Spending the night at your average, run-of-the-mill motel can be an overrated and unfriendly experience to the road tested traveler. You find out quickly that four walls, flower curtains, free HBO and a shitty continental breakfast get pretty stale after a while.
So, where's the thrill in spending the evening away from home anymore? Well, choosing to stay overnight in a teepee might change your outlook on everything, and that reality is on full display at the famous Wigwam Motel in San Bernardino County.
Impossible not to see, and gawk at, from the road—which is actually a nice slice of the old Route 66— the Wigwam Motel is exactly that: a village of wigwams (aka teepees, to you normies out there) that you can rent out and sleep in for an evening. A genius, and completely necessary, idea to say the least...sign me the fuck up!
These 30-foot-tall behemoths are pretty large and in charge; solidly made from concrete and stucco, with a wood framing and zigzag of red paint to give it some real shine in the "authentic" (a term I use very loosely here) department. They all stand in a unique pattern across the grounds, and there are a lot of them— meaning there's not much of an excuse for not trying this experience once in your life.
The plaza hotel this ain't, but that's more than OK.
As imagined, the inside doesn't offer much in the lavish department: no mints under your pillow, room service or jacuzzi tubs in this part of town. The wigwams seem little damp, dark and uncomfortable, with an old school TV, triangle mirrors and scarce floorspace to do your morning calisthenic workout.
However, we didn't come here for comfort, or an authentic tepee slumber party; you come for the novelty of it all, which is delivered 100%. Lots of charms around these parts if you accept your surroundings and dig really deep.
Aside from the teepees, the cherry on top is the kidney shaped pool (always classic!) and barrage of old 1950s era cars that lie around the hotel's grounds. These add immense atmosphere to the whole "retro experience" that's already on display here, and certainly serve as a solid reminder of the era in which all of this madness came from.
As an added bonus, there's a also a small gift shop located in the lobby, which features some nice slices of Route 66 Americana in the form of postcards, books, magnets and snow globes.
A groovy and unique hotel experience all around, and certainly more fun than trying to spend the night in the abandoned Sunset Pacific Hotel in Silverlake.
HOW THE HELL DID THIS HAPPEN?
The Wigwam Motel's California branch (yes, this is actually part of a chain of teepee motels) was opened in 1949 by a man named Frank Redford.
Coming to fruition during the great road boom of the 1920s, and heavily influenced by the Native American culture that he loved so much, Frank went about creating a unique sleeping experience for the road warriors of the time. In 1933, Redford finally created his first masterpiece, opening a village of teepee-shaped cabins near his hometown of Kentucky and naming it the "Wigwam Village." It was an instant success, and its popularity demanded to be replicated in the Western region.
After securing a patent for the design, Redford began constructing wigwam location all over the US, and by the 1950s, there were seven total in existence. But the 60s and 70s ushered in the Interstate superhighway system, forcing small stops and Motels across US to disappear, a ripple effect that crippled the Wigwam Motel chain, as well.
Out of the seven, only three remain to this day (this one, and locations in Arizona and Kentucky) but the Wigwam continues to bring in big business to this day.
