Places to Stay

Wharton, Texas: Home of Nostalgic Charm and Tee Pees for Two (Or More)

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Sitting deserted since some time in the 1980s, the Tee Pee Motel of Wharton, Texas has since been purchased and renovated, and now continues to welcome guests as it did in its heyday of being a famous Texas landmark. When Barbara and Bryon Woods chose the lucky state lotto numbers some years back, they purchased the hotel with a portion of their winnings and began to restore it to its former glory, and then some.

Wharton, Texas: Home of Nostalgic Charm and Tee Pees for Two (Or More)

Photo: Facebook/Tee Pee Motel and RV Park

Reopening to guests in 2006 and now called the Tee Pee Motel and RV Park, the property was originally designed in 1942 by George and Toppie Belcher. Part of the grandiose golden era of wonderful Texas roadside stops, the 11 stucco and wood rooms were constructed post-World War II (1947, to be exact), and beckoned people from miles around. The 59-year old outbuildings were restored with a mind for business and a heart for pleasure travel. Each unit had their bedrooms and bathrooms renovated and additional amenities such as refrigerators, microwaves, and coffeemakers added. The RV park portion was also newly constructed with ample space for parking and full hookups.

Wharton, Texas: Home of Nostalgic Charm and Tee Pees for Two (Or More)

Photo: Pinterest/Dustin J. Williston

The only one of its kind remaining in Texas, and one of only four remaining in the entire U.S., the Tee Pee Motel’s units feature décor components representing Native American culture, and more specifically, nations which are a part of Texas’ colorful past. Working with 10 Native American territories, the redesign set out to have each of the Tee Pees hold the characteristics of a specific tribe with the concept of allowing each unit to take on a personality of its own.

Wharton, Texas: Home of Nostalgic Charm and Tee Pees for Two (Or More)

Photo: Facebook/Tee Pee Motel and RV Park

With very reasonable rates (rooms are priced upwards of $71.85 per night) for both a cozy overnight in a motel or a wonderful RV parking opportunity (averaging $25 or more) the Tee Pee Motel and RV Park in Wharton, Texas, takes you back to a wonderful time of naivety and innocence and lets you enjoy roadside kitsch in comfort, style, and class. Why not take a trip to Wharton and check it out? You would then be part of a new generation of travelers taking a detour from the fast pace of the Texas highways, drawn in by the warm glow of nostalgia and charm.

Sources:

Texas Escapes

Houston Press