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Thunderbird Lodge
Riverside, CA
Photo courtesy Tammy Carrasco

Here is a photo of the Thunderbird Lodge motel located in Riverside, CA. This beautiful sign is located in historic downtown Riverside. Many thanks to Tammy Carrasco for info.

Built in 1961, the 45-room motel offered accommodations near Riverside’s civic center and the Mission Inn. Its courtyard arrangement gave guests a place to pull off the street and settle in.

The Thunderbird is the feature to watch for after dark. A distinctive figure above the name helped separate this property from the next motel down the road, and gave nighttime photographers another reason to stop.

UPDATE: The Thunderbird Lodge remains in operation, with its courtyard layout and neon marquee retained. Its opening dates to 1961. 10-26

El Rio Motel
Glendale, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

Deep colors and flowing script make the El Rio Motel sign in Glendale worth a second look. The neon arrow adds a little movement to the roadside, pointing travelers toward a room along Colorado Street.

Opened in 1948, the motel used a single-story, U-shaped arrangement around a central courtyard. Guests could park close to their doors, following the familiar motor-court layout of the period.

The marquee supplied the personality out front. Its scripted name and animated arrow gave motorists something recognizable to watch for when returning after dark.

UPDATE: The El Rio Motel remains in operation at 1470 W. Colorado Street. Later improvements retained its older building profile and historic neon marquee, continuing a lodging history dating to 1948. 10-26

El Rey Motel
Fontana, CA
Photo courtesy David Carrasco

Traveling the Mother Road through Fontana, check out the crown above the El Rey Motel marquee. The name means “The King,” and the neon headwear gives this roadside stop a fitting introduction.

Opened in 1948, the motel served motorists and truck drivers traveling through the Inland Empire. Its single-story arrangement offered a straightforward place to pull in and rest before continuing along Route 66.

The tall sign helped advertise the entrance from Foothill Boulevard. There are rumored informal guest stories of televisions switching on to static in otherwise quiet rooms. These remain unverified tales rather than a documented haunting.

UPDATE: The El Rey Motel is reported to remain open at 16639 Foothill Boulevard, retaining its motor-court layout and crown-themed marquee. The property dates to 1948. 10-26

San Bernardino Motel
San Bernardino, CA
Photo courtesy David Carrasco

A small fin at the top gave the San Bernardino Motel sign a little Space Age flair. Along Foothill Boulevard, the otherwise modest marquee offered Route 66 motorists something distinctive to check out before reaching the driveway.

Completed in 1953, the motel used a low-slung, single-story layout for travelers entering the San Bernardino area. Its roadside sign did the advertising without the elaborate rockets and starbursts found at some later properties.

The fin was enough to add a touch of motion above the lettering, a small detail that helped make the old marquee memorable.

UPDATE: Word is the San Bernardino Motel at 2528 Foothill Boulevard closed and was demolished during the 2010s. 10-26

Saharan Motel (Gone)
Hollywood, CA
Photo courtesy Devil Doll

A tall neon marquee carries on the roadside tradition at the Saharan Motel's in Hollywood. Its flowing lettering stands above busy Sunset Boulevard, recalling the years when independent motor courts gave travelers plenty of colorful choices.

Built in 1957, the 62-room motel arranged its accommodations around a courtyard and swimming pool. Guests could stay near Hollywood’s attractions with a little space to relax behind the frontage.

Its later reputation included visits from traveling musicians. The supplied folklore mentions Room 114, where cold spots and faint guitar music have supposedly been noticed when the room was empty. Those stories remain unverified, though they suit the motel’s musical associations.

UPDATE: The Saharan underwent renovation in 2020 and continues operating at 7212 Sunset Boulevard. It's now the Sunset West Motel. 10-26

Heritage Motel (Closed)
Sherman Oaks, CA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

Along Ventura Boulevard in Sherman Oaks, the Heritage Motel once advertised rooms with a sweeping neon script sign. Its roadside lettering gave passing motorists a familiar invitation near the busy approach to the freeway.

Opened in 1952, the motel arranged its two-story accommodations around a central parking area, with exterior walkways leading to the rooms. It joined the Valley’s growing collection of post-war overnight stops.

Later changes removed the original neon and brought a different name to the frontage. The rooms continued in use, though the old Heritage greeting disappeared from the drive.

UPDATE the Sojourn Motel at 15485 Ventura Boulevard. Its original buildings reportedly survive beneath later updates, while the vintage script sign has been replaced. 10-26

Ranch Motel (Gone)
Garden Grove, CA
Photo courtesy Rene Carrasco

A neon horseshoe once topped the marquee at the Ranch Motel in Garden Grove. Mounted on two tall steel poles, the stepped sign carried the name above Garden Grove Boulevard, with a glowing vacancy panel letting motorists know when to pull in.

Established in the 1950s, the motel advertised a heated pool, coffee shop, and television. Vintage postcards promised “Five Minutes to Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm,” giving vacationing families a few reasons to consider an overnight stay.

The property later became the La Casa Motel. Its old sign continued into another era before a replacement changed the familiar roadside view.

UPDATE: The former Ranch Motel is at 8822 Garden Grove Boulevard, just west of Newland Street. Around 2022, its original neon sign and horseshoe crest were removed and reportedly scrapped, replaced by a rectangular backlit sign for La Casa Motel. 10-26

Astro Motel
San Bernardino, CA
Photo courtesy David Carrasco

A zigzag roofline gives the former Astro Motel in San Bernardino a look from the Space Age. Its tall sign and bold red-and-white lettering once greeted travelers along E Street, adding a little futuristic flair to an overnight stop downtown.

Opened in 1964, the motel stood at E Street and Rialto Avenue along the Alternate Route 66 alignment. The L-shaped buildings and sawtooth office roof reflected the years when even a modest motor court could look ready for takeoff.

This Astro escaped demolition, keeping its distinctive outline through decades of changes around downtown. The name and roadside branding eventually changed, but the angular roof remained a reminder of its earlier identity.

UPDATE: The former Astro Motel at 111 S. E Street was renamed Inland Inn & Suites in 2026 and remains in operation. 10-26