America S Weirdest Roadside Attractions In 36 Vintage Photos

Photographer John Margolies spent more than 30 years on the road documenting America’s big, bold, and bizarre roadside attractions.

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1 of 37Bob’s Big Boy statue sign, La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. 1981. Library of Congress/Flickr 2 of 37Atomic Signs sign, Route 550, Farmington, New Mexico. 1980. Library of Congress/Flickr 3 of 37Barber and beauty shop, Bedrock City, Rts. 64 and 180” (1987), taken in Bedrock City, Arizona. Library of Congress 4 of 37Compton Car Wash, Rosecrans Avenue, Compton, California, 1981. Library of Congress/Flickr 5 of 37Club Cafe sign near Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa, New Mexico. 1987. Library of Congress/Flickr 6 of 37Collin’s Diner, Route 7, Canaan, Connecticut. 1977.Library of Congress/Flickr 7 of 37Christie’s Restaurant sign, cowboy shrimp, Houston, Texas. 1983.Library of Congress/Flickr 8 of 37Coney Island Dairyland, end detail, Route 285, Aspen Park, Colorado. 1980. Library of Congress/Flickr 9 of 37Disco star ride, Seaside Heights, New Jersey. 1978. Library of Congress/Flickr 10 of 37Walt’s Dairy Bar, Route 10, Saint Regis, Montana. 1987. Library of Congress/Flickr 11 of 37Harold’s Auto Center, horizontal view, Sinclair gas station, Route 19, Spring Hill, Florida. 1979. Library of Congress/Flickr 12 of 37Hat n’ Boots gas station — boot restrooms with hat behind them view, 6800 [East] Marginal Way [South], Route 99, Seattle, Washington. 1977.Library of Congress/Flickr 13 of 37Doggie Diner sign, McArthur Boulevard & San Pablo, Oakland, California. 1977. Library of Congress/Flickr 14 of 377-Up Building, angle 2, NW 37th & Sandy Boulevard, Portland, Oregon. 1976.Library of Congress/Flickr 15 of 37Ice cream stand, Long Beach, Florida. 1979. Library of Congress/Flickr 16 of 37Kleen Kars sign, Salt Lake City, Utah. 1981. Library of Congress/Flickr 17 of 37Leon’s Drive-In, S. 27th & Oklahoma, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 1977. Library of Congress/Flickr 18 of 37Milk Depot gas station, vertical view, 900 South & 140 East, Salt Lake City, Utah. 1981. Library of Congress/Flickr 19 of 37Mister Donut sign, Route 201, Waterville, Maine. 1984. Library of Congress/Flickr 20 of 37Bomber gas station, diagonal view, Route 99 E., Milwaukie, Oregon. 1980. Library of Congress/Flickr 21 of 37Mitchell Corn Palace, Mitchell, South Dakota. 1987. Library of Congress/Flickr 22 of 37Motel Dine-a-ville sign” (1991), taken in Utah. Library of Congress 23 of 37Pacific Boats, 1927 Long Beach Boulevard, Long Beach, California. 1977. Library of Congress/Flickr 24 of 37Benewah Dairy milk bottle #1, Cedar Street, Spokane, Washington. 2003. Library of Congress/Flickr 25 of 37McDonald’s, Azusa, California. 1977. Library of Congress/Flickr 26 of 37Octopus Car Wash, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1981. Library of Congress/Flickr 27 of 37Sioux Chief Train Motel, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 1980. Library of Congress/Flickr 28 of 37Arby’s Restaurant sign, Manchester Boulevard, Inglewood, California. 1977. Library of Congress/Flickr 29 of 37Pink Elephant Liquor Store statue, McCordsville, Indiana. 1980. Library of Congress/Flickr 30 of 37Star Lite Outdoor Theater, Route 81-B, Fargo, North Dakota. 1980. Library of Congress/Flickr 31 of 37World’s Largest Redwood Tree Service Station, Route 101, Ukiah, California. 1991. Library of Congress/Flickr 32 of 37Stamie’s Beachwear Jantzen sign, Ocean Avenue, Daytona Beach, Florida. 1990. Library of Congress/Flickr 33 of 37The Donut Hole, straight-on view, no cars, Amar Road, La Puente, California. 1991. Library of Congress/Flickr 34 of 37Wimpy’s Hamburger Restaurant sign, Route 58, Danville, Virginia. 1982. Library of Congress/Flickr 35 of 37Wonder Bread Store, B-80, Rock Springs, Wyoming. 2004. Library of Congress/Flickr 36 of 37The Whale Car Wash, N. 50th & Meridian, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 1979. Library of Congress/Flickr 37 of 37Like this gallery?Share it:

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The unique way John Margolies captured the vibrancy and designs of America’s classic roadside attractions will make you long for simpler times. His photographs celebrate the kitschy beauty of novelty locations from a giant pink dinosaur to a Boeing B-17G parked on a gas station.

