Retro Roadmap is your source for information about cool old places that still exist, with a map to make it easy for you to visit them!
Here are some “Retro Roadmap-worthy” places
you’ll find on Retro Roadmap:
- Vintage diners, restaurants, lunch counters, roadside stands
- Original tiki and polynesian pop restaurants and bars
- Places to buy vintage clothing, home decor and more
- Classic cocktail lounges and cool dive bars
- Hot rods and vintage cars events
- Old time amusement parks, piers and boardwalks
- Bowling Alleys, miniature golf
- Mom and pop motels, hotels, businesses
- Drive in movie theaters, classic movie theatres
- Inspiring downtown shopping areas
- Mid century modern architecture
- Rockabilly, lounge, garage, exotica music events
- Neon and cool old signs to photograph
- Vintage vacation and retro road trip destinations
- Events celebrating any or all of the above!
And anything else wonderful and authentic from the past!
Contact us if you have anything you want to spread the word about!
Helium Design
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.
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://198.1.119.1/~retroroa/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!
I found you on accident as I was doing a search for Collectors News changing their name to Treasures and Voile, you popped up. Your site is so retro
fun. Come see me anytime in California. I have a lunchbox museum with funhouse motifs. The building is an old firehouse that has been remodeled with green materials. I specialize in Ponytail vinyl items from the 50s and 60s plus the lunchboxes from that era. Thanks for the great info! I will be in the Trends Mag in September.
Deb- what a neat collection! I love Ponytail – I only have a few items but I treasure them for sure. Thanks for the invite!
KONOBEL’S AMUSMENT PARK in Elysburg pa since 1930′s same family owns it located in the woods of nepa free parking free admission free tram car ride to n from park old rides{bumper cars…titlt awhile…the whip and more…very old woody coaster one of the best for roller coaster clubs to ride….good old fashion family fun thru out park signs marking flood levels since the angnes flood worst one
Deb- thanks for seconding our recommendation of Knoebels! We love that place and I can’t wait to take the Retro Roadkids there again!
http://198.1.119.1/~retroroa/2010/08/14/knoebles-vintage-amusement-park-a-retro-summer-must-go-today/
Have you ever been here?
http://www.lazymeadow.com/
I have not been! Deb, have you? If you have I’d love to see your photos and hear all about it. It’s definitely on the Retro Roadmap list -thanks for the reminder!
My Dear Retro Roadmap Readers –
In an effort to reduce comment spam by bots on my site, I’ve closed the comments on this post. But the last thing I want to see happen is that it stops the conversation on this topic, especially if you have something you want to add.
So if you want to comment on this post all you have to do is email me at modbetty AT retroroadmap DOT com and let me know what you want to say and what post it goes with. I’ll make sure your info gets matched up and added to the conversation!
Thanks for understanding!
Your hostess, Mod Betty