A Longtime Favorite Motel In Kentucky Has New Owners And It's Now Ready For More Decades Of Memories
By Sarah McCosham|Published June 18, 2021
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Sarah McCosham
Author
I write like it's my job - because it is! I have a Master's in English and love words: crossword puzzles, Scrabble games, Wordle, and, of course, good, old-fashioned books.
I'm a writer and editor at OnlyInYourState, and a contributing writer at Cincinnati Magazine. I love the Great Outdoors and am endlessly awestruck by this beautiful country of ours. Coffee keeps me going, yoga keeps me sane, my kids keep me grounded, and my writing keeps me inspired.
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There are lots of unique places where you can spend the night in Kentucky, but there’s nothing quite like this attraction in Cave City. Wigwam Village No. 2 isn’t just the only wigwam village in Kentucky, it’s also one of only three remaining wigwam villages in the entire country. And, as you’ll soon learn, it’s actually not a wigwam village at all… but we’ll get that in a moment. A longtime favorite motel in Kentucky, the Wigwam Village recently underwent a change of ownership, and the new owners are finally doing this historic place right.
If you've driven along Dixie Highway in Cave City, Kentucky, chances are you probably passed this roadside attraction.
Inspired by a trip to California (where there was an ice cream stand shaped like a teepee), Frank Redford returned home to Kentucky and created his own lunch counter/gas station shaped like a teepee.
The concept was a smashing success. Soon, Redford had franchised Wigwam Villages all around the country. Seven in total were built (No. 3 in New Orleans, No. 4 in Orlando, and No. 5 in Birmingham), but only No. 2 in Cave City, Kentucky, No. 6 in Holbrook, Arizona, and No. 7 in Rialto, California remain today.
There's a big difference between the two dwellings: wigwams are semi-permanent, dome-shaped structures that indigenous people built in the Northeast; tepees are temporary, cone-shaped structures favored by the indigenous people in the Great Plains and Canadian Prairies.
Redford's cultural appropriation (or in this case, misappropriation) of the wigwam motif was wrong -- and insensitive.
But it's a new day, and the Historic Wigwam Village No. 2 is under new ownership. The new owners acknowledge the cultural theft the motel represents, and want to provide context and background to help guests understand its ramifications.
They also want to celebrate Historic Wigwam Village No. 2’s place in Americana -- the cultural identity and history of the country. So they're moving ahead, and focusing on what Redford did right, starting with the cozy, homey nature of the dwellings.
While Wigwam Village No. 2 has a tenuous history, frankly, so does America. We grow and learn from the past; we learn from our mistakes; and we move forward, stronger and better informed.
And this is precisely what's happening at Kentucky's Wigwam Village No. 2, a historic place that's looking ahead to a bright future.
Have you driven past Wigwam Village No. 2 in Kentucky before, or stayed there overnight? Did you know about its history? Share your experiences with this historic motel in the comments below! To learn more and make a reservation at this memorable attraction, visit the Wigwam Village website.
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