Historic Randles Court

About Historic Randles Court

Jennifer Hart had been doing the books for the owners of the Randles Court, a 1930s motor court in Eldon, Missouri, for two years before she and her husband Jeremy decided they had to own it. They took ownership in 2016. Two days before closing, a fire burned the adjacent restaurant. They rebuilt. Two days before their grand opening in May 2019, a tornado destroyed the original 1947 neon sign. They tracked down Missouri Neon in Springfield, which still had the original design sketches, and had the sign restored. They reopened in March 2020 and by Memorial Day the property was fully booked through October. The Randles Court is a single-story motor court on Business Route 54 between Jefferson City and the Lake of the Ozarks.

What Historic Randles Court Is Known For

The 1947 neon sign that sits in front of Historic Randles Court was not purchased for its aesthetic effect. It was destroyed by a tornado and rebuilt by the firm that made it, from the original sketches. Under it sits a 1947 red and green International truck that Jeremy tracked to a farm in Hixton, Wisconsin, where a 93-year-old farmer hopped in and started it himself, no one else knowing how. That truck had survived a tornado too. The Four Loves Urban Farm, which Jennifer and Jeremy cultivate in the property's courtyard, has flowers, chickens, and a farm stand that guests are welcome to visit. The rooms have vintage radios where the television would be. There is a candy tin on the desk with peppermint twists. A tobacco can. A restored tilework bathroom. These are not props. They are the result of two people who looked at a ninety-year-old stone motor court, survived three disasters trying to open it, and kept putting back exactly what was there.

Amenities

• WiFi
• Exterior motor court access with at-door parking
• 1947 restored neon sign
• Hospitality room with complimentary coffee, tea, water, and popcorn
• Tranquil courtyard and urban garden (Four Loves Urban Farm)
• Farm stand open to guests
• Chickens and garden on the grounds
• Vintage radio in every room
• Period-authentic furnishings in every room
• ADA-accessible room with walk-in shower
• Free WiFi
• Original 1930s stone building construction

The Room

The rooms were restored using what was found: original hardwood floors in alternating rooms, original tilework in the bathrooms, period light fixtures, and vintage furnishings that were sourced to match the era rather than approximate it. Each room has a tobacco can on the desk, a candy tin stocked with peppermint twists, and a vintage radio. No television. The beds are praised consistently and independently across all reviewers: one guest calls the bed in Room 10 the most comfortable she has ever slept on. Bathrooms are clean, functional, and finished in original tile. Walk-in showers are in the ADA-accessible room. Complimentary coffee, tea, water, and popcorn are available throughout the day in the property's hospitality room, which doubles as the lobby. Room formats include queen room rooms and the ADA-accessible Room 10, which Jennifer Hart describes as her personal favorite. Rooms are small by current motel standards, consistent with the 1930s footprint, and available rooms reflect varying stages of the ongoing restoration. Confirm current availability and room condition at booking.

The Grounds

Historic Randles Court is a single-story stone motor court, the building itself a 1930s construction that survived both a 2017 fire and a 2019 tornado with the structure intact. Rooms open to the courtyard, where parking is directly at the door and the 1947 neon sign anchors the street-facing end of the property. A 1947 red and green International truck sits beneath the sign. The Four Loves Urban Farm occupies the courtyard: a garden with flowers, raised beds, a farm stand, and chickens that guests are welcome to visit. The grounds are quiet and manageable in the way that small-scale motor courts are: the whole property is visible from any point in the courtyard, which produces a sense of enclosure that feels private without being enclosed.

The Experience

Jennifer and Jeremy Hart live on the property. Check-in is personal and staffed, not contactless, and Jennifer's knowledge of the building, its history, its rooms, the stories attached to specific artifacts, makes arrival feel more like visiting someone's home than checking into a lodging. She found the cigar box with Helen Randles' driver's license. She tracked down the original blueprints. The candy tin on the desk was her idea. Guests who book because they read about the history arrive to find that the history runs deeper than what they read. The property has a seasonal rhythm. Summer brings travelers heading to or from the Lake of the Ozarks, roughly 15 miles south on US-54. Fall is the start of the quieter period, when the lake crowd thins and Eldon's festivals and local events take over the calendar: boutique crawls, car shows, gem and rock shows, the Turkey Festival, Christmas in Eldon. The Harts have run a Christmas tree lot on the property since 2019, with hot cocoa and s'mores, and Jennifer's stated ambition is to eventually have the rooms decorated for the season as well. The property is still being restored at a time, and staying here while that work continues means being part of the story in its present chapter rather than arriving after the ending is already written.

Details

Frequently Asked Questions

Things to Do Near the Lake of the Ozarks

Lake of the Ozarks

15 miles, about a 30 minute drive.

The Lake of the Ozarks is a 1,150-mile shoreline reservoir created by the 1931 construction of Bagnell Dam on the Osage River, roughly 15 miles south of Eldon on US Route 54. It is the region's primary destination for boating, fishing, water sports, and lakefront dining, and its proximity to Eldon is the reason Loyd Boots built the original motor court here in the first place. The Bagnell Dam Strip, a commercial corridor near the dam, has been a tourist destination since the 1930s.

Stark Caverns

4 miles, about a 10 minute drive, or you can bike there.

Stark Caverns is a natural cave system a short drive from Eldon offering guided tours through limestone formations, cave history, and the local geological record. The cave is one of the few in central Missouri accessible to general visitors year-round and maintains a consistent underground temperature regardless of season.

Jefferson City

25 miles, about a 50 minute drive.

Jefferson City is the Missouri state capital, about 25 miles northeast of Eldon on US-54. The Missouri State Capitol building anchors a historic district with several significant 19th-century structures. The decommissioned Missouri State Penitentiary, which operated from 1836 to 2004, offers history tours and evening ghost tours that draw visitors from across the region.