We have a fondness for authentic old places and businesses. Places and businesses that have survived the years while still retaining their original look, signage and charm. Places that give you that feeling of stepping into the past somehow, either by their look, genuine friendly service, items they offer or a combination of those and other intangibles.
There are no hard and fast rules here at Retro Roadmap, but below are just some of the types of places we would consider to be “Retro Roadmap-worthy”.
– Original tiki and polynesian pop restaurants and bars
– Vintage diners, restaurants, lunch counters, roadside stands
– Vintage clothing, decor and shopping
– Classic cocktail lounges and cool dive bars
– Hot rods and vintage cars events
– Old time amusement parks, piers and boardwalks
– Mom and pop motels, hotels, businesses
– Drive in movie theaters
– Downtown shopping areas
– Mid century modern architecture
– Classic movie theaters
– Rockabilly, lounge, garage, exotica music
– Neon and cool old signs
– Vintage vacation and retro road trip destinations
– Events celebrating any or all of the above
And anything else wonderful and fun from the past!
Contact us if you have anything you want to spread the word about!
WOW!!!! Super cool blog you have… I do one about vintage signs… http://www.oldsignsareneat.wordpress.com
~Tammy
Tammy- thanks for the kind words – you’ve got a cool blog as well! Old signs are neat, indeed!
Thanks, Betty. I’m just starting out in the blogging world. That motel sign is cool, huh? I generally stay there if I’m headed south. I never seem to get out of my house before 4pm, and it’s about right, 100 miles.
Tom – welcome to the blogging world- it can be a lot of fun! I’m glad to hear that the motor court is a place you’ve stayed, so it’s traveler friendly. I’ll add it to the Retro Roadmap on your recommendation- and add Blue Highways to my blogroll! Thanks for swinging by the Retro Roadmap, and feel free to drop a line or comment if you come across other Retro Roadmap-worthy places!
Next time you are in SE Louisiana, you have to check out a little place north of Baton Rouge. It’s called Teddy’s Juke Joint. It’s a blues club that the owner made out of the 80 year old shotgun house his grandmom built.
Even better, it’s located on a bypassed section of US 61, the blues highway.
http://www.teddysjukejoint.com to see what it’s all about.
[…] What is Retro Roadmap-worthy? […]
Have you ever been to Cruiser’s Cafe in Mt. Pleasatn Mills, PA? http://www.cruisers-cafe.com I think you would enjoy it!
One of the more quaint yet unsettling retro-creations is the miniature world of Roadside America near Shartlesburg, Pennsylvania. It’s basically a series of miniature towns from different eras that occupy thousands of square feet. It was the obsession of one man and his family. The “modern” section of the exhibit, done in the 1950s, even has a perfect model Esso service station with gas selling at 23.5 cents a gallon. See: http://www.interestingamerica.com/2010-11-03_Roadside_America_PA_Grigonis.html
Richard – glad someone else feels the way I do about Roadside America! I only visited it for the first time this past year but it’s definitely in my top 10:
http://retroroadmap.com/2010/05/11/roadside-america-shartlesville-pa-my-favorite-vintage-attraction/
Howdy! I live in Alabama but am from a little desert town in the Mojave Desert, 29 Palms, Ca. Anyway, there is a old town off historic Route 66 about an hour from there called Amboy. Took my husband there a few years ago, it has a Crater you can hike to and all kinds of neat stuff, just a cool place to stop off at heres the website, hope you enjoy:) http://www.rt66roys.com/
Korie – thanks for the link! Route 66 as you can imagine, is another RetroRoadmap roadtrip waiting to happen! In the meantime, are there any RetroRoadmap worthy places in your neck of the woods in Alabama? We’ll be driving through there on our way to South By South West in Austin TX next month and I don’t have anyplace on the official RetroRoadmap for Alabama, if you have any suggestions I’ll gladly put a pin in our map! Thanks for swinging by the RetroRoadmap!!
Absolutely love your site! I remember all the road trips I took as a kid, sitting in the “cage” of my parent’s early 70’s station wagon, watching the world go by kind of backwards. I still love road trips to this day but now as an architectural historian I look at things a little different. So thanks for the great site and all the fun things to go see and experience! I’ve got a station wagon of my own now, I’ve got room for 4 more, let’s go!
Catherine – I call “shotgun” on the front seat! Glad you found RetroRoadmap and hope it helps you plan some fun road trips! We never went on trips when I was growing up, so I think I’m making up for it :-)
Hi ModBetty,
Lara and I are going to this place in Berkeley Springs, WV. They have “an original 1958 Wurlitzer Jukebox loaded with songs”.
http://www.vrbo.com/130653
Chiristian- you will havevto let me know how it is. Have fun!
Hi Mod Betty!
Just stumbled upon your website and love it! I am an artist that creates oil paintings of my surroundings. Check my website out
http://www.isabelforbes.com/
and you’ll see my love for great signs, diners and good ol americana! The Skillet, Simple Simons, Krispy Kreme and as yet to paint Sugar & Spice, and the Beacon… all in Spartanburg, SC. I’ll be using your website to travel to new places to paint!
Isabel – thanks for swinging by Retro Roadmap! Your paintings are so full of color and life, and I’m honored and thrilled to know that you might be inspired to paint someplace you’ve seen on Retro Roadmap. Do drop a line when that happens so we can be sure to share the news with the other Retro Roadmap readers!
Thanks Mod Betty,
If you are ever near Spartanburg, SC I’d love to give you a personal tour of the wonderful retro diners in our town. We have an incredibly talented group of writers/publishers here, Hub City Writers Project, who have created some great books about our town. “For Here Or To Go” is one about our Drive-Ins, Drive-Thrus and Diners. Take a peek at it on their website
http://hubcity.org/press/catalog/history/for-here-or-to-go/
I’ll definitely drop you a line when I create a painting inspired by Retro Roadmap. Safe travels!
Isabel – I will make sure to let you know if we’re ever in the Spartanburg SC area – sounds like a visit I could not refuse! Thanks so much for the link to the book too – very cool idea.
Stay cool and keep painting!
Hi Mod Betty,
I was thinking about doing a blog post about your Maps feature. If that’s OK with you, can you email me and I’ll follow up?
thanks!