The Experience Motor Lodge

Travel Inn Motel (Gone)
San Carlos, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

The Travel Inn Motel still sports its old sign right alongside this roadway in San Carlos, CA. Sitting right along El Camino Real, the motel was a familiar sight for drivers cruising up and down the San Francisco Peninsula during the golden age of California road trips.

Back in its mid-century heyday, the Travel Inn Motel boasted 34 soundproof rooms and gave motorists all the classic roadside luxuries of the era, including a heated swimming pool, a sun patio, and in-room radios and phones. Its eye-catching marquee stood proudly at the curb, stacked with colorful neon boxes calling out amenities like "Free Phones," "TV," and "Heated Pool" to catch the attention of passing traffic. It was the kind of friendly, dependable stop that made the drive along old Route 82 so inviting.

UPDATE: The Travel Inn Motel in San Carlos replaced its neon sign some time ago. 03-09

UPDATE: The Travel Inn is now known as the Lia Hotel. 11-17

UPDATE: The motel was later rebranded as the Lia Hotel, and the vintage neon marquee has been removed. 09-26

Golden Bear Motel (Closed)
Berkeley, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

This sign tells it all at the Golden Bear Motel in Berkeley, CA. Located at the corner of San Pablo Avenue and Cedar Street, the motor court greeted travelers rolling along one of the East Bay's historic travel corridors.

Built in a classic Spanish revival style, the Golden Bear Motel wrapped its rooms and cottages around a central parking courtyard, offering a convenient, drive-up stop for motorists visiting the Bay Area. Its roadside marquee proudly carried the California theme, making it a familiar landmark along San Pablo Avenue for decades.

UPDATE: The motel property has transitioned away from overnight travelers into supportive housing. 09-26

Marion's Motel
Stockton, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Just off the highway is the Marion's Motel. The large motel lettering points the way into the motel, standing right by the asphalt along the historic U.S. 99 frontage road between Stockton and Lodi.

Serving travelers through the Central Valley for decades, Marion's Motel offers a mix of classic overnight rooms alongside extended-stay lodging, reflecting the changing rhythms and survival strategies of old highway auto courts. The bold, stylized roadside marquee out front remains an eye-catching survivor of postwar roadside commercial design, greeting motorists with its prominent typography just as it did when U.S. 99 was the primary north-south artery cutting through the heart of California.

UPDATE: The motel continues to operate along the old highway frontage road, with its vintage roadside sign still standing. 09-26

St. Francis Motel
Stockton, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

The St. Francis Motel marquee is none the worse for wear. The red color really stands out along the roadside horizon, catching the eye of drivers along the old U.S. Route 99 frontage road just north of Stockton.

Dating back to the peak days of Central Valley auto travel when it was known as the New St. Francis Motel, the property offered classic drive-up convenience with modern postwar perks like air conditioning, kitchenettes, TV, and an on-site swimming pool. Its single-story auto court layout allowed travelers to park right in front of their rooms after a long day on the highway. Out by the road, the bold red marquee served as a bright beacon across the flat valley landscape, welcoming motorists looking for a comfortable and easy place to pull in for the night.

UPDATE: The motel continues to operate along the Highway 99 frontage, with its eye-catching red roadside marquee still standing tall. 09-26

Thunderbird Motel
Bishop, CA
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

Here's a close-up shot of the Thunderbird Motel marquee, located about a block away from 395 in downtown Bishop. Tucked just off Main Street on West Pine Street, this classic Eastern Sierra motor court has been welcoming mountain-bound travelers for decades.

With its single-story layout and drive-up convenience, the Thunderbird Motel preserves that easygoing mid-century auto court feel against the rugged backdrop of the Owens Valley. The colorful marquee out front is a genuine showstopper, highlighted by a stylized thunderbird design perched proudly over sweeping script lettering. This motel sign also looks great at night, lighting up the neighborhood with a vibrant neon glow that cuts through the cool mountain air and reminds road trippers why exploring the side streets off U.S. 395 is always worth the detour.

UPDATE: The motel remains open for business in Bishop, with its famous thunderbird neon sign still lighting up off Highway 395. 09-26

Pacific Motor Inn
San Francisco, CA
Photo courtesy Justin Montano

The Pacific Motor Inn appears to be a rather common motel, but this urban stop has plenty of character. Located along Broadway right where Chinatown meets North Beach, the Royal Pacific Motor Inn has welcomed motorists into the heart of the city since 1962.

Built by five local Chinese families, the five-story lodge offered travelers a prime home base complete with the rare perk of on-site courtyard parking. Best of all, it has remained independently run by the same founding families ever since, with its vintage sign still hanging out over Broadway to greet passing drivers.

UPDATE: The motel remains open under original family ownership, with its classic roadside signage intact along Broadway. 09-26

Surf Motel
San Francisco, CA
Photo courtesy Justin Montano

The Surf Motel carries on with the oceanfront theme of the motels on Lombard. Rolling along U.S. 101 through the Marina District, this classic motor court catches the eye with its multi-tiered roadside marquee standing out right next to Mel's Drive-In.

With its 36 rooms arranged around a central open-air parking courtyard, the **Surf Motel** keeps that genuine mid-century auto court convenience alive. Finding free courtyard parking right outside your room in modern San Francisco is practically unheard of, but here it remains just as it was when road trippers first started cruising down off the Golden Gate Bridge.

UPDATE: The motel continues to operate as an independent budget stop on Lombard Street, with its classic roadside marquee still intact out front. 09-26

Travelodge (Rem.)
San Francisco, CA
Photo courtesy Justin Montano

It's... it's... it's... a Travelodge! Now standard in most cities and towns across the country, the Travelodge marquee advertises its services to the unsuspecting traveler rolling down Lombard Street.

Back in the heyday of automobile travel along U.S. 101, this busy corridor actually had two different Travelodge locations competing for drivers coming off the Golden Gate Bridge, with one near Van Ness Avenue and another tucked out near the Presidio gates. Like so many of the chain's mid-century motor hotels, it originally welcomed road-weary drivers with the friendly sight of Sleepy Bear in his nightshirt glowing against the evening sky. Along a strip packed tight with wild neon signs, that familiar marquee offered an easy, no-surprises stop to unpack the suitcase and call it a night.

UPDATE: The Lombard Street locations remain open under the Travelodge brand, though the original vintage Sleepy Bear marquees have given way to modern signage. 09-26