Western Holiday Motel
Wichita, KS
Photo courtesy Matt Bamberg

Looking for a friendly cowboy on a motel marquee? Check out the Western Holiday Motel in Wichita, Kansas. The winking, hat-tipping figure and neon lariat give motorists along Kellogg Drive a Western welcome, with a little Las Vegas-style flair thrown in.

Opened in the 1950s along U.S. 54, the motel served travelers approaching Wichita from the west. Its low-slung rooms offered a convenient overnight stop near the airport, while the tall sign helped advertise the driveway from the highway.

The cowboy is the detail to check out. His yellow neon rope frames the motel name, giving the marquee more personality than a plain vacancy panel. Apparently a friendly face could help persuade weary travelers to hang up their hats for the night.

UPDATE: The Western Holiday Motel remains an independent, 42-room lodging property at 8925 W. Kellogg Drive. The vintage cowboy marquee survives and remains illuminated. 10-26

Chelsea Motel
Chelsea, OK
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

The weathered Chelsea Motel sign still watches over Route 66, long after the last guests checked out. Built between 1936 and 1939 as Chelsea Court, the six-unit motel received its distinctive neon sign in 1947. The arrow, vacancy panel and air-conditioning advertisement offered motorists a straightforward invitation to stop. 09-08

The motel closed in 1976, but its buildings and sign survived. Rust, faded paint and broken neon have since given the marquee a different kind of roadside appeal. The property joined the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.

UPDATE: The privately owned motel remains closed to guests. Its buildings and 1947 sign still stand, preserving a small piece of the Mother Road’s early lodging history. 06-26

America's Value Inn
Tulsa, OK
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

You couldn't miss America's Value Inn while cruising Route 66 through Tulsa. The motel's tall roadside sign stood well above the traffic, but the real eye-catcher was the atomic starburst on top. It always made me wonder what the original sign looked like before it was covered with the plastic-faced panels that replaced the old neon.

The property originally opened in 1959 as the Saratoga Motor Hotel during Route 66's heyday, when Tulsa's East 11th Street was lined with motor courts competing for travelers. Its Googie-style sign reflected the era, using bold angles and a large starburst to grab the attention of passing motorists.

Years later, the motel became America's Value Inn. While the original neon disappeared, the sign's distinctive steel frame and starburst survived, giving a small glimpse of its mid-century past. 08-17

Brookshire Motel (Demolished)
Tulsa, OK
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Brookshire Motel had one of those classic Route 66 signs that was hard to drive past without taking a second look. By the time I photographed it, the neon had been dark for years, but you could still imagine the "No Vacancy" lettering flashing on and off back when the motel welcomed travelers along Tulsa's busy stretch of the Mother Road.

The motel dates to 1950, when Cecil and Gusetta Brooks purchased the property and gave it a name inspired by their family. Like many independent motels lining East 11th Street, it catered to the steady stream of motorists traveling Route 66 during the postwar years. Even after 11th Street was widened in 1955, forcing the demolition of several motel units, the Brookshire continued serving travelers for decades.

UPDATE: The motel closed around 2010 and sat vacant before a series of fires severely damaged the property beginning in 2019. The buildings were demolished in 2020, and the historic sign had already been dismantled and sold off piece by piece the year before. Today the site is a vacant lot, and another classic Route 66 motel sign has disappeared. 06-26

Crystal Motel
Tulsa, OK
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Here's a simple but cool sign for the Crystal Motel on Tulsa's stretch of historic Route 66. It may not be the flashiest motel sign around, but it has managed to survive while so many others along the Mother Road have disappeared.

The motel originally opened in 1953 as the Frontier Motel, welcoming travelers arriving from nearby U.S. 66 and the Turner Turnpike. Like many motels of the era, it advertised modern conveniences such as free television, a coffee shop, and family rates. Out front, a grassy lawn now occupies the space where a swimming pool once gave road-weary guests a place to cool off.

The original roadside sign was much larger than the one standing today, but the current marquee still carries on the property's roadside tradition. It's another reminder that even modest motel signs can become familiar landmarks for generations of Route 66 travelers.

UPDATE: The motel remains open as an independently operated budget property. While the original Frontier Motel sign has been replaced, the current roadside marquee continues to greet travelers along Tulsa's historic Route 66. 06-26

Western Inn
Tulsa, OK
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Another of the roadside motels found along Route 66 in Tulsa, the Western Inn continues to welcome tired travelers. The current sign is simple enough, but years ago this property was home to one of the more memorable motel signs on this stretch of the Mother Road.

The motel opened in 1955 as the Flamingo Motel, one of several similarly named motels scattered across the Midwest. Like many new motor courts of the era, it offered amenities that were considered modern luxuries at the time, including air conditioning, televisions, telephones, and later, a swimming pool.

Unfortunately, the motel's original neon flamingo sign didn't survive. It was destroyed during a windstorm in 1987 and replaced with the much simpler sign that stands today. Even so, the original motel buildings remain, making the Western Inn one of the surviving reminders of Tulsa's busy Route 66 motel era.

UPDATE: The Western Inn remains open as an independently operated motel. Although the original flamingo sign and swimming pool are gone, the 1955 motel buildings are still standing and continue serving travelers along historic Route 66. 06-26

Skyliner Motel
Stroud, OK
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

The Skyliner Motel marquee still stands tall along Route 66 in Stroud. With its turquoise and red neon reaching into the Oklahoma sky, it's one of those classic roadside signs that immediately tells you you're on the Mother Road.

The motel originally opened in 1959, welcoming travelers with modern conveniences like air conditioning, televisions, and telephones in every room. After years of decline, the small 10-room property eventually closed and sat vacant, its once-bright sign fading into memory.

That story took a remarkable turn in 2025, when two Stroud firefighters purchased the abandoned motel and completely rebuilt it from the ground up. The restoration included the iconic neon marquee, which was carefully brought back to life with its original colors and "No Vacancy" sign. The motel officially reopened on January 1, 2026, just in time for Route 66's Centennial celebration, becoming one of the centerpieces of Stroud's impressive "Neon on Main" revitalization project.

UPDATE: The Skyliner Motel is once again welcoming guests as a fully restored boutique motel. Its beautifully restored neon sign lights up Route 66 every night, making it one of Oklahoma's newest roadside success stories. 06-26