Motel Safari
722 E Route 66 Blvd
Tucumcari, NM
Butterfly roof, original 1950s custom furniture, and Route 66 Radio at the bedside. Wanda Jackson slept here first.
About Motel Safari
The Motel Safari was built in 1959 by Chester Dohrer in the Googie style: the jet-age architectural movement that produced the most exuberant buildings in American roadside history. The defining element is the butterfly roof, a dramatically angled form that flies upward at both ends, giving the building the silhouette of a spacecraft. Much of the original 1950s custom furniture remains in the standard rooms, pieces built on-site during the motel's first year and maintained through every ownership. Rich Havlik, a former funeral director from Minnesota who fell in love with Route 66, acquired it in June 2025. Architectural Digest named it one of the nine undeniably cool retro hotels in America. National Geographic covered it in April 2026.
What Motel Safari Is Known For
The Motel Safari has appeared in Architectural Digest and National Geographic and has earned a reputation as the most architecturally specific motel on the Tucumcari strip. The butterfly roof is the reason: there is no other building quite like it within a hundred miles of Route 66 in any direction. The original 1950s furniture staying in the rooms through four ownerships reflects the care each steward has taken with the property. Rich Havlik's 2025 acquisition continues that line: a person who chose this building specifically because of what it is, not despite it.
Amenities
- WiFi
- Tivoli Audio BT One radio streaming Route 66 Radio in every room
- Original 1950s custom-built furniture in standard rooms
- Rockabilly Suite with Wanda Jackson memorabilia
- Rawhide Suite with western decor
- Outdoor fire pit and patio gathering area
- Vintage advertising billboard wall on patio
- Free fiber optic WiFi
- Free washer and dryer on-site
- Room-front parking directly beside every door
- Gift shop: local art, Route 66 memorabilia, apparel
What Guests Love
- 1959 Googie butterfly roof: the most architecturally distinctive motel on the Tucumcari Route 66 strip and one of the few intact examples of the form anywhere on the original alignment
- Original 1950s custom-built furniture in standard rooms, surviving through four ownerships: not a recreation, the actual pieces from the motel's first year
- Tivoli Audio BT One radio streaming Route 66 Radio plays when you walk in: not piped-in ambient music, a deliberate period station
- Rockabilly Suite with Wanda Jackson memorabilia: the inaugural guest of the room that became the motel's most distinctive offering
- Free washer and dryer on-site: a practical Route 66 road-trip amenity that few motels on the alignment offer
Worth Knowing
- Check-in hours are limited. Late arrivals are not accommodated, and this is strictly enforced. Contact the property in advance if you anticipate arriving late.
- Pets are not allowed
- No breakfast on-site: Carlson's Cafe across the street is the recommended local option for morning food
- The motel does not allow smoking
- Tucumcari is a small high-desert city: stock up on provisions before arriving if you have specific dietary needs, as options are limited beyond the Route 66 corridor
The Room
Standard rooms with original 1950s custom-built furniture and new pieces carefully selected to complement the era. Pillowtop mattresses. Bluetooth radios streaming Route 66 Radio. In-room coffee makers. TV with satellite service. Speakman Anystream showerheads. Remote-controlled climate control. Free fiber optic WiFi. The Rockabilly Suite contains musician memorabilia anchored by Wanda Jackson, the Queen of Rockabilly, who was the inaugural guest when the room was named. The Rawhide Suite is western-themed with Clint Eastwood references throughout. Room-front parking directly outside every door.
The Grounds
Single-story layout on Route 66 with room-front parking directly beside each door: park at your room, walk in. An outdoor patio fire pit and gathering area occupies the space behind the building, with a vintage advertising billboard wall as the backdrop. Clyde the Camel holds court in the lobby. A gift shop carries local art, Route 66 memorabilia, pins, and the motel's own merchandise. On-site washer and dryer available free to all guests. The Tucumcari neon corridor runs in both directions from the motel, lighting up the Route 66 strip from dusk onward.
The Experience
The Motel Safari is the Googie bookend to Tucumcari's Route 66 neon strip: the butterfly roof at 722 E Route 66 Blvd, the Blue Swallow's 1939 neon and garages a few blocks east, and the Roadrunner Lodge's Magic Fingers and tiki rooms further east. Together they represent three different decades and three different registers of Route 66 motor court architecture, all operating within a mile of each other on the same road. Carlson's Cafe across the street is the local breakfast institution that Havlik recommends to every guest. The Tucumcari Historical Museum covers the full story of the city's Route 66 era. The Blue Hole, three miles east, is the natural artesian swimming pool that has drawn travelers off the highway since the 1940s.
