Sleep in a TeePee
Written: Feb 06 '00 (Updated Jan 24 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: unique, weird, different
Cons: a bit off the beaten path
The Bottom Line: One of the last real thirties "roadside attractions" motels still in business. If you are traveling through Central KY
don't miss it.
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| Howard_Creech's Full Review: Kentucky |
In the 1920's and 1930's when America's love affair with the automobile was just starting to get interesting, travel was still sometimes a bit uncertain. Small two lane highways (like Route 66 or Route 1) were the norm, no interstates or super highways. Each little town along these two lane roads offered local souvenirs, restaurants with "country cooking", and directions to local "tourist" attractions.
Places to stay the night were called "travel camps" and most found that the best form of advertising (in the days before TV) was "uniqueness", a certain something that set a particular travel camp apart from other local places to spend the night.
Dixie Hwy (Route 31W) was one of those early two lane byways often used by folks from Chicago and the northern midwest as the main route to Florida, the deep south, and warm places in the winter. Yankee's driving south loved to stop in Horse Cave, KY and stay at the Wigwam Village.
Imagine driving along in your Model A Ford, and suddenly seeing directly ahead of you a group of fifteen white TeePees. The Wigwam Village was built in the mid thirties, and remains open and ready for business (from April to mid-December) the prices are cheap (less than $50 per night) and the collection of indian artifacts (all found locally) in the "office" TeePee is fantastic. Before the interstate highway system there were seven Wigwam Villages nationwide. Only two remain, one in Kentucky and the other in Arizona.
So if you ever saw "It Happened One Night" and wanted to try on either the Gable or Colbert role, and make the "Walls of Jerico" come tumbling down...then the Wigwam Village may be just your cup of tea. If you would like to stay, please call (well in advance) (502) 773-3381 for reservations and information.
Conveniently located near Mammoth Cave, Horse Cave, the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historic Site, and the Corvette Museum in Bowling Green. Other nearby attractions include the Crystal Onyx Cave and the Mammoth Cave Wildlife Museum. The Mammoth Cave Wildlife Museum is an updated version of the roadside zoo, which was a popular attraction along America's two lane highways in the thirties and forties. Located on KY Hwy 90 in Cave City (502) 773-2255, complete with "large" souvenir shop.
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Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Howard_Creech
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Member: Howard Creech
Location: Louisville, KY
Reviews written: 333
Trusted by: 1274 members
About Me:
Photographer/Writer fascinated by Movies, Music, Books, American Diner Food, History, "Popular Culture", and Travel.
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