Palm Aire Motel (Rem.)
St. Petersburg, FL
Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack

Two great looking motel marquees (Palm Aire and Sandman) can be spotted along 34th Street N. in St. Petersburg, FL. Author Jack Kerouac spent his last years in a home not far from these motels with his wife and mother. His life "on the road" ended here in 1969 with an abdominal hemorrhage in large part due to his alcoholism. Many thanks to Steve/Back on Tack for info.

The property served the postwar travel corridor when independent motor courts competed for vacationers heading toward the Gulf beaches. The Palm Aire’s marquee gave the motel an identity beyond its rooms, using shape and color to distinguish it from neighboring accommodations. Even as its paint scheme changed, the underlying design remained recognizable.

UPDATE: The Palm Aire Motel remains open, but its original sign was removed after being heavily damaged in a traffic accident in 2022. A modern replacement now marks the property. The motel survives, although its most distinctive roadside feature is gone. 07-26

Sun-n-Sand Motel (Gone)
Perry, FL
Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack

One of the most visible motel marquee around is a large yellow boomerang pointing you into the parking lot of the Sun-n-Sand Motel. Ironically, there is no sand in the area. Many thanks to Steve/Back on Tack for info.

The motel served U.S. 19 travelers with the comforts once proudly listed on postcards, including tiled bathrooms and free television. Those details help place it in an era when an individual motel’s amenities mattered enough to advertise separately. The oversized sign supplied the memorable introduction, ensuring the Sun-n-Sand wasn’t easily confused with the next overnight stop.

UPDATE: The motel closed in 2007, and the property was adapted for small businesses. The towering sign survived with new wording advertising a used book mart. Its original lodging message is gone, but the unmistakable boomerang continues its roadside career. 07-26

Clayton's Motor Inn (Demolished)
Sebring, FL
Photo courtesy Dirk Burhans

Palm trees, a swimming pool, and a prominent Best Western sign gave Clayton’s Motor Inn a welcoming look along U.S. 27 in Sebring. The property didn’t need an elaborate theme to make its purpose clear. For motorists arriving after a long drive, the combination of lodging, food, and a pool offered a persuasive reason to stop.

Guests could eat at the restaurant, spend time in the Lion’s Paw Lounge, or cool off before continuing their trip. The Best Western affiliation supplied another recognizable feature for travelers choosing accommodations from the road. Clayton’s combined that network identity with the individual name and amenities of a locally distinctive motor inn.

UPDATE: Clayton’s Motor Inn has been demolished, and the property has been redeveloped. The buildings and familiar roadside advertisement no longer welcome U.S. 27 travelers. Photographs preserve the scene when the pool, palms, and motel sign formed part of Sebring’s highway landscape. 07-26

Blue Waters Motel (Gone)
Florida Keys, FL
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

The Blue Waters Motel marquee looked perfectly suited to the Florida Keys. Its blue colors and tropical styling suggested that time on the water was an important part of a stay here. After miles of bridges and open views along the Overseas Highway, the sign made an appropriate introduction to another island stop.

The property offered more than rooms. A marina accommodated boaters, a fish-cleaning area served returning anglers, and a waterfront pool gave guests another way to enjoy the setting. Those features made the motel useful as a base for fishing trips and longer vacations, rather than simply an overnight pause on the drive toward Key West.

UPDATE: The Blue Waters Motel has permanently closed, and its roadside marquee has been removed. The familiar name no longer greets Overseas Highway travelers. This photograph recalls the property when its sign advertised the easy combination of a room, a boat, and a few days near the water. 07-26

Royal Palm Motor Lodge (Gone)
West Palm Beach, FL
Photo courtesy Kevin O'Sullivan

The tall sign at Royal Palm Motor Lodge made a fitting introduction along South Dixie Highway in West Palm Beach. Framed by palm trees, the marquee reinforced the tropical promise of the name. It was a recognizable marker for motorists looking for a stop along U.S. 1.

A swimming pool and patio gave guests places to relax after arriving, while the lodge’s membership in the Superior Courts United referral network supplied an additional recommendation. Such affiliations helped travelers identify participating accommodations while individual properties retained their own names. The Royal Palm combined that recognizable endorsement with the setting and layout of a Florida motor lodge.

UPDATE: The Royal Palm no longer operates as a motel. Its original building was remodeled into a small retail and office center, giving the property another use along Dixie Highway. The roadside sign has been removed, ending the most visible connection to its lodging days. 07-26

Trails End (Gone)
Treasure Island, FL
Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack

This is probably one of the simplest designs of a motel along the beach area of St. Petersburg's coast. This one is called the Trails End. It also has one of the best names. With the palm tree and script lettering it has all the elements of an old Florida postcard. Many thanks to Steve/Back on Tack for info.

The motel offered the familiar pleasures of a smaller beach property: a swimming pool, barbecue grills, and a short walk to the sand. Those features suited families settling in for several days rather than moving from one hotel to another. The sign gave returning guests a recognizable landmark along a boulevard filled with competing accommodations.

UPDATE: The former Trails End was renovated and became the Treasure Island Ocean Club. Its original roadside sign has been removed, so the palm tree and flowing lettering no longer mark the entrance. The property’s lodging history continued under another identity, leaving the older name to photographs. 07-26

The Surf Motel (Demolished)
Treasure Island, FL
Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack

The sweeping script at The Surf Motel looked ready for a starring role in a 1950s beach movie. Across from the Swashbuckler on Treasure Island’s Gulf Boulevard, the property combined a distinctive sign with an entrance building accented by crisp white horizontal bars. There was plenty to appreciate before you even reached the beach.

The two-building motel belonged to Florida’s postwar vacation landscape, offering accommodations just steps from the Gulf of Mexico. Its modern styling extended beyond the exterior to the furnishings inside. The original mid-century interiors even attracted attention from Architectural Digest, giving this relatively small beach property a design distinction beyond its roadside appeal.

UPDATE: The Surf closed in 2004 and was later demolished. A newer resort occupies the site, and the script sign is gone. Photographs preserve the entrance details and lettering that once made this little motel stand apart along Gulf Boulevard. 07-26

Bilmar
Treasure Island, FL
Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack

The Bilmar Beach Resort stood above many of Treasure Island’s smaller motels, but its architecture still supplied details worth noticing. The building pictured here was only part of a larger collection of accommodations. Its geometric lines brought a touch of the streamlined beach-hotel look more often associated with Miami to Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Opened in the early 1960s, the Bilmar expanded as Treasure Island grew as a vacation destination. Additional rooms and beachfront dining helped turn it into a larger resort while retaining its close relationship with the sand and water. Its scale set it apart from neighboring motor courts, illustrating how the beachfront evolved beyond the smaller motels that first helped define Gulf Boulevard.

UPDATE: The Bilmar Beach Resort remains open following recovery from Hurricane Helene in 2024. The original roadside sign has been replaced, but the resort continues welcoming visitors to its longtime beachfront location. Another chapter carries on at one of Treasure Island’s familiar vacation properties. 07-26