Fantasy Farm Motel

I always thought the No Tell Motel was a family joke . This picture postcard proves places with names like the No Tell Motel and the Half Way Inn really exist.

The Fantasy Farm postcard was sent by friends of my grandmother to an address in Largo, Florida. The addressee’s name does not ring any bells with me but somehow my grandmother seized it and gave it to me. I suspect she persuaded yet another friend to retrieve their sent postcards for my collection. At the time she gave me the card I thought it was yet another example of the ubiquitous non-discript advertisement postcards that were free to any traveler in America during the mid-century. I did not think anything was odd or off color or weird so my guess is I was given the card before entering puberty. Now I think of it as a classic of commercial double entendre.

To learn more about the Fantasy Farm Motel go here.

The postcard was published by Perry Printing Co. Inc. of Middletown, Ohio. I think it was sent in the early sixties. The postage stamp is a Washington 5 cent. I can read June 3^rd on the post mark but not the year. Also on the reverse side is a AAA symbol, so it must have received the American Automobile Association‘s stamp of approval.

The Fantasy Farm was part of an amusement park. The motel had all the amenities of the day, including “spacious carpeted rooms, ceramic (tub and shower) baths, television, room phones, free morning coffee, electric heating and air conditioning, family pool and good food” to boot. The motel’s slogan states, “Modern as tomorrow…in a restful, rural atmosphere.”

The hand written message tells the story of our mysterious travelers. “We arrived here last Tue. And have been plenty busy since. We are staying at this motel. It is very nice. Our children live only five miles north and south of the motel. They raised the devil when we moved into the motel but we thought it was the best…”

No doubt, the best plan when staying at the Fantasy Farm Motel is to stay at least five miles from the children.