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1 of 37Bob’s Big Boy statue sign, La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, California. 1981. Library of Congress/Flickr

2 of 37Atomic Signs sign, Route 550, Farmington, New Mexico. 1980. Library of Congress/Flickr

3 of 37Barber and beauty shop, Bedrock City, Rts. 64 and 180” (1987), taken in Bedrock City, Arizona. Library of Congress

4 of 37Compton Car Wash, Rosecrans Avenue, Compton, California, 1981. Library of Congress/Flickr

5 of 37Club Cafe sign near Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa, New Mexico. 1987. Library of Congress/Flickr

6 of 37Collin’s Diner, Route 7, Canaan, Connecticut. 1977.Library of Congress/Flickr

7 of 37Christie’s Restaurant sign, cowboy shrimp, Houston, Texas. 1983.Library of Congress/Flickr

8 of 37Coney Island Dairyland, end detail, Route 285, Aspen Park, Colorado. 1980. Library of Congress/Flickr

9 of 37Disco star ride, Seaside Heights, New Jersey. 1978. Library of Congress/Flickr

10 of 37Walt’s Dairy Bar, Route 10, Saint Regis, Montana. 1987. Library of Congress/Flickr

11 of 37Harold’s Auto Center, horizontal view, Sinclair gas station, Route 19, Spring Hill, Florida. 1979. Library of Congress/Flickr

12 of 37Hat n’ Boots gas station — boot restrooms with hat behind them view, 6800 [East] Marginal Way [South], Route 99, Seattle, Washington. 1977.Library of Congress/Flickr

13 of 37Doggie Diner sign, McArthur Boulevard & San Pablo, Oakland, California. 1977. Library of Congress/Flickr

14 of 377-Up Building, angle 2, NW 37th & Sandy Boulevard, Portland, Oregon. 1976.Library of Congress/Flickr

15 of 37Ice cream stand, Long Beach, Florida. 1979. Library of Congress/Flickr

16 of 37Kleen Kars sign, Salt Lake City, Utah. 1981. Library of Congress/Flickr

17 of 37Leon’s Drive-In, S. 27th & Oklahoma, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 1977. Library of Congress/Flickr

18 of 37Milk Depot gas station, vertical view, 900 South & 140 East, Salt Lake City, Utah. 1981. Library of Congress/Flickr

19 of 37Mister Donut sign, Route 201, Waterville, Maine. 1984. Library of Congress/Flickr

20 of 37Bomber gas station, diagonal view, Route 99 E., Milwaukie, Oregon. 1980. Library of Congress/Flickr

21 of 37Mitchell Corn Palace, Mitchell, South Dakota. 1987. Library of Congress/Flickr

22 of 37Motel Dine-a-ville sign” (1991), taken in Utah. Library of Congress

23 of 37Pacific Boats, 1927 Long Beach Boulevard, Long Beach, California. 1977. Library of Congress/Flickr

24 of 37Benewah Dairy milk bottle #1, Cedar Street, Spokane, Washington. 2003. Library of Congress/Flickr

25 of 37McDonald’s, Azusa, California. 1977. Library of Congress/Flickr

26 of 37Octopus Car Wash, Minneapolis, Minnesota. 1981. Library of Congress/Flickr

27 of 37Sioux Chief Train Motel, Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 1980. Library of Congress/Flickr

28 of 37Arby’s Restaurant sign, Manchester Boulevard, Inglewood, California. 1977. Library of Congress/Flickr

29 of 37Pink Elephant Liquor Store statue, McCordsville, Indiana. 1980. Library of Congress/Flickr

30 of 37Star Lite Outdoor Theater, Route 81-B, Fargo, North Dakota. 1980. Library of Congress/Flickr

31 of 37World’s Largest Redwood Tree Service Station, Route 101, Ukiah, California. 1991. Library of Congress/Flickr

32 of 37Stamie’s Beachwear Jantzen sign, Ocean Avenue, Daytona Beach, Florida. 1990. Library of Congress/Flickr

33 of 37The Donut Hole, straight-on view, no cars, Amar Road, La Puente, California. 1991. Library of Congress/Flickr

34 of 37Wimpy’s Hamburger Restaurant sign, Route 58, Danville, Virginia. 1982. Library of Congress/Flickr

35 of 37Wonder Bread Store, B-80, Rock Springs, Wyoming. 2004. Library of Congress/Flickr

36 of 37The Whale Car Wash, N. 50th & Meridian, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 1979. Library of Congress/Flickr

37 of 37Like this gallery?Share it:

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Take A Road Trip Back In Time With These Vintage Photos Of American Roadside Attractions View Gallery

Take A Road Trip Back In Time With These Vintage Photos Of American Roadside Attractions

View Gallery

When he first began his decades-long road trip across the states in the early 1970s, Margolies started documenting these structures and signs out of fear they’d soon disappear, and be replaced with modern, less-quirky counterparts.

