I’ve read on more than a few occasions stories of people back in the ’50s-’60s driving from up north to visit the sandy beaches of Florida. And these are the postcards that fed such wishes; images from the period showing a variety of accommodations, all ready to attend to newcomers hoping to enjoy Florida’s sunny waters.
The postcards go from upscale accommodations to far more modest ones; some are more colorful, others more restrained and tasteful. And as usual, I tried to pick the images with more interesting automotive content.
We start with the Aqua Terrace Motel in Ormond Beach, shown above.
Driftwood Court, Ormond Beach.
Rio Mar Court, Daytona Beach.
Castaway Beach Motel, Daytona Beach.
Beach Club Hotel, Ft. Lauderdale.
Rix Motel, Clearwater Beach.
Beach Town Motel and Apts., Daytona Beach.
Casa Linda Motel, Daytona Beach.
Atlantic Waves Motel, Daytona Beach.
Castaway Beach Motel in Daytona…..how about that BRIGHT RED 50ish Cadillac with the conie kit!! The only way to go!
The violet/white “Stude” caught my eye.
The Stude is a 56 Golden Hawk with the big Packard 352 V8.
I was thinking, that’s quite a batch of mid-50s Cadillacs there! And what happened to the fender skirt on that red ’54 Eldorado?
I could be wrong, but I don’t thing that Eldo came with skirts. (?)
Oops, just googled 54 Eldo. It did come with skirts!
Driftwood had a killer Packard and a DeSoto / Chrysler.
That dark blue or black Mopar is a post-war DeSoto, 1946 through 1949 “First Series.” Possibly a Suburban, but I don’t see a roof rack. You can tell the DeSotos from Chryslers by the rectangular taillights.
“Howard / Marian Cunningham” had a blue on on “Happy Days”.
I remember as a kid we vacationed in Florida every year. Some of the motels had cars parked in front, that hadn’t moved in years (flat tires, etc.) apparently to make them look busy! Anyone else remember that?
Folks sitting in the poolside chairs at the Aqua Terrace Motel can get up and step right into the parking lot. And take in the exhaust fumes while relaxing.
Did that at several motels in my time..
Surprisingly, that motel, and the other one shown here from Ormond Beach, are still standing.
The Aqua Terrace Motel is now known as the OceanFront Inn & Suites, and the buildings have been resurfaced. However the layout is still original – right down to the parking lot-side pool. Though now there’s a short wall separating the lot and the pool (probably required for safety considerations).
Then-and-now comparison below.
Google StreetView here:
https://maps.app.goo.gl/pUDsJvPkEKYHJV9L8
Nice, thanx Eric ! .
I figured all these beach front Motels would be long gone by now .
-Nate
Seems like the nicer the cars, the hotels are more upscale.
“Casa Linda” looks the epitome of “dive”. lol Could just be the pic. The gleaming, pink, “Caddy” out front is a show stealer.
As someone who lives in the area. The few of these that are remaining are in rough shape. many converted to monthly rentals to low income.
At the very tail end of this era (December 1969) a friend and I drove down to Florida from Halifax NS during Christmas break, in a 1968 Datsun pickup with a canopy on the back.
We weren’t in the motel market – just looking for a place to sleep in the truck. My friend was more countercultural than I was, and was nervous of being hassled by the police. My response (I was way less cool…) was ‘let’s just ask the police where we can park’.
One of Cocoa Beach’s finest led us down to the end of a street on the ocean front, and said would be fine to park there for a few nights. The next morning a nice lady from the nearest house came knocking on the truck to say hello, and asked us in for breakfast. Nice Florida memories. 🙂
Love this.
Love “Rix Motel, Clearwater Beach” with 2fer on Thunderbirds!
Dave
I love the fact that the Aqua Terrace has a swimming pool next to the sea. That said, guess it’d be useful if you had small children, or in the evenings.
Noticed that NONE of these postcards(or ones from the other thread) are from anywhere on the Florida panhandle. Except maybe for Pensacola beach there was NOTHING on the Emerald Coast back in the 1950’s/60’s. Might also be a reflection of how tiny population wise and much poorer places like middle Tennessee and Alabama were at that time.
My favorite is the last one, the Atlantic Waves Motel. It looks very peaceful and I like the row of palm trees. It has the obligatory parking lot pool and air conditioning.
I stayed at the Aqua Terrace many times with my family. It was always a fun, family oriented place to stay. As a very small child , I remember us staying at the Town And Country. Also a family oriented place to stay. I still love Daytona and go there often.
Loving the Rix! Of course I would have a tendency to seek out the Thunderbirds, given I own a ‘65 Landau.
Thanks for posting these pictures.
I have a box full of old post cards from places in the U.S.A. Always wondered how they would be worth.