The Experience Motor Lodge

Thunderbird Lodge
Redding, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

The Thunderbird Lodge in Redding features a colorful marquee out at the curb advertising its roadside services. Located along the old alignment of U.S. 99, this vintage gem dates back to around 1960, originally opening as a prime stop for the popular West Coast Thunderbird referral chain.

Its spectacular street sign, built by the Electrical Products Corporation, sports a soaring neon thunderbird believed to be inspired by the famed Thunderbird Hotel on the Las Vegas Strip. Next door, an old Sambo's restaurant historically kept guests fed before eventually transforming into La Cabaña. Rather than falling into neglect, this 58-room classic has been lovingly refreshed with modern amenities while keeping its timeless exterior-corridor motor court character completely intact.

UPDATE: The Thunderbird Lodge is still open for travelers in downtown Redding, with its magnificent vintage neon signs fully intact and lighting up the night. 09-26

Escalon Motel (Demolished)
Escalon, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

The Escalon Motel in Escalon still features an old-style sign out front pointing the way in. Sitting right at the corner of Escalon and Yosemite avenues along State Highway 120, this classic little 18-unit stop once pitched itself to passing vacationers as the scenic route on the way up to Yosemite.

Dating back to the 1950s, the modest motor court had drive-up units and a few kitchenettes for folks taking the two-lane road into the Sierra foothills. Over the years, the highway trade moved on, and the place fell into rough shape before the city finally shut it down. The old motel units were torn down in 2015, but the front office building managed to survive and was fixed up to become the Escalon Youth Center. The vintage sign frame out by the street was spared too, with the old letters swapped out so it now reads "Youth Center" instead of "Motel."

UPDATE: The Escalon Motel rooms were demolished in 2015, but the original office was saved as a youth center and the old roadside marquee still stands, repurposed with new lettering. 09-26

Motel 99 (Gone)
Redding, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Referring to its roots alongside the old highway, the Motel 99 in Redding looks to be an old motor court that is still in business. Located along North Market Street, this spot sat right on the original path of U.S. 99, back when the busy strip north of the Sacramento River was lined with roadside stops competing for travelers heading up through Northern California.

Dating back to the mid-century auto boom, the classic single-story, twenty-room court gave motorists easy drive-up parking right outside their door. Vintage postcards and matchbooks from back in the day touted all the usual road-trip comforts, like refrigerated air conditioning, thermostat heat, free TV, a swimming pool, and kitchen units for longer stays. While the old highway traffic eventually shifted over to Interstate 5, the motel hung on through the years, eventually joining a budget chain to keep welcoming drivers. Unfortunately, its vintage multi-colored roadside marquee didn't make the cut and was swapped out for modern chain signage.

UPDATE: The motel remains open along North Market Street under the name Value Inn & Suites, though its original vintage Motel 99 roadside marquee has been removed. 09-26

Pacific Motel (Gone)
Stockton, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Here's a rather nice looking sign for the Pacific Motel. This tall marquee once stood proud along North Wilson Way in Stockton, back when the busy avenue carried the combined rush of old U.S. 99 and U.S. 50 right through town.

Dating back to at least the 1940s, the low-slung, single-story court was built for classic highway travel, offering tired motorists drive-up rooms and handy kitchenettes. The eye-catching sign featured a big roadside pole frame with a swept neon arrow pointing travelers in, along with panels coaxing drivers to "Try Our Kitchenettes." While the old motor court itself managed to hang on through the decades to keep offering budget rooms, the great multi-tiered neon marquee was taken down somewhere between 2008 and 2013, replaced by a simple modern plastic box sign.

UPDATE: The Pacific Motel changed to the Pacific Express Inn along North Wilson Way, though its classic neon marquee was removed years ago and replaced with a modern box sign sometime after 2012. 09-26

Woodland Court Motel (Demolished)
Woodland, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

The Woodland Court features one of those signs that simply oozes character, from its sun-baked colors to the classic vintage lettering. Sitting along Main Street in Woodland, this stop caught travelers making their way up and down the Sacramento Valley along the old alignment of U.S. 99W.

Dating back to the 1950s or earlier, the roadside marquee originally sported a bright red coat of paint before decades of relentless Central Valley sunshine baked it into its weathered, nostalgic look. The little mid-century auto court eventually closed up and was cleared from the highway strip and the sign was taken down in 2012.

UPDATE: The Woodland Court Motel structures have been demolished along Main Street, but its sun-faded vintage marquee was saved in 2012 and lives on in a private sign collection. 09-26

Plaza Motel (Rem.)
West Sacramento, CA
Photo courtesy Kian Smith

Here's an old sign for the Plaza Motel along West Capitol Avenue in West Sacramento. Back when West Capitol was the pulsing corridor of U.S. 40 and U.S. 99W, this strip was packed with glowing neon welcoming travelers just before they crossed into the capital.

The Plaza offered weary motorists classic roadside lodging right along "Motel Row." Over the years, the property adapted to changing highway times by transitioning its rooms into extended-stay studio units with full refrigerators. Unfortunately, its towering mid-century neon pole marquee was lost to West Sacramento's strict sign amortization ordinances, which forced business owners to take down their legacy highway signs.

UPDATE: The motel marquee is history, part of the West Sacramento redevelopment that has taken place along West Capitol. Just about all of the old signs that used to make this area special for roadside fans is now gone. 08-12

UPDATE: The Plaza Motel remains open for business along West Capitol Avenue, though its classic neon marquee has been removed. 09-26

Welcome Grove Motel (Gone)
West Sacramento, CA
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Rolling along West Capitol Avenue toward the Tower Bridge, the Welcome Grove Motel was a true survivor from the earliest days of roadside travel. That great old marquee with its vintage BankAmericard placard anchored the spot right in the heyday of highway motoring.

Opened back in 1927 along the Lincoln Highway and U.S. 40, the Welcome Grove started out as an auto court that felt like its own self-contained roadside village, featuring a gas station, a small grocery, a restaurant, and a bar. It even had a quirky little cottage perched right on top of the main motel roof, and in the 1960s it famously served as a crash pad for touring rock bands like The Turtles.

UPDATE: The Welcome Grove Motel is now closed, and its classic roadside marquee was removed and replaced with a plastic sign box before the business finally shut down. I remember standing in this parking lot so many time. Sad it's gone. 09-26

Plymouth Court (Closed)
Santa Cruz, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Coming down into Santa Cruz, this weathered old sign pulls your eyes right over to the Plymouth Court. Before modern freeway upgrades and the construction of Highway 17 reshuffled the local landscape, Plymouth Street served as a primary gateway funneling motorists down out of the Santa Cruz Mountains from the Santa Clara Valley.

The marquee stands as a wonderful, faded relic of that classic motor court era, distinguished by its exposed neon glass tubing carefully tracing the letters of the dimensional "Court" panel. Back in its heyday, modest drive-up auto courts like this offered tired drivers a cozy place to unpack before heading down toward the beach and boardwalk.

UPDATE: The Plymouth Court is permanently closed for lodging, but its faded vintage pole sign continues to survive along Plymouth Street. 09-26