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Beverly Motel (Rem.)
Mobile, AL
Photo courtesy Phil Proctor

The neon diving woman above Beverly Motel made a memorable advertisement along Government Boulevard. Suspended over the marquee, she suggested a swimming pool and a refreshing stop for motorists following U.S. 90 through Mobile. 04-06

The figure became the property's defining roadside feature, recognizable even to people who never booked a room. Diving-woman signs were particularly effective motel advertisements because the image communicated an amenity without requiring much reading. The Beverly's display also carried a family connection: its design was based on a sketch of the owners' daughter, Beverly.

UPDATE: The motel remains, but its famous diver was removed in 2022. Fortunately, the figure survived and was placed on display at Flounder's Chowder House in Pensacola Beach in 2023. Mobile lost the landmark, but the diving woman found another waterfront setting rather than disappearing altogether. 11-26

Skylit Motel (Gone)
Winchester, KY
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

The roadside sign at Skylit Motel once invited motorists along U.S. 60 to stop on Winchester's west side. It marked a compact overnight property from the years when an independent motor court and a recognizable marquee were familiar sights on Kentucky highways. 10-05

The motel advertised twenty-eight rooms, automatic heat, tile bathrooms, and Simmons furniture. A AAA recommendation provided another selling point for travelers choosing accommodations from the road. Those details offer a useful glimpse of what owners considered worth promoting before today's standardized hotel amenities became common.

UPDATE: Skylit Motel has been converted into apartments, ending its role as an overnight stop. The vintage roadside sign has been removed, taking away its most visible commercial identity. The property found another residential purpose even though the motel name disappeared from the highway. 11-26

Wind Mill Motel (Gone)
Nicholasville, KY
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Different generations of lettering shared the marquee at Wind Mill Motel and Restaurant near Nicholasville. A newer rectangular panel sat above the faded older display, showing how the property updated its advertising while retaining parts of the original sign. 10-05

Operating by around 1940, the business offered travelers along U.S. 27 more than overnight rooms. Vintage advertising promoted a restaurant and Standard Oil products, allowing motorists to eat, refuel, and stay at one property. A swimming pool later added another attraction to the roadside complex south of Lexington.

UPDATE: Wind Mill Motel has closed, and its marquee has been removed. The property is now associated with Windmill Mobile Home Park, preserving the name through a different residential use. The combined motel, restaurant, and service-station stop is no longer part of the highway scene. 11-26

Laurel Lodge Motel (Gone)
London, KY
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

The marquee at Laurel Lodge Motel announced a hilltop overnight stop north of London along U.S. 25. Its elevated setting offered a quieter-looking alternative to properties crowded directly against the highway, while the sign kept the business visible to passing motorists. 10-05

The lodge paired rooms with a restaurant, giving travelers a convenient place for dinner before settling in. Advertising emphasized tile bathrooms, automatic heat, and Simmons Beautyrest mattresses. These named comforts helped reassure motorists choosing an unfamiliar independent motel during southeastern Kentucky's busy highway-travel years.

UPDATE: Laurel Lodge Motel has long since closed. Its former combination of hilltop lodging and roadside dining belongs to an earlier chapter of U.S. 25 travel, before Interstate 75 became the main route through the area. The old marquee records a stop once built around that passing trade. 11-26

Sunset Motel
Lexington, KY
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

The rooftop lettering at Sunset Motel gives travelers on U.S. 25 north of Lexington a recognizable glimpse of an older motor court. Low buildings and parking near the rooms complete the familiar roadside arrangement, with the name displayed prominently above the roof. 10-05

The property also retained a restaurant building, which gained a new following when Red State BBQ opened in 2010. That combination brought another reason to turn off Georgetown Road, joining an established lodging property with a newer independent restaurant. The setting preserved the practical pairing of food and overnight accommodations.

UPDATE: Sunset Motel appears to remain open, with its rooftop lettering and roadside marquee still identifying the property. Red State BBQ continues the site's dining tradition. Together, the businesses keep this stretch of the old highway connected to the familiar meal-and-a-room roadside stop. 11-26

The Kimball Moore Motel (Gone)
Lexington, KY
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Rust and peeling paint had overtaken the Kimball Moore Motel marquee, but the weathered display still attracted attention. Its surviving framework preserved the name of a Lexington lodging business after much of the sign's original finish had faded away. 10-05

The property belonged to the independent motor courts that served travelers before interstate-oriented chain hotels became dominant. Its marquee supplied an individual identity beside the road, helping distinguish the motel from other accommodations. In its later condition, the aging advertisement became the most memorable reminder of the business.

UPDATE: Kimball Moore Motel has long since closed, and its vintage roadside sign is gone. The faded marquee survives in photographs, recording another of Lexington's lost independent lodging names. Its disappearance removed one more distinctive advertisement from the city's older highway landscape. 11-26