Most people into unusual roadside attractions know that one of America’s hot spots in Route 66. With nostalgia crammed around every turn, you never know what you’ll stumble across as you cruise down one of America’s most iconic highways. While researching our travel plans when we were headed from Arizona to Fresno, CA, I found that right along the path was the Wigam Motel (thanks to roadtrippers.com). A friend wound up taking my car overland that week, so our plans were for naught; however, we wound up playing several towns not too from San Bernardino (Los Angeles, Ontario and Anaheim), so on the Ontario to Anaheim jump, Tim and I hightailed it over to the Wigwam Motel.
I slept in a wigwam!!
They were very accommodating to our late night check in (we had a six pack – 6 shows in two days – that weekend) and we wound up getting out wigwam for about $65 for the night, which was more than we usually spend, but I had been rambling about these wigwams for weeks at this point.
Wigwam Motel – San Bernardino
Each wigwam is it’s own private room with a bathroom. We had a queen sized bed, two chairs, a little coffee table, a TV and a refrigerator in ours. It definitely looked like someone decorated it in the 1960s, but for me, that just added to the charm. It was a tidy and clean room, so I felt comfortable in it. The next day we walked around and looked at the teepees and then went for a swim in their pool (small, but good enough to kill an hour of time or lay out and work on a tan) before checking out. Because of our late check in the night before, we hadn’t actually gone in the little room that is the main office – and it turned out it was a little gift shop. So pretty much anything you may collect, they’ve got one with a wigwam on it. The guy in the office was the son of the owners and is definitely a unique dude to have a conversation with.
Newest acquisition…
If you’re into roadside Americana and are headed through San Bernardino, CA one night, I can’t recommend this place highly enough. I had a blast sleeping in a wigwam! There are also still Wigwam Motels in Holbrook, Arizona and Cave City, Kentucky.
To learn more about the Wigwam Motel, check out their website here.
