolished about 15 years ago.

Anchor Motel
Dallas, TX
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

The Anchor Motel is another themed motel sign in Dallas that depicts the name of the motel itself. Looking to anchor for the night... then stop here.

Candlelite Inn
Arlington, TX
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

The Candlelite Inn in Arlington, Texas features a treasure of a marquee. This sign has a candlelight theme and the choice of paint makes this worth a stop. The original business started up in 1957 and is said to be the first restaurant to serve pizza in Arlington.

The Candelite was dealing with hard times when the business was closed and auctioned off in 2011. The building was remodeled around 2012.