"Sleep in a Wigwam"! Yes please! Upon "planning" our summer road trip, staying a few nights here was the first item on my agenda. If you have seen the movie Cars you will recognize this style motel as the inspiration for the Cozy Cone motel!
There are some things one should have on their must do list like looking out from the top of
Lady Liberty (ever notice that her crown is not symetrical? the second from the left is wonky!),
drinking Margarettas in Key West at sunset, visit Both the South AND the North rims of the
Grand Canyon (done!)...maybe even spend a couple days at the bottom, drive through a giant
sequoia tree (done!), and if you're as crazy as we are...stay a few nights in a Wigwam (done!)!
Ahhhh...just what a weary traveler was looking for! Note the vacancy sign. Don't expect this!
We arrived on a Monday, had reservations and stayed a few nights. We decided to stay an
extra night and were told that there was only one room available...and it wasn't the one we
were in! We had to move next door! This was mid week. This place stays busy. Make
reservations.
It's pretty amazing that a place like this still exists at all in this day and age. It's even stranger
that it's still in operation here in eastern Kentucky, well off the beaten path. Sure, it's pretty
close to Mammoth Cave National Park but it's not between the highway and the park. It's one of
those places that people show up because they Know about it.
We loved it! Everybody we talked to there loved it. It's not for everybody. If a few cracks in the
tile and some wear and tear here and there give you pause for concern then this is not the
place for you. The place is old. No way around that. The age gives the place character...and
character is what this joint is ALL about!
Other than a nice TV upgrade (good luck!) the only change we thought the Wigwam needed
was a minifridge and a microwave. There is a very small closet to the right of the TV that is
pretty useless. It would be a perfect place to fit a fridge / microwave built in. You can save so
much dough buy cooking in a few nights while on vacation. There are grills out in the yard.
The rooms are pretty small. Some of them have TWO beds too! The single full size bed rooms
are pretty tight. Two beds must really be pushing the limits. The upside of a small room is that
the tiny AC works fast and keeps the room nice and cool. You will miss your giant flat panel
high def TV. All you get here is a little "fat back" and basic cable TV. It's more than enough for
us. While I do have a gorgeous and sizable HD TV here at home, alas...we subsist without
cable or dish TV! So getting our cable gluttony on is a bonus for us even if it is on a crumby SD
TV!
The bathrooms are super retro original tile masterpieces! I was so surprised at how well
preserved they were. Sure...maybe the ceiling in the shower could use a new coat of paint but
everything worked as it should and it was pretty clean! What you see is what I found upon
walking in.
One of the nights we were there we walked up the road a bit to the Dairy Queen just at sunset.
When we got back to the "Village" there was a big fire built in the fire ring and many of the kids
(and quite a few adults!) were toasting marshmallows. What a great family memory to give your
kids. The people staying in the Wigwam next to us said that they had stayed here as a kid and
had always wanted to come back and see it again. It's a little rough around the edges but it's
cheap and fun. There's lots to do and see in the area. We took a cave tour, played lots of mini
golf (we Love mini golf!) and even played on an alpine slide. We spotted wild deer and turkey
in the park too. We even found a few treasures in town at a couple of the antique shops / malls
(no way!). Fun place, get there if you can!
Sounds like so much fun! That bathroom tile is unfreakinbelievable.
ReplyDeleteI was so excited to see this post. We usually stay at Wigwam Village once a year. It's not posh but the fun factor makes up for it. And you are SO right. I don't think that I'd ever put anything in that closet but it would make a great place for a couple more small amenities. We usually go during the last week that they're open. It's cool at nights and we love making fires.
ReplyDeleteAnd wow, that alpine slide terrifies me! My husband loves it though. Do they still have the warning photos on the ticket booth?
This looks like fun!!
ReplyDeleteWow, we just posted about our Retro Roadmap stay at Wigwam Village too- but I'm going to link to your post because of your great indoor shots of your wigwam. So glad you had fun there, we loved it too!
ReplyDeleteSo cool! Sounds like a blast.
ReplyDelete