I have lived in Austin most of my life (48). I believe this HJ is at 183 & I-35, NW corner. There was likely one in South Austin as well, but I can't recall where it was. But I know there was one here as mentioned. That was pretty much the North edge of town back then. I love this site, even though it has minimal Texas stuff, I love historical record photography. Bless you for this tremendous preservation record you have created.

To heck with all this pussy-footing around how old we are. Sheesh! I'm 48 hotel/motel years old. When I was growing up (come summertime) there was nothing more my Dad wanted to do than Sparkle-Wash our red '65 Chevy Impala wagon (no AC) and head out onto the road. This photo made me do a memory mindflip back to when three kids, Mom and a springer spaniel (along with a Triple-A Triptik) trusted Dad in his wanderlust. We HAD to like like HoJo's because Dad HAD to have every serving of tendersweet fried clams he could digest. Yes, ashtrays were everywhere! You could smoke in a doctor's office. I see a lot of old movies where Doc is lighting up his own fave-filtered brand. Thanks for listening.

HoJo's ice cream was the best!

I remember the HoJo in Knoxville that an earlier poster wrote about. That indoor pool with the island was the bomb-diggity. We used to stop there on our way from Florida to Ohio (and back). I spent lots of time in that pool until it was time for supper or sleep. Great memories!

The origin of HoJo's Tendersweet Fried Clams...

Hojoboy is right...I am just as old (young?) as he is and when we were little, HoJos were a welcome sight. My brother and I would beg to stay at them because we knew they had the best pools. That is, unless we were camping--then we'd beg for the KOA. A quick scan of the horizon as we drove into any given town let us know if we were going to stay there or keep on driving.

Howard Johnson's are still around, but they went all "continental." It's a shame. Thanks again for the memory jog, what a treat.

Mattie, if you love collecting this stuff, this is the best site I've ever been to for all things "Roadside Americana":

http://www.lileks.com/motels/index.html

Lileks has the best mixture of reverence and humor for the America we all grew up with. Be sure you tour the Institute of Official Cheer!

Hotels looked like this. There was a huge Hojo in Knoxville, TN where I grew up. I'm not exactly old either. As in 31 years old. When we were kids, my Mom would take us down to the Hojo in the summer. For a couple of bucks, they would let you swim in their massive indoor pool- complete with an island, a slide in the middle, and a hot tub. I also recall playing Pac-Man on one of those table consoles with the glass tops. There as also a Tiki bar.

The Hojo shut down years ago. Half the hotel including the pool and the orange check-in office was torn down. A developer looks to have tried making the remaining hotel into condos.

Motels today are sterile places. I tend to try and stay at old ones if possible.

Just looking at this picture makes the mouth water for some of those great HoJo fried claims.

When the last Howard Johnson's closed here in San Diego, it was a sad day for the loss of that one great vacation treat.

Like the shot of the gravel truck in the background, sitting and plotting to crack any and all windshields trailing it.

FISH OUT OF WATER!!!

This was obviously taken during the era when if you did something idiotic it was YOUR fault...not the fault of the hotel for providing entertainment and counting on you to use it responsibly. That part of the "good old days" I do miss...

Wow, what a backflip!

I've lived in Austin for 8 years now...I had no idea we had a Howard Johnson's.

Their color scheme made a nice match for the University of Texas school colors there (what with many of the Austin street signs also that way - white on orange). I lived in Austin while attending UT 1966-69.

As a former lifeguard, I cringe at this picture. She is just begging for a head/spine injury.

Beautiful photo--the colors are so vibrant.

I see three things you don't see at today's motel pools; slide, diving board and an ashtray!

What a fantastic reminder of my own childhood vacation days.

I can smell the chlorine...

No doubt about it, this ranks right up there with End of the Road: 1964 for sheer Kodachomeosity.

If you are of a certain age, those colors and roof design are permanently impressed in your memory.

I collect tacky motel postcards from the 1950s and '60s, and this reminds me of one. The fine action shot of the diver and the gloriously saturated colors put it far above most postcards, though. This is a beautiful image.

I believe this is still around -- but the Vintage HoJoness has been remodeled away.

If you check Expedia.com and Hotels.com there's some photos, and there's hojoplazaaustin.com