Royal Motel (Closed)
Norwalk, OH
Photo courtesy Mark Hackett

The Royal Motel in Norwalk, Ohio features a vintage roadside marquee topped by what almost looks like a cat climbing up the side of the sign. Whether that's really what it was meant to be or not, it certainly makes the sign memorable. 01-01

Located along Route 250, the Royal Motel was a small, 10-room mom-and-pop operation that welcomed travelers during the heyday of roadside tourism. The motel was owned by Oren "Red" and Reta Pigman beginning in 1974, and they operated it for many years before it eventually closed.

The motel is no longer in business, although it's not clear whether the unique marquee still survives. If it's gone, it's another creative roadside sign that has quietly disappeared from Ohio's highways.

UPDATE: The Royal Motel has permanently closed. It's not clear whether the distinctive sign remains standing today. 07-26

R&R Motel (Demolished)
Cambridge City, IN
Photo courtesy Emily Steele

The R&R Motel in Cambridge City, Indiana was one of those old U.S. 40 motels where you could grab a Coke, watch color TV, and settle in for the night. Whether that made for a good night's sleep is another story.

Originally built as Kinney's Motel during the postwar travel boom, the property later became the R&R Motel after traffic shifted away from old U.S. 40 with the arrival of Interstate 70. The sign kept many of its vintage touches, advertising amenities like color TV, air conditioning, and, of course, Coke.

The motel eventually closed and sat vacant for years before being demolished. Today, the site has been redeveloped, leaving only old photos to remember another small mom-and-pop motel that once served travelers along the National Road.

UPDATE: The R&R Motel has been demolished, and the property has since been redeveloped for new commercial use. 07-26

Brer Rabbit Motel (Removed)
Villa Park, IL
Photo courtesy Tony Craig

The Brer Rabbit Motel in Villa Park, Illinois once featured one of the more memorable motel signs around. The smiling rabbit perched on the marquee gave the place plenty of personality and made it hard to miss while driving down North Avenue.

Unfortunately, that great sign is no longer there. It was replaced with a plain box sign that simply displays the motel's name, a change that stripped away much of the property's roadside character. The motel itself remains in business, but one more creative piece of Americana has disappeared from the landscape.

UPDATE: This great sign is GONE.  As of a week ago, there's now a very plastic box that simply says the name of the place. Many thanks to Gary for update. 08-08

UPDATE: The motel is still operating today, but the original rabbit marquee has been replaced with a modern sign. 07-26

Old Orchard Motel (Closed)
Fremont, OH
Photo courtesy Mike Engle

The Old Orchard Motel in Fremont, Ohio featured one of the more unique motel signs around, with a stylized tree and an oversized star creating a marquee that was hard to miss. Built in 1948, the small mom-and-pop motel welcomed travelers along West State Street for decades.

The motel has since closed, but the sign still stands as a reminder of its roadside past. Unfortunately, parts of the neon have been damaged over the years, and some of the broken tubing can be found beneath the marquee. Even so, it's great to see such a distinctive sign still hanging on.

UPDATE: The motel is closed, but the original tree-and-star marquee still survives, although parts of the neon are broken. 07-26

Country Squire Motel (Gone)
Urbana, IL
Photo courtesy Don Gardner

The Country Squire Motel was located in Urbana, Illinois and featured a simple but memorable roadside sign that didn't need a lot of flash to catch the eye. Sometimes the simplest signs were the ones you remembered the most.

The motel once stood near the corner of East Washington Street and what is now Country Squire Drive. The motel is long gone today, and the property has been redeveloped into a residential neighborhood. The Country Squire name, however, lives on through the nearby street, providing one of the few reminders that a small mom-and-pop motel once welcomed travelers here.

UPDATE: The motel has disappeared, but its name survives through Country Squire Drive, which now runs through the neighborhood built on or near the former motel property. 07-26

Missouri River Inn
Rocheport, MO
Photo courtesy Dirk Burhans

The rooftop carriage at Missouri River Inn in Rocheport, Missouri, was quite a way to catch passing motorists’ attention. Complete with wheels, it gave the building an unusual finishing touch. You certainly wouldn’t confuse this place with a motel that settled for a plain rectangular sign.

Older water-service records identify the inn near Interstate 70, confirming its role as a lodging property. Beyond that, its opening date, ownership history, and the story behind the carriage remain elusive. It was a memorable bit of advertising, even if the details have proved harder to track down.

UPDATE: The current status of the inn and its rooftop carriage remains unconfirmed. Available records don’t establish whether the structure survives or when lodging operations ended. Anybody remember stopping here or know where that carriage went? 07-26

The Drake Motel
Springfield, OH
Photo courtesy Mark Hackett

The big marquee at Drake Motel gives Springfield, Ohio, a classic National Road landmark. Its distinctive lettering makes the property worth noticing before you reach the driveway. This is the kind of sign that helped give U.S. 40 its roadside personality.

Dating to around 1950, Drake welcomed motorists during the postwar travel boom. Around 2008, the marquee was repainted, but its neon tubing was removed. An identical sign once advertised another Drake Motel along U.S. 40 in Indianapolis, where the property was demolished around 2005.

UPDATE: Springfield’s Drake remains reported open, primarily serving extended stays. Its large sign survives without the original neon. With the Indianapolis counterpart gone, this marquee keeps a familiar design standing along the old highway, even if its evening glow has disappeared. 07-26