NonChainLodging.com Blog Travel where “there’s a there there”

Welcome to Non-Chain Motels!

What good would a travel site be if you couldn't read travel stories written by others who have gone down the same road you're contemplating? Well, we figure this is just the place to meet fellow travelers, learn about some of the lodgings and attractions advertised on this site, and maybe even contribute a thought or two yourself. Dave and I take pride in helping others have as much fun discovering this country's "highways and byways" as we do. If there's something you'd like to see on the site, drop us a line! -- Lonnie

Wellsboro where?

Lonnie April 3rd, 2007

Wellsboro, PA
Picture of Wellsboro from Joe Hurley’s Route 6 Walk

One day I started planning a road trip in an unusual way. I took out a map and drew a large circle around our home town with a radius the distance of a decent one-day drive. Then I looked inside the circle to see where we had never visited before. And there it was: Wellsboro, Pennsylvania, on US Route 6. I checked out their website and it looked so achingly charming, I booked a room in one of the area’s many non-chain motels and off we went.

It was in the middle of the hottest part of the summer, but there was life on Main Street. Why? Because there’s a there there! The business district has a great diversity of businesses, including the Penn Wells Hotel and the Sherwood Motel. The most beautiful aspect to this enchanting town is the long rows of real gas lights – yes, lit with gas – down two of the main streets and through the park in the center of town. We strolled around at ten at night, enjoying the quiet gaslit darkness, so romantic it brought tears to my eyes.
Continue Reading »

The fly-over zone

Lonnie April 3rd, 2007

1955 Buick and Motel

Can you believe some people think of the vast central part of this country only as a place you fly over? Well… I’ll confess… you’ll find out sooner or later. I’m from a medium-size city that sits in the middle of a whole lot of farm land near the largest park in the the Lower 48. Can you guess where that might be? I’ll give you a hint. Ever since I was little, I’ve wanted to drive old U.S. Route 20 from Boston to the West Coast.
Continue Reading »

A clean, comfortable – and special – place to stay

Lonnie April 2nd, 2007

Fishing on Oneida Lake
Fishing on Oneida Lake

You know, we can all find some pretty nice places to stay when we’re out on the road. If you stick to the superhighways, you’ll find something off just about every exit ramp. I’ll confess, we sometimes stay at those corporate hotels when we’re in a hurry to get to something more interesting. But our most memorable trips have been those take off the interstates, where we could bumble into any number of small towns replete with those unique places of lodging that don’t tend to hang out at the exit ramp.
Continue Reading »