Amongst a jumble of stuff in my desk: postcards documenting my husband's grandparents annual winter escape to Florida.
In the 40's, 50's and 60's Frank and Josie Schmid drove from Long Island to West Palm Beach where they had a house. The Colonial Motor Court in Portsmouth, Virginia cost $6 a night including tile baths and free radios.
Along the way they stopped at all sorts of motels often becoming friends with the people who ran them. This is Danker's Motel Court in Miami. The managers, Fred and Henry Danker originally came from Asbury Park, New Jersey.
The Camden Motor Lodge was also $6 a night -- the post card annotated "Very Good". Arrow points to their room.
This little restaurant has bags of charm. They ate here on January 1st 1948
Mr and Mrs. Henry Rueger were the owner/managers of Rueger's Cottages in Gulfport. "Hi Son, Hope everything is going along smoothly. Will syay here til Sunday morning. Seen Mr. Eichelberger and the Reugers so far. All our love, Mom and Dad."
I want those lawn chairs.
The A&A Tourist Court, one mile north of Claxton, Georgia sprang for fancier postcards even if the restaurant resembled a shoebox.
Not quite sure what the attraction was with the rather grim looking Bancroft Motel in Virginia
or why the Skyway Motel in Fort Pierce, Florida was a steal at $4.50 a night on January 7th 1952
These are the Twin Attractions of the Highlands of Central Florida. (I had not realized there were any highlands. Robert says if you stand up straight you can see across the whole state.)
Be that as it may, in 1948 you could visit Cypress Gardens * "a paradise of beauty and a Mecca for nearly a quarter million visitors a year.....Photographic models pose for your pictures in hoop skirts among the flowers...." The Singing Tower was a "gift to the people of America from Edward Bok, a man who loved nature and all beauty."
* Now Legoland
