Gary A. Warner, travel editor of the Orange County Register, gives out his personal list of “the funniest, funkiest and most wonderfully strangest places I’ve visited.”
Not surprisingly, the Wigwam Motels made the list, with kudos to the one on Route 66 in Rialto, Calif.:
Wampum required: Wigwam Motels.There are three surviving Wigwam motels. The one in Cave City, Ky., is thriving. The Holbrook, Ariz., outpost [also on Route 66 — ed.] is well-known. But the San Bernardino survivor on old Route 66 had turned into a dump with a tacky “Do it in a teepee” sign out front. Four years ago, the Patel family bought the property, renovated it and began attracting car-culture and history buffs looking for an offbeat night away. It’s stuck in a scruffy neighborhood, but the Patels have returned the Wigwam to its rightful place as an American roadside icon. Go to www.wigwammotel.com or call 909-875-3005. Rooms from $60 per night.
I’ve slept in the other two Wigwams, also. All of them are recommended.