He wasn’t wrong. Not long after many of these photos were taken, the cutting-edge replaced the corny, and granite replaced gimmicks. Thousands of sun-baked, yet colorfully painted mom and pop shops, themed gas-stations, and motels met their end in the name of “progress.” Fortunately, however, Margolies managed to memorialize many of them in his massive body of work.

A Photographic Road Trip Across America

Library of Congress/FlickrStinker Cut-Rate Gas sign, Boise, Idaho. 1980.

What happens when your parents refuse to stop at any fun attractions on childhood road trips? You grow up to become a nostalgia documentarian and architectural critic, whose muse is novelty roadside stops.

This drove Margolies to take a 30-year tour of America in rented Cadillacs. He captured America at its most colorful — diners, drive-ins, dairy bars, and all.

More than 100,000 miles traveled saw Margolies create a colossal 11,710 color-saturated slides.

At each stop, he made sure the attraction was the undisputed star of the photograph, always shooting when there were no people, no inclement weather, and no distractions. “I spend an awful lot of time in crummy motels waiting for the sun,” Margolies told The Washington Post. “Sometimes I just have to give up and go on down the road.”

Margolies also took great care to specify the year, state, and city — sometimes even down to the street — where each of his photos was taken. This was more than just snapping photos. This was documenting a fleeting time in history.

“Sometimes it begins to feel like just too much to keep up with,” he once said. “But then I think to myself, ‘Hey, you could be stuck in a real job,’ and then I hit the road again.”

But among the many roadside attractions Margolies turned his camera on, California’s beloved Madonna Inn holds a special place.

The Madonna Inn

Library of CongressThe Madonna Inn, San Luis Obispo, California, 1978.

Known as the world’s kitschiest hotel, The Madonna Inn is polarizing in the world of building designers. However, Margolies wrote extensively about it for Progressive Architecture magazine in 1973, calling it “an extraordinary architectural monument, full of feeling and overflowing with layer upon layer of lavish detail.”

The Madonna Inn represented everything Margolies looked for in a photographic subject. It’s clear that he and the builders & owners, Alex and Phyllis Madonna, were of the same aesthetic mindset.

“The splendid and exuberant interiors in the public areas are rivaled and in some cases surpassed by the elaborate guest rooms … the antithesis of the sterile, franchised reality of a Holiday Inn or a Hilton.”

But in spite of the riotous color and unbridled optimism in his photos, Margolies was definitely not just having fun.

How John Margolies Photographed Roadside Attractions

According to his friends and colleagues, Margolies took his work very seriously.

“He never thought it was silly or kitsch,” said Margaret Engel, executive director of the Alicia Patterson Foundation and a friend of Margolies’. “He really felt that this was an expression of creativity that had to be grasped at 50 mph going down the highway – so, of course, everything was oversized and brightly colored and neon.”

Margolies also took the time to get things just right.

“He had a lot of quirks,” said Jane Tai, Margolies’ long-time companion. She commented that “he carried a broom in his car, and he would do a little clean-up so that there wasn’t any extra debris in the frame.”

He’d also “stop traffic and lie on his belly” to get the shot he wanted. He even paid people to move their cars if they were encroaching on his perfect shot.

Dozens of coffee-table books later, Margolies’ work remains relevant as nostalgia reigns. But, he admitted, “I wasn’t trying to make intellectual points. I wanted to go everywhere and see everything.”

After his death from pneumonia in 2016, the Library of Congress assimilated Margolies’s archives. They now reside in the public domain — where they promise to inspire others to make America weird again.

If you liked John Margolis’ photos of vintage Americana, you’ll love what old New York looked like before the skyscrapers moved in. Then check out these 55 vintage photos of your parents being cooler than you.

Photographer John Margolies spent more than 30 years on the road documenting America’s big, bold, and bizarre roadside attractions.#

A Photographic Road Trip Across America#

The Madonna Inn#

How John Margolies Photographed Roadside Attractions#

Photographer John Margolies spent more than 30 years on the road documenting America’s big, bold, and bizarre roadside attractions.

A Photographic Road Trip Across America

The Madonna Inn

How John Margolies Photographed Roadside Attractions