Motel Americana - Arkansas

During our 2001 President Trek, we pass through Ola, Arkansas, a little less than 60 miles north of Hot Springs. As in many small towns, Ola's letter carrier drives around in a local pickup truck with a postal service sticker slapped on the door. An interesting thing about stopping off at a small town like Ola is the assortment of candies and soft drinks that haven't been sold in more urban areas for ten years or so, like "Freshen Up" gum. My eleven year old daughter bites into her first piece: "Oh my gosh, there's goo in the middle!" Nearby, Mima's Motel and Cafe offers individual whitewashed cabins nestle under low hanging trees.

Rolling along on State Road 7, we stop at the Glendell Motel. Even though they insist on "no children," a wooden Humpty-Dumpty and cow cavort in the overgrown grass. The duplex rooms are pretty standard brick affairs, but the windows are edged with homemade red shutters. Hummingbirds flit through the moist air as cars peel out at the high school across the street. One must wonder about the local teenagers' experiences with this place...

Mima's Motel and Cafe El Rancho Motel Park Avenue Motel

Hot Springs itself hugs a narrow main drag, highlighted by ornate bathhouses where turn-of-the-century tourists would "take the waters." Predictably, many of the tourist courts on either side of the city center suffer the ravages of prostitution and drug use. For a lover of genuine mom and pop stops, there's really only one choice, the Cottage Motel on Park Avenue (image at top). While insects begin to practice their musical cacophony under a setting sun, we pull into the court. In the office, we discover that Efren is not only the owner, he's the "president."

A no-nonsense guy, he rents and cleans every room himself: "I don't trust anyone else to do it - not even my wife." He's proud of a recent accolade his Cottage Motel received from a local booster club as the most beautiful small business, but often regrets his decision to flee the hassles and traffic of New York. The promise of loose gamblers visiting casinos in Hot Springs never panned out thanks to local bible thumpers. Despite the potential for a quick profit, he won't sell his motel cheap: " I'm not going to give it away. I spent a lot of money renovating this place. I sweated my blood here."

"What? You don't take credit? "

"No, my daughter isn't here and [motioning to the credit card reader] I don't understand that s**t."

Click the button to enjoy the full-size view.

Hope Plaza Court Refrigerated Air-conditioned Carpeted Floors - Newly Furnished Vented Heat - Tile Baths U.S. 67 at East City Limits Two Minutes from Down Town Phone - Prospect 7-9975 Hope, Arkansas

Gorden's Motel Jasper, Arkansas Air-Conditioned Tile Baths - Panel Ray Heat Simmons Best Steel Furniture Box Springs & Inner Springs Mattresses "Cleanliness," our Motto 2 People 4.50 & Up 4 $6.00, Up

20th Century Tourist Cottages To Feel Your Best - Stop and Rest at 20th Century Tourist Cottages, Highways 61-63-64-70-79, West Memphis, Ark. 22 Cabins - Air-Conditioned - Circulating Hot Air Heat. "Pop" Phillips, Partner and Mgr. Phone 167.

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Last update: February 23, 2002 All photographs copyright © Andy and Jenny Wood. Text copyright © Andy Wood.