Wigwam Village Motel
Holbrook, AZ
Photo courtesy Dave & Debra van Hulsteyn

Ever get a chance to "sleep in a wigwam" while rolling down the Mother Road? Located along Hopi Drive in Holbrook, the Wigwam Village Motel remains one of the ultimate roadside treasures on Route 66.

Officially known as Wigwam Village #6, the motel was built by Arizona entrepreneur Chester E. Lewis, who purchased the design rights from Frank Redford and opened the property on June 1, 1950. The complex features 15 individual, 28-foot-tall concrete-and-steel teepee-shaped guest rooms arranged in a wide semi-circle around the main office. Complementing the classic architecture is a permanent collection of vintage 1950s and 1960s automobiles parked right out front—including Lewis's own Studebaker—making visitors feel like they just pulled off the highway in the golden age of American road trips.

Like many classic highway establishments, the motel closed for lodging in 1982 after Interstate 40 bypassed downtown Holbrook. Fortunately, the Lewis family repurchased and restored the property, reopening its doors in 1988 with a lobby museum filled with regional artifacts. The motel's iconic layout later served as the direct inspiration for the "Cozy Cone Motel" in the Pixar animated film Cars. Today, it stands as one of only three surviving authentic Wigwam Villages in the country, alongside locations in Rialto, California, and Cave City, Kentucky.

UPDATE: The Wigwam Village Motel #6 remains open and welcoming Route 66 travelers to Holbrook, standing in great condition as a proud member of the National Register of Historic Places. 08-26