Blue Jay Motel - Salem, Virginia - Neon Signs on Waymarking.com

Prior to the opening of Interstate 81, U. S. Route 11 was the main north-south highway through the great valley of Virginia. Stretching some 350-mile from West Virginia to Tennessee, Route 11 was home to some of Virginia’s best roadside attractions, including Natural Bridge, and the caverns of the Shenandoah Valley. Also before the interstate, Route 11 featured many tourist motel and motor courts as they were called back then. These family owned motels provided motorist with basic clean accommodations for the night, while touting such modern amenities as “color TV” and “Air Conditioning.” Most of these family run motels were either rendered obsolete when the Interstates passed them by or were swallowed up by the chain motels.

One of these old tourist motels is still in business on Route 11 west of Salem, Virginia. The Blue Jay Motel has been in business for well over 50-years and still welcomes guests who find their way off of Interstate 81 to visit nearby Dixie Caverns. The Blue Jay Motel Sign still stands at the entrance, but is fast falling into disrepair. Until recently the sign still worked at night but during the last year or so it has stopped working. Hopefully, business will improve and the owners can renovate and repair this icon of an earlier time.

NOTE: August 2011 all of the neon has been removed and this sign has been repainted.

Name of business: Blue Jay Motel Type of business: Hotel/Motel Condition of Neon Sign: Gonesville - Bitter remnant of what once was Physical Location: 5399 West Main Street Salem, Va USA 24153 Web Address: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
One picture of sign will suffice. Additional shots - bonus.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   09/22/2013 tlcro visited it