Bayberry Motel (Gone)
Dennisport, MA
Photo courtesy Alan Culley

The neon is glowing nicely at the Bayberry Motel along Route 28 on Cape Cod. The old roadside sign has plenty of character, with Bayberry spelled out in neon and the little Country Store panel underneath. Definitely the kind of sign that made it easy to spot your motel after dark. 01-08

The Bayberry was one of the many small family motels that popped up along Route 28 during the Cape's postwar vacation boom. Along with the motel rooms, there was also a country store selling the usual Cape Cod souvenirs and vacation necessities.

Though often listed with nearby Dennisport, the Bayberry was actually just across the town line in South Harwich at Old County Road and Route 28.

UPDATE: The Bayberry Motel has since closed, and the old neon roadside sign has been removed. The motel property remains, though it is no longer operating as the Bayberry. 08-26

Forum Motor Inn
Ocean City, NJ
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

Another motel sitting close to the boardwalk, the Forum Motor Inn has been welcoming Ocean City vacationers since 1963. The rooftop marquee is the real eye catcher here, with its big Roman columns and “The Forum” glowing in neon above Atlantic Avenue. It looks especially good after dark when the whole thing lights up for business.

The Forum was built by the Filippo family and has remained family owned for more than 60 years. The motel still has its classic two-story layout surrounding the swimming pool, and the boardwalk is only a couple blocks away.

UPDATE: The Forum is still open, and that great rooftop marquee is still there lighting up the Ocean City night. 08-26

Sea Breeze Motel (Rem.)
Ocean City, MD
Photo courtesy Matthias Tippner

Check out the red and blue neon lettering for the Sea Breeze Motel in Ocean City. Sitting along Baltimore Avenue, this is another one of those motel signs that catches your eye while cruising around the older part of town. Nothing too fancy here, just bright neon letters doing exactly what roadside neon was supposed to do. 12-06

The Sea Breeze dates back to Ocean City's mid-century motel era and sits at 2nd Street, only about a block from the Boardwalk and beach. The motel has the familiar exterior-corridor setup with a small pool tucked into the property, making it very much a traditional shore motor inn.

The motel is still around today, now operating as the Sea Breeze Inn. The old roadside sign frame also survives, although the neon setup seen here has been altered over the years.

UPDATE: The Sea Breeze continues to operate in downtown Ocean City, but the marquee no longer has the same red and blue neon look captured in this photo. 08-26

Keller's Motel (Gone)
Danville, PA
Photo courtesy Alan Culley

Here’s another old Route 11 neon stop, the Keller's Motel in Danville. The roadside sign is a real eye-catcher, with the Keller’s name glowing in script above the simple MOTEL lettering. Nothing fancy, just a good old independent motel sign doing its job along the highway. 01-08

Keller’s was one of the small motor courts that lined Montour Boulevard during the heyday of roadside travel between Danville and Bloomsburg. The place had about ten drive-up units, along with a manager’s apartment, making it a pretty typical mom-and-pop setup for the era. Later on, the property operated as Winn’s Motel and shifted more toward long-term rentals rather than overnight travelers.

UPDATE: Keller’s Motel is no longer operating, and the old neon sign has been removed. The property has since been used for other purposes, including self-storage. 08-26

Ellsworth Motel (Gone)
Ellsworth, ME
Photo courtesy Alan Culley

Here’s a good old Maine roadside sign, marking the Ellsworth Motel along busy High Street in Ellsworth. The big marquee gets right to the point with the town name and MOTEL underneath, just the thing to catch your eye after a long day heading toward Bar Harbor and Acadia. 01-08

The motel was a small 16-room mom-and-pop place along the Route 1 and Route 3 corridor, one of the main roads carrying vacation traffic through Ellsworth. An interesting twist here is that the motel property was tied to the old Burrill House, giving this roadside stop a little more history than the usual motor court.

For years, places like this were part of the last stretch of the drive before reaching Mount Desert Island, with plenty of motel signs competing for attention along the way.

UPDATE: The Ellsworth Motel has closed and the old roadside marquee has been removed. The historic main building remains standing, but the motel no longer welcomes overnight travelers. 08-26

Homestead Motel
Ellsworth, ME
Photo courtesy Alan Culley

Ellsworth, ME is home to the Homestead Motel and its eye-catching roadside marquee. Check out the fully lit sign seen here in this night photo as it welcomes motorists traveling through the Downeast region. 01-08

Located along Bucksport Road, this classic lodging compound has long served as a welcoming base camp for travelers, road-trippers, and vacationers heading toward Acadia National Park and Mount Desert Island. The property stands out for its charming hybrid layout, pairing a traditional mid-century single-story motor court with standalone rustic guest cabins, all anchored by an authentic historic 1810 Colonial Maine house that functions as the main office. Surrounded by tree-lined grounds and classic Adirondack chair-lined porches, the stop offered a peaceful oasis right off the roadway. Out front, the freestanding roadside sign served as a bright beacon, glowing into the evening sky to pull passing drivers in for the night.

UPDATE: The Homestead Motel and Cottages remains open and welcoming guests in Ellsworth, preserving its vintage roadside charm and cabin accommodations, with its classic freestanding sign still greeting travelers along Bucksport Road. 08-26

Lamplighter Motor Lodge (Gone)
Dennisport, MA
Photo courtesy Alan Culley

Here’s an eye-catching look at the Lamplighter Motor Lodge marquee in Dennisport. With its big lantern-shaped panel, script lettering, and plenty of neon tubing, this one must have really stood out along Route 28 after dark. 01-08

The Lamplighter appears to date back to the 1950s and was a good-sized Cape Cod motor lodge with 22 units plus an owner-manager’s apartment. By the time this sign was photographed, places like this were already becoming harder to find along the Cape’s old motel strips.

UPDATE: The Lamplighter name is gone. By 2014, the neon had been stripped from the old sign and the panels changed for the Oceanside Motel. The property has since changed names again and is now operating as the Dennis Port Surf Club. 08-26

The Lincoln Motel (Closed)
Bensalem, PA
Photo courtesy Jim Zahniser

Check out the glow of the neon at The Lincoln Motel along the old Lincoln Highway in Bensalem. The marquee even features a portrait of Honest Abe himself, just in case there was any doubt where the name came from. 01-08

The Lincoln was more than just another roadside motel. Over the years it became known for some pretty wild themed rooms, including a Space Room and Hawaiian Honeymoon Suite, along with round beds, mirrors, waterbeds, and in-room Jacuzzis. Definitely not your average Route 1 overnight stop.

The motel also made the news after a fatal fire in 2016. Years later, the case was featured on the A&E series Murder at the Motel in 2025.

UPDATE: The Lincoln Motel, later advertised as the Lincoln Hotel Philadelphia, has closed. The current fate of the old Abraham Lincoln neon marquee is uncertain. 08-26