The Long Way
Maricopa County
An outdoor swimming pool surrounded by lounge chairs and palm trees.
Plate I. Swimming pool area, Space Age Lodge. From bestwestern.com
A hotel bedroom featuring two beds and a blue accent wall.
Plate II. Guest room, Space Age Lodge. From bestwestern.com
An interior view of an office with a space-themed ceiling mural.
Plate III. Lobby ceiling mural, Space Age Lodge. From bestwestern.com
An interior view of a restaurant with space-themed wall murals and blue accents.
Plate IV. Space-themed restaurant, Space Age Lodge. From bestwestern.com
A brightly lit office or lobby with a desk, seating area, and an astronaut painted on the ceiling.
Plate V. Lobby interior, Space Age Lodge. From bestwestern.com
An interior view of an alien-themed restaurant or bar with a blue ceiling.
Plate VI. Alien-themed lounge, Space Age Lodge. From bestwestern.com
An interior view of a bar featuring a Star Trek mural on the back wall.
Plate VII. Bar area inside Space Age Lodge. From atlasobscura.com

Space Age Lodge

Gila Bend, Maricopa County, Arizona. Motor lodge.

Details

Map. Gila Bend, Maricopa County, Arizona. Larger map
Where
401 E Pima, Gila Bend, AZ 85337. Directions
When
Check-in 3:00 P.M. MST, Check-out 11:00 A.M. MST.
Getting there
Off Interstate 8 in Gila Bend.
Fees
Pet fee USD 20.00 per day.
Walk-in or reserve
Phone (1(800) 780-7234 toll free) or online via Best Western.
Phone
(928) 683-2273
Website
bestwestern.com
Managed by
Best Western Space Age Lodge.
Established
1965.

Space-themed motor lodge off Interstate 8 in Gila Bend with retro roadside charm and modern comfort near the Sonoran Desert.

Notable Events

  1. 1963This page states the Space Age Lodge opened in Gila Bend in 1963, while the Space Race was peaking. doney.net
  2. 1964A suitably themed restaurant was added next to the motel in 1964. doney.net
  3. 1965Stovall's Space Age Lodge opened, according to a brief history on the back of the Lodge's restaurant menu. roadsideamerica.com
  4. 1980sBest Western required the lodge to update its look to keep its franchise; sputniks were removed, and during the renovation a flying saucer landed atop the lobby. doney.net
  5. 1998The restaurant burned down in 1998 and was rebuilt with an updating of the theme. doney.net
  6. 1998A fire sparked by a malfunctioning neon light destroyed parts of the lobby and restaurant; the owners stretched a banner outside the burned building that read 'Attacked by Aliens!'. phoenixmag.com
  7. 1999The restaurant was rebuilt and reopened in 1999, and the Space Age Lodge has remained pretty much the same since then. roadsideamerica.com

People

  • Carol and Duke Fox, Managers of the Space Age who shared ownership with the Stovall family during the mid-1980s update.
  • Al Stovall, Visionary and builder; a local wheeler-dealer who owned a plastics factory that produced the custom space-age decorations.
  • Bill O'Connell, Keeper of the lodge; first began working with Al Stovall as a 21-year-old in the boss' hotels in Anaheim, Calif.

Sources

  1. visitarizona.com/like-a-local/arizonas-roadside-attractions
  2. bestwestern.com/en_US/book/gila-bend/hotel-rooms/best-western-space-age-lodge/propertyCode.03004.html
  3. visitarizona.com/directory/space-age-lodge-hotel-and-restaurant
  4. bestwestern.com/en_US/book/hotels-in-gila-bend/best-western-space-age-lodge/propertyCode.03004.html
  5. roadsideamerica.com/story/15079
  6. atlasobscura.com/places/space-age-restaurant-arizona
  7. roadsideamerica.com/story/15079
  8. phoenixmag.com/2015/06/01/space-age-lodge
  9. doney.net/aroundaz/gilabend.htm