Yuma, Arizona - The Yuma Cabana Motel is a very well known location in Yuma due to the huge sign out front. The neon lettering and flashing lights are a can't miss destination for travelers to Yuma. 11-20
Yuma Cabana Motel
Yuma, Arizona Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Cruising down South 4th Avenue, it was hard to miss the Yuma Cabana Motel and its great big roadside sign. The name stretched across the middle in friendly script, with “Motel” running down the side and a big arrow pointing travelers toward the entrance. It was exactly the kind of sign that could bring a roadside photographer to a quick stop.
The Yuma Cabana opened in 1965 at 2151 South 4th Avenue, right in the middle of Yuma’s busy motel strip. Nearby places such as the El Rancho and Hacienda made this part of town a fine stretch for anyone interested in old motor courts, swimming pools, and colorful neon signs.
Yuma Cabana Motel
Yuma, Arizona Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The motel followed the familiar mid-century roadside plan, with low-rise buildings, exterior room entrances, and parking close to the doors. After a long, hot drive through the desert, a room with air conditioning and a swimming pool out front probably sounded pretty good.
Seeing the sign back in 1998 was amazing and an inspiration for taking over a million photos of the roadside across the country later.
Yuma Cabana at night
Yuma, AZ Photo courtesy Bill Herzog
The Yuma Cabana Motel still illuminates its huge neon sign along the main strip in Yuma. 12-06
This motel also brings back some great memories from when RoadsidePeek was first getting started. I still remember traveling down the main drag and seeing the Yuma Cabana and that wonderful sign for the first time. The website was still fairly new when Casey, the motel manager, discovered RoadsidePeek.com and sent me an email inviting me to stop by for a visit.
I remember being contacted by the owner of the Yuma Cabana back when the web was somewhat newer and corresponding about his business. In corresponding with Casey Crawford, it was evident that this family run business took great pride at providing a nice accommodation in Yuma and a nice alternative to the chain motels.
Yuma Cabana Motel
Yuma, Arizona Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Those were the days before cell phone cameras and social media, when photographing an old motel still felt a little raw. Pulling over with a camera usually attracted attention. Motel owners, employees, and passing motorists often wondered why anyone would be taking pictures of a sign or an aging roadside building. Sometimes people were friendly. Sometimes they were suspicious. You never quite knew what kind of conversation was about to begin.
That uncertainty was part of the adventure. There were no instant posts, location tags, or crowds lining up to photograph the same sign. You found these places by driving through town, looking down side streets, and keeping an eye out for something interesting rising above the rooftops. An unexpected email from a motel manager who had found the new website felt like a pretty big deal.
Yuma Cabana Motel at night
Yuma, Arizona Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
The Yuma Cabana eventually gave up its independent name and became an Econo Lodge. The original motel buildings and courtyard arrangement survived the change, but the old roadside personality gradually disappeared beneath the modern franchise identity. The vintage Yuma Cabana sign was removed and replaced with standard corporate panels.
The motel first opened its doors back in 1965 and is located at 2151 S. 4th Avenue.
Yuma Cabana Motel neon close up
Yuma, Arizona Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
UPDATE: The former Yuma Cabana Motel remains open as an Econo Lodge, although the name and original sign are gone. The surviving motel still recalls the days when South 4th Avenue was lined with independent motor courts competing for the attention of passing travelers. For RoadsidePeek, the Yuma Cabana will always bring back those early road trips, a newly launched website, a camera that made people wonder, and an unexpected invitation from Casey to come take a closer look. Good times and good memories. 08-26
Today the Yuma Motel is gone. Well the motel is still there and a version of the large sign still stands. However the location is now home to an Econo Lodge Inn & Suites. So while I have nothing against Econo Lodge motels, yet another remnant of roadside americana has now left the roadside.
Yuma Cabana Motel
Yuma Cabana Motel
Yuma Cabana at night
Yuma Cabana Motel
Yuma Cabana Motel at night
Yuma Cabana Motel neon close up
