RetroLisa
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part 2
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RetroLisa
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When it was time to choose a vacation destination, the sky was the limit....literally. Thanks to cars and jet airliners, we could travel almost anywhere. The new interstate highway system made it easy for families to drive to amusement parks and kid-friendly tourist areas. Airplanes took sophisticated jetsetters to glamorous international cities.
east
In New Jersey, the seaside towns of Wildwood, Asbury Park and Atlantic City were tourist favorites. Newlyweds honeymooned in the Poconos, and Niagara Falls became the most-photographed attraction in the United States.
Many Jewish families from New York City spent their summers in the Catskills. At these resorts, the focus was on matchmaking, live entertainment and food. Plenty of food!
south
Warm-weather climates saw a boost in tourism, thanks to jet travel and the increased use of air conditioning. This was especially true for Florida. Wealthy vacationers flocked to Miami Beach, and Fort Lauderdale became the destination of choice for college students on spring break.
midwest
In the midwest, many tourist attractions focused on our rustic pioneer heritage. We also enjoyed camping, fishing and cave exploration. Before you leave, be sure to stock up on souvenir plates and plastic Indian dolls!
In the 1950s, the Ducks (1946) and Tommy Bartlett Water Show (1952) helped to transform the Wisconsin Dells area into a major tourist spot.
west
Legalized gambling and lenient divorce laws made Nevada a popular travel destination in the 1930s. By the 1950s, cities like Reno and Las Vegas were known for their glamorous hotels and casinos. The famous Las Vegas Strip was born in the 1940s when developers built sprawling resorts on a stretch of highway outside the city limits. In the 1950s, nine new resorts and several smaller motels and casinos opened in Vegas.
foreign locales
In the 1940s, Havana's reputation as a tourist spot was marred by rampant corruption in the gambling industry. When the American mafia gained control in the 1950s, Havana enjoyed several years of success as the Monte Carlo Of The Caribbean. Unfortunately, the party was over in 1959 when Fidel Castro took control of Cuba, causing America to break all ties with the island.
For fun in the sun, many celebrities made the trek to Acapulco. It's been said that every decade has its glamorous, trendy international city. In the 1950s, this honor fell to Rome.
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The great outdoors
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amusement parks
The amusement park industry was in desperate need of a makeover in the 1950s. When the decade began, most parks were between 30 and 60 years old. New forms of entertainment were attracting our attention, and the older parks started to look worn and dated. Coney Island was approaching the end of its glory days, and it looked like the same thing was happening at many other parks.
theme parks
In 1946, Santa Claus Land was the first park to adopt a unified theme for the rides and attractions within its borders. When Disneyland opened in 1955, it took the idea a step further by incorporating several themes within a single park. Together, these parks gave us something totally new....the artificial, kid-friendly world of the theme park. This idea would shape the amusement park industry for the next 60 years.
After the theme park concept became popular, many small parks opened with Santa Claus and fairy tale themes. The baby boom also created a whole new generation of parks aimed at young children, known as kiddielands.
Story Book Lands
Santa's Village
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east
south
midwest
west
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RetroLisa
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hotels
When sophisticated jetsetters traveled to large cities or resort areas, first-class hotels were there to greet them.
In the past, most hotels focused on providing their guests with luxuries they couldn't get at home. For the average person, this was a chance to eat in a fancy restaurant, dance in an elegant ballroom or watch a fabulous nightclub show.
There were still plenty of nightclub comics and cabaret singers in the 1950s, and plenty of Starlite Rooms to host them. However, the need to provide live entertainment was gradually becoming less important with the advent of television. During this decade, large hotels began to shift their focus to relaxation and recreation by providing swimming pools, beaches, small lounges, tennis courts, spas and golf courses.
motels & cabins
When the sun went down, auto travelers spent the night in simple roadside motels and tourist cabins.
In the 1950s, it became evident that something was missing....a motel that was more modern than a tourist cabin, but not as pricey as a big hotel. Chain stores and restaurants were rapidly becoming a way of life for Americans in the 1950s, and travelers began to desire the same level of consistency in the motel industry.
These factors resulted in the growth of two established motel chains and the creation of several more:
Independent motels could join a referral chain and enjoy the benefits of chain membership while maintaining their individual identities. Participating motels took advantage of the chain's referral service and inclusion in a central directory. Benefits for the traveler included consistency, cleanliness and a convenient telephone reservation system. The two biggest referral chains in the 1950s were Quality Courts and Best Western. Other referral chains included Master Hosts, Congress Of Motor Hotels and Superior Courts.
trailer parks
Trailer parks were a popular and economical alternative to hotels. Airstream travel trailers provided comforts comparable to the average small home.
Vintage Airstream Trailers
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New York City
- Plaza Hotel
- St. Regis Hotel
- Pierre Hotel
- New Yorker Hotel
- Hotel Algonquin
- St. Moritz Hotel
- Biltmore Hotel
Chicago
- Allerton Hotel
- Drake Hotel
- Palmer House Hilton
- Pick-Congress Hotel
- Conrad Hilton
- Bismarck Hotel
- Blackstone Hotel
- Ambassador East Hotel
Miami Beach
San Francisco
Motel History
Motel Americana
American Motel Postcards
Arizona's Wigwam Village on Route 66
There were six Wigwam Villages in the south during the 1950s
Click here for more places to spend the night!
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