Checked one off "The Bucket List - Tee Pee Motel"

Talking with a co-worker the other day and I had mentioned that I had always wanted to stay at a tee-pee motel. (Back in the late 60's we traveled Route 66 at least once a year to visit family and of course my Dad would drive right on past) So the co-worker says "You know they have some of those over in Wharton, Texas. A guy won the lottery and bought them and refurbished them". So, off Tanya and I went in the Fruck. We stopped at several antique shops on the way (missing Denise and Megan). Tanya scored a license plate for her truck and some sprayers that she transforms into dragonfly's (Denise started it).



While we were waiting to get a price on the bug sprayers, I look down and there is a Moon tag topper. I'm all over it!



But wait, there's more - it had been made into a belt buckle. Only in Texas! Ha!



Anyway we finally make it to check out and the guy introduced himself. Said the Moon tag was a promotionally thing in 1954 - if you bought so much equipement, you got the tag and that he had carefully made it into a belt buckle so as not to damage it. So, do you still have any old equipment????? Yes, bits and pieces. Said he drove a 31 Roadster in highschool with a flathead and then he got into FED's. Said he had a bunch of gears left over from some quick change rear ends. Anyway he is coming over this week. Says he would like to build one more hot rod - too cool!

Ok back to the motel. Tanya didn't know where we were going (it was a surprise). She looked like a kid at Christmas when she saw this.



Pic of original tee pee's built in 1942



Tee Pee's with snow - this is south Texas!!



And now. Exterior looked really nice but Tanya and I thought the originals looked better with the tribal markings.



Note the RV spots now available in the back!



Inside was a little disappointing. Carpet and matresses needed to be replaced, it could have been cleaner, and the popcorn texure walls and ceiling screamed 1970's. But if you can live past that, it was fun. I think it would be a fun reliability run!
Rooms were $67.00 with tax included.





I really liked the transformed telephone poles and since I have one in my yard it got me to thinking???



Here is a link, if anyone is interested.

http://www.teepeemotel.net/about.html

 

How was the parking lot party !

 

Would have been more fun with you and Robert! I don't think we would get away with the stuff we did at the Good Hotel! They had camera's everywhere!!

 

I would have love to go on that road trip with you girls. Would have been a blast! Thanks for sharing your adventure. Hi to Tanya from me please.

 

WHEN LIVING IN LA I BLASTED BY THOSE SUCKERS TOO. THE ONES ON OLD 66.
FINALLY I HAD ENOUGH & STAYED. THEY WERE LIKE THE 70s ALSO. BECAUSE IT WAS. ENJOYED THOUGH.

 

Fun! Wish we would have been along as well! I'm overdue for some antique shopping. Next year I wanna come to the LSRU 2 days early just to go shopping enroute!

 

the "wigwam" is still open in holbrook,az

 

Very cool you got to check an item off the old "bucket list". Have drove by the Wigwam in AZ myself many times and it was always way to early to stop for the night. Wishing now I would have said screw it and stayed the night.

 

Add to bucket list, ''check''

 

Now you can add the Shady Dell to your list. Stayed there last weekend, great times had by all!
Look up their site, pics from our trip there on the HAMB somewheres

 

That is so cool, we are gonna have to get over there and enjoy it to. THANKS for telling and sharing the story and pictures!

 

Very Cool!!!

 

I remember the Tee Pee motel from high school. It was a little less than reputable back then. Now I want to go back.

 

we have a motel by us in holbrook. going to stay there as soon as I get the van runnin again.

 

The Wig-Wam in San Bernardino looks like crap. If you are into hookers and crack, It looks like the place to go..

When I was a kid, I remember the Wig-Wam. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen. Things change.. Times change.. Not always for the better..

 

They still have the wig-wam villiage in cave city, ky. just outside Mammoth Cave Natl Park on old US31 bout a mile off of I-65. less than an hour from louisville, ky

 

The Wig-Wam Village #2 in Cave City is, I think, one of only two left....the other one is out west! Anyone else catch that they paid homage to them in Pixar's CARS but they were traffic cones instead!!!!

 

Not a wigwam or teepee style, but the El Rancho im Gallup NM is baddass too. Even if you don't stay, it has a cool bar and neat western motif thing going on. Folks like John Wayne, etc, stayed there back in the day.

http://www.elranchohotel.com/

 

Hit the Hollbrook Wig Wam a few years back...closed for refurb at the time but still pretty cool. The owner had placed a few vintage rides in the court to set the period tone...

 

There are three remaining Wigwam Motels of the original seven; KY., AZ., & CA. I've stayed at the ones in Holbrook & San Bernardino. I'd recommend both of those. The one in San Bernardino has been bought and cleaned up by the Patels. Good people. They put that one back on the map. Very clean. Got for it.
What's cool about the Holbrook location is that they are still using the same fifties furniture. A really cool experience. That and the cool old cars parked in front of each building make it one of those places to add to your bucket list.

 

My sister and her husband stayed at the Wigwam last year on their trip over from England. She got me a shirt and loved it. Pretty neat stuff.