Vintage Motels in the Midwest

Badlands Motel

Medora, ND

Set at the edge of a small town people return to every summer, with the national park just beyond. Reliable hospitality run by a foundation dedicated to this specific place.

Black Hawk Motel & Suites

Wisconsin Dells, WI

A family-run Dells motor court that has kept its 1950s soul since 1945, from the neon office sign to the chairs set outside every door. The rooms are plain and spotless, but the twin pools, two playgrounds, grills, and old-fashioned hospitality are why families come back year after year.

Crest Country Inn

Williamsburg, IA

Sixteen acres on a 1966 hilltop with thirty individually themed rooms and a family in hospitality since the late 1800s. Rolling countryside views from wherever you stand.

Evergreen Inn Motel & RV Park

Pratt, KS

Original vintage tile bathrooms, a Burlington Northern caboose on the grounds, and an outdoor pool from an operation that has been husband-and-wife for more than seventy-five years. The underground storm shelter is there when the sky calls for it.

Frontier Motel

Marquette, IA

A tidy, family-run riverfront perch in the wooded bluffs of northeast Iowa, where you park at your door and watch towboats and freight trains roll along the Mississippi. A heated pool ringed with hanging flower baskets and immaculate single-story rooms make it a warm base for the Great River Road.

Stuart Motor Lodge

Stuart, IA

A locally owned classic motor lodge just off I-80 in Stuart, fully refreshed inside and kept genuinely spotless. You pull right up to your door, and warm hometown staff make it an easy, honest overnight between Des Moines and the covered-bridge country of Madison County.

The Bunkhouse Motel

Cherokee, IA

A small independent roadside motel in Cherokee, taken over by new owners who remodeled it from top to bottom. Every room has been updated with new beds, linens, and baths, so the nostalgic park-at-your-door charm comes with everything feeling fresh.

Trade Winds Motel

Valentine, NE

A tidy, dependable roadside motor court in Valentine that regulars call the cleanest and best-kept stop for miles, with a warm front desk, free breakfast, and no resort fees. It is an honest base for the Nebraska Sandhills, the Niobrara River, and the long rail-trail that runs out of town.