Florida
Sandman Motel
St. Petersburg, FL
Florida Motel
Gainesville, FL
Reeds Motel
Avon Park, FL
Boulevard Motel
DeLand, FL
Hawaii Motel
Daytona Beach, FL
Hawaii Motel
Daytona Beach, FL

Click thumbnails to see fullsize images

If your itinerary demands a Westerly drive, make sure you make time for St. Petersburg, postcard City of Green Benches where the Sandman Motel provides an essential stop for motel photographers. The sign features a twinkling figure with a trailing nightcap and bag of sand inviting strangers into the land of nod. Like a street mime or Olympic gymnast, the figure looks cute at first, but gets creepy after a while. Even so, the rooms provide an inexpensive respite from bay area traffic. Traveling up 19, you will find a dozen or so neon beauties along the quiet stretch of road, many oriented around the town of Perry. Here, the leisurely fantasy of 50s and 60s Florida, a land of shuffleboard courts and inexpensive t-shirts, seems to attract the kinds of travelers who never even heard of the whip-fast interstate just a few miles away.

 

Fort Myers and Orland Motel Postcards (click for larger view)

All text copyright Andrew Wood. Photos copyright Jenny Wood and Andy Wood.


Classic Motel Americana: Check out an old page for this state. It is no longer maintained but may bring back some fun memories. Take a look!