The Blue Swallow Motel, Route 66,Tucumcari, NM.

What is: Family owned, with era restored rooms, 1940s phones that work, a garage attached to your room and amazing neon in the courtyard and signs, the Blue Swallow is a gorgeous and pleasant step back. Guests enjoy a reminder of what it was like to travel across the USA in the “good old days.” Still today, the experience includes sitting out with your neighbors under the warm glow of the neon, or sharing travel stories around a campfire. With hospitality provided by owners (formerly Nancy and Kevin) you will be welcomed like family.

What was: The Blue Swallow has been serving travelers along the Mother Road since 1940. Originally called The Blue Swallow Court it was open and operating with ten rooms. The motel has an L-shaped plan and consists of 12 units with a centrally-located office and manager’s residence. With its pink stucco walls decorated with shell designs and a stepped parapet, the façade reflects a modest use of the Southwest Vernacular style of architecture.

Lillian Redman and her husband bought the Blue Swallow in 1950 and successfully operated it until the 1990s, modernizing it with new, larger neon sign, and using the more up-to-date term, “Motel”. From the start, the Redmans put their customers first. When guests didn’t have enough money for a room, the Redmans accepted personal belongings in trade. She described the special and close connection she had with the Route 66 motorists who came in each night, “I end up traveling the highway in my heart with whoever stops here for the night.”

At the end of the 1960s, Interstate 40, took the place of the old Route 66. When I-40 highway came in, Mrs. Redman said, “I felt just like I had lost an old friend. ” Source and Visit them at Blueswallowmotel.com #motel #route66 #BlueSwallowmotel #neon #sign #travel #familybusiness