Our Top 5 Neon Signs

#5: Village Inn Motel- Raton, NM

Starting the list at #5 is the Village Inn Motel in Raton, NM. The motel and its vintage mid-century sign are one of many that can be found along South 2nd Street in Raton. Right off I-25, a trip into town provides a wealth of vintage signs and motels.


#4: Henning Motel- Newbury Springs, CA

The weatherworn and lonely sign from the Henning Motel in Newberry Springs, CA is #4 on our Top 5 Neon Signs list. Nothing remains of the motel and information is virtually nonexistent, but we like to imagine that this sign must once have been a bright beacon for travelers along this desolate stretch of Route 66.


#3: Club 50 Cafe- Ely, NV

The #3 sign on our list is on the Lincoln Highway near Ely, NV. We can’t find any information about the former Club 50 Cafe, but love that the sign is shaped like a highway shield! We are sad to learn that since we took this picture in 2017, the sign has since been removed from its roadside location.


#2: Former Whiting Bros. Motel- Yucca, AZ

The #2 sign on our Top 5 Neon Signs list is the former Whiting Bros Motel sign in Yucca, AZ. While there is no longer a motel or pool, and sadly since we took this picture, no more “Pool” on the sign, this beauty along Route 66 still captures the eye of passers-by and is oft-photographed. This site was once home to a Whiting Bros motel and a gas station, and though the building was razed around 1997, this cool sign soldiers on decades later.


#1: Sun ‘n Sand Motel- Santa Rosa, NM

And our favorite neon sign found throughout our journeys is…the Sun ‘n Sand Motel in Santa Rosa, NM. Located on Route 66, the Sun ‘n Sand was built in the 1950s and is #1 on our Top 5 Neon Signs list. No longer open, its brightly colored Zia-inspired (the same symbol found on the New Mexico state flag) sign still stands and hopefully will continue to do so.


Honorable Mentions

Narrowing the list down to just five for our top neon signs list was a very difficult task! We’ve seen so many cool signs (and have many, many more yet so see) that sharing just five seems unfair, so we’ve compiled a list of our honorable mentions: Roy’s Motel and Café- Amboy, CA; Siesta Motel- Durango, CO; Curve Motel- Rocky Ford, CO; Saints and Sinners- Espanola, NM; Western Motel- Sayre, OK; Waylan’s Ku Ku Burger- Miami, OK; Sonrise Donuts- Springfield, IL; and First Atomic City- Arco, ID.

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