Orchid Key Inn
Key West, FL Photo courtesy Paul Bauke
Some motel signs become landmarks all by themselves, and this is one of them. Shaped like an oversized key, the sign outside Orchid Key Inn has been greeting visitors to Key West for generations. Even though the lettering has changed over the years, there's no mistaking the giant key standing at the corner of Duval Street and Truman Avenue. It seems like the perfect welcome to the Florida Keys, and it fits the island just about as well today as it did when it first went up. 01-05
The property opened in the 1950s as the Key Lodge Motel, welcoming travelers who had made the long drive down U.S. 1. In those days, independent motels were everywhere in Key West, each trying to catch the eye of motorists before someone else did. The giant key certainly accomplished that. It was simple, colorful, and memorable, exactly what a good roadside sign was supposed to be.
Orchid Key Inn
Key West, FL Photo courtesy Paul Bauke
When the property was extensively renovated in 2008, it became the Orchid Key Inn. Fortunately, the famous sign wasn't lost in the process. The original key-shaped frame was kept in place while the neon lettering was updated with the inn's new name. It's a nice example of a classic roadside sign adapting to the times without losing the character that made it special in the first place.
UPDATE: The Orchid Key Inn continues to welcome guests, and the landmark key-shaped sign still greets visitors along Duval Street. 07-26
Blue Marlin Motel
Key West, FL Photo courtesy Paul Bauke
You don't have to look very hard to find the Blue Marlin Motel. The roadside marquee, complete with its leaping blue marlin outlined in neon, is enough to grab your attention all by itself. Then you notice the oversized blue neon letters stretching across the office roof, making sure there's no doubt you've found the place. Together they create one of the more memorable motel displays in Key West. 01-09
Located in the Old Town section of the island, the Blue Marlin dates back to the 1950s, when independent motels lined the streets welcoming travelers who had finally reached the end of U.S. 1. It has all the features that made those old Florida motor lodges so appealing, a courtyard swimming pool, rooms gathered around the property, and plenty of neon to greet guests after dark. The marlin theme feels perfectly at home in Key West, where fishing has long been part of the local culture.
Blue Marlin Motel
Key West, FL Photo courtesy Paul Bauke
Best of all, the motel hasn't lost the look that made it stand out in the first place. The rooftop neon and the roadside marquee still work together to give the property plenty of personality. It's easy to imagine generations of vacationers spotting that glowing blue fish and deciding this was as good a place as any to spend a few nights in paradise.
UPDATE: The Blue Marlin Motel continues to welcome guests, and both of its classic neon signs still light up Old Town Key West. 07-26
Orchid Key Inn
Orchid Key Inn
Blue Marlin Motel
Blue Marlin Motel
