A Historic Wigwam Hotel In KY Offers Authentic Americana In A Family-Friendly Environment

One of the best parts about traveling cross-country in America is the amount of unique and vastly intriguing roadside attractions one might encounter along their journey. Some of these attractions represent the ideals and values of bygone eras in the name of capitalism, while others blatantly, insensitively, and often incorrectly pilfered from other cultures to do so. 

One of the guiltiest yet most functional examples of this would have to be Wigwam Village No. 2 in Cave City, Kentucky. Located on Highway 31 West, on the way to the Dolly Parton Bar in Nashville, Tennessee, and the artsy town of Louisville, Kentucky, the hotel has been in operation since 1937 and was once a part of a small chain of which only two other wigwam hotels remain (No. 6 in Holbrook, Arizona and No. 7 in Rialto, California).

However, the hotel has understandably attracted its fair share of controversy and criticism from representatives of Kentucky Native American tribes. The term "wigwam" is actually not correct for what these structures represent, as the hotel rooms look like teepees in their cone-like structure, which were also used as temporary housing. Native Americans in Kentucky were also not known to live in wigwams. According to its own website, the hotel has come to acknowledge the error in its founder Frank Redford's approach and, through the passing of time, has come to be regarded as a cultural landmark and piece of Americana in its own right.

The hotel encompasses a large semicircle of 15 wigwam-rooms built from concrete with one large wigwam in the center that used to serve as a lunch counter. These encapsulate a large grassy commons area complete with two firepits, a playground, and a covered, lighted picnic pavilion that encourages fellow travelers to interact. Fully outfitted with modern amenities, the hotel rooms offer a unique experience while also serving as a delightful place to rest after a long day of hiking at the nearby Mammoth Cave National Park. Rooms come with the standard free WiFi, TVs, and coffee pots, but also feature bed frames and vanities built almost a century ago by the Columbus Hickory Furniture Co. out of Indiana. With surrounding four acres of trees and rolling hills, the hotel itself is picturesque to the point of warranting a trip to see it.

While older folks may have passed the big teepees on the highway for many years, youngsters might recognize the structure from the Pixar movie "Cars" as it was the inspiration for the Cozy Cone Motel. As the image of the hotel has become enmeshed in the cultural lexicon, even Native representatives such as Helen Danser, chair of the Kentucky Native American Commission, have expressed positive views on it. "I'm not opposed to it being there if it's done in an appropriate manner because it would be a wonderful teaching tool," Danser said, as quoted on the hotel's website. 

So if you want to experience history while also getting the chance to enjoy the bucolic Kentucky surroundings, you may want to adhere to the neon sign at the front of the hotel and "Sleep in a Wigwam".