"No Vacancy"
Once the ‘Fountain Inn’ in Hollywood, Georgia on Highway 441
was a busy place for tourists to stop and rest on their way to the NE Georgia
Mountains. Big-box motels that sprung up along the new by-passes of America
helped to put an end to an era of America’s love affair with the road. Once,
north-bound traffic from Atlanta and further south had to pass through
Hollywood to get to the coolness of the Georgia Mountains, Cherokee, NC, and
other northern hot-spot destinations. Now, the by-pass, though close to the
motel, diverts travelers away from Hollywood.
The car pictured in the painting has been sitting in the
same spot for as long as I can remember, a kind of monument to a by-gone day.
There are times you can see a light in one of the rooms on a lonely night and
occasionally a porch light illuminates a rusting chair or the old Coke box. If
you find yourself wandering off the beaten path, and run upon the Fountain Inn,
no need to stop for a room. There is never a vacancy at this memorial to
yesteryear. You can, however, stop for a photo and reminisce. In an age where
Americana history is being torn down and turned into vacant lots or made into
suburban sprawl I consider this one of the last uninhibited intact vestiges of
a time when mom and pop motels were king.
Note: In real life and in painting the car is more of a
burnt orange color. Colors are a little off in photo.
Hollywood is well known for a little diner situated next to
the motel. Aptly named Hollywood Diner, it serves excellent catfish.
Friday and Saturday nights, its all-you-can-eat.
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