Details
Tucumcari, NM 88401
The Boutel designation is earned, not purchased. Boutels is editorially independent and has no financial relationship with any listed property.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Motel Safari have EV charging?
No, Motel Safari does not have EV charging.
Does Motel Safari have WiFi?
Yes, Motel Safari has WiFi.
What is there to do near Motel Safari?
Tucumcari Historical Museum and Route 66 Museum: 0.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk. Blue Hole: 3 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can bike there. Mesalands Dinosaur Museum: 1 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
How far is Motel Safari from Tucumcari Historical Museum and Route 66 Museum?
0.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
How far is Motel Safari from Blue Hole?
3 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can bike there.
How far is Motel Safari from Mesalands Dinosaur Museum?
1 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
What is the Rockabilly Suite?
The Rockabilly Suite is Motel Safari's signature room, filled with musician memorabilia from the rockabilly era. Wanda Jackson, the Queen of Rockabilly, was the inaugural guest when the suite was named. The walls carry memorabilia from Jackson, Lee Rocker, Wayne Hancock, Jonathan Richman, and others who defined the genre.
What is Route 66 Radio?
Each room at Motel Safari has a Tivoli Audio BT One radio pre-tuned to Route 66 Radio, a streaming station dedicated to the music, history, and culture of the American highway era. The radio is playing when you walk in.
What are the check-in hours?
Check-in hours are limited. The motel does not accommodate late arrivals, and this is strictly observed. Contact the property well in advance if you anticipate arriving late.
Are pets allowed at Motel Safari?
No. Motel Safari does not allow pets.
Is there a laundry facility?
Yes. An on-site washer and dryer is available free of charge to all guests.
How far is Motel Safari from the center of Tucumcari?
Motel Safari is on Route 66 in the center of Tucumcari, within walking distance of the town's historic downtown, its murals, and its classic diners. Tucumcari is one of the best-preserved Route 66 towns in the Southwest.
What else is there to see in Tucumcari?
Tucumcari is one of the most intact Route 66 towns in New Mexico. The Blue Swallow Motel, a National Register property a few blocks away, is also a Boutels designation. The Tucumcari Historical Museum covers the town's railroad and highway heritage. The Route 66 murals painted by Doug Quarles along the main highway are some of the most photographed in the state.
Does Motel Safari have a pool?
Motel Safari does not have a pool. The property has a communal fire pit area.
Is parking available at Motel Safari?
Yes. Free on-site parking is available at Motel Safari.
Does Motel Safari include breakfast?
No. Breakfast is not included at Motel Safari.
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Things to Do Near Route 66 in Tucumcari
Tucumcari Historical Museum and Route 66 Museum
0.5 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
The Tucumcari Historical Museum covers the city and region from prehistoric habitation through the Comanche trade routes, the 1901 railroad arrival, and the Route 66 decades when Tucumcari was the most neon-dense waypoint between Amarillo and Albuquerque. The collection includes original Route 66 signage, motel memorabilia, and documentation of the neon corridor. The Route 66 Museum adjacent covers the highway's cultural history with period vehicles and roadside artifacts.
Blue Hole
3 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can bike there.
The Blue Hole is a circular natural artesian spring at the edge of Tucumcari, 80 feet in diameter and 80 feet deep, fed by water that flows up through limestone at a constant 61 degrees Fahrenheit year-round. The water is clear enough to see the bottom, and the round shape concentrates the flow into a defined swimming hole with a dive platform. A Route 66 stop since the highway era, it remains one of the most specific roadside swimming destinations in the Southwest.
Mesalands Dinosaur Museum
1 miles, about a 5 minute drive, or you can walk.
The Mesalands Community College Dinosaur Museum in downtown Tucumcari has one of the most distinctive small natural history collections in the Southwest, with bronze casts made directly from actual fossil specimens from the surrounding New Mexico mesa country. Triassic and Jurassic material from nearby formations is displayed alongside specimens from the Ghost Ranch region further west. A working paleontology lab is visible from the museum floor.