Munger Moss Motel

I was especially drawn to this motel because of the legendary classic neon sign. They were very accommodating, as I did not know exactly when my travels would take me there, but they took me on rather short notice. I suppose that’s the good thing about traveling during the off-season on route 66. The staff was extremely nice and the area was very safe. The grounds are kept very nicely and the rooms are clean. It definitely fits the vibe of an older motel with retro features, though not fancy. Don’t expect a lot of TV channels, but we didn’t really care. The bed was comfortable and I got to photograph the neon sign, so I’d say it was a great experience overall and I would return.

We loved the charm and friendly service of coming to this historic hotel. Our room was dated, but that was the point. Great to see a push button phone with a phone book, comfy seats to sit in, and period furniture. It was clean, the bed was comfortable, the shower and wifi worked well, and we were offered lots of free ice for our cooler. Only small disappointments, the heat was turned off in our room and it took a good half hour to get comfortable. We waited until nightfall to get a picture of the cool neon sign, but then it was turned off. There was no one in the lobby in the morning for the advertised free coffee.

We stayed here for 1 night as part of our Gypsy tour on motorcycles. Very quaint and small vintage motel, rooms all remodeled to reflect years gone by. Our room was clean, comfy, bed was very nice, small bathroom but good shower. Nice people that run/own it. CONS- need a public ice machine since we needed some in the morning and the office was not open. Pool has been filled in. Need more towel hooks or bars in bathroom. Price on room went up like $20 after we made reservations but was not notified of that. Paid $127

The truth of the "4" star rating of the room is no mints on my pillow. Back to the basics is where it's at, old school just missing the vibrating bed Lol. The people are great. Lisa so helpful. Melissa takes pride in her tidy work. The maintenance guy what a magician. The true nostalgia of the place is the people staying here with an extended time The stories the memories the travelers gives me goosebumps as I speak will always cherish our time here.

Directly on the Route. Great iconic Route 66 motel with restored Neon Sign that lights up at night. Very nostalgic vibe. Our room was filled with mint green ceramic bathroom fixtures! Wonderful mid-century retro feel. Clean and comfortable Queen sized bed. Good price.

Room was clean and comfortable. Rita at the front desk was very helpful and a joy to talk to. She gave us several recommendations on where to eat and stop on our rt 66 adventure.

The rooms seem clean, although the furniture is very old, but it's part of the experience. The real issue is that we found a mouse in the room! He was wandering around and when I made him escape, he passed through the AC machine (at least 40 years old), which is at ground level and has huge space between the machine itself and the wall, making it easy for them to go in and out. The owner refunded us immediately, which I appreciate. However she was aware of this mouse issue!!! So, stop to take pictures, but don't sleep there

I have been a Route 66 fanatic since I was a kid. Getting the chance to stay here and meet Mrs. Ramona felt like meeting a celebrity to me! The room was very clean and cozy and comfortable and nothing beats seeing that beautiful neon out front. Great price too! I highly recommend staying or at least stopping in to say hello!

This is a stop listed on Historic Route 66 websites. Construction on Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon began in 1946 during WWII. You could rent a cabin for three dollars a night when it opened. No TV's then, but you had your own shower and toilet and steam heat. It's really that marvelous sign that everyone comes to see. It's absolutely huge! The fact that the motel still has rooms for rent and the original sign is testiment to these towns and businesses. After the death in 2023 of Lebanon's own "Queen of Route 66" Ramona Lehman, the Lehman family, who ran the motel for 50 years, has sold this iconic location to Dels Corporation of Arkansas. Dels corp states they will work with the Lebanon Historic Route 66 Society to restore the motel and keep the historic sign in place. Here's hoping for another 73 years for the Munger-Moss motel.

This motel has character galore! Rustic and quaint, it feels like a cozy room in an old bed and breakfast. No amenities like coffee pots, microwaves, and refrigerators, and breakfast. For the much lower price of a regular hotel, this is so worth it! The couple that runs this motel are so nice - they add to the entire experience. The office is crammed full of old Route 66 memorabilia, it's almost hard to take it all in. Every nook and cranny has something special. I hope we can be fortunate enough to find more places like this on our Route 66 adventure. It only adds more to the character and charm of a bygone era.

Great throwback place. Family owned No frills but if you want a Route 66 experience this is the place !!!!

Route 66 Icon Experience left us wanting when we returned to our room after an excursion to the Arch at 10:30pm and the neon sign was off! It looked closed with the exception of the sheriffs and tow truck blocking the drive to repossess a vehicle, and make an arrest. I found another way around to our room and next day moved on. Not my favorite Route 66 experience, but it could have been. I think the managment May be having some health issues.

Unfortunately I read some of the reviews on line and came very close to passing by the Munger Moss Motel. Fortunately I contacted the owner, Ramona, by email and enquired about the room and a reservation. She explained that she is running the Motel herself and would like me to estimate my arrival time. As I was traveling RT. 66 I wasn't sure of my timing and how long it would take at the many stops I planned to make that day. She indicated that communication with her if I needed to arrive later than the time that I quoted to her. As it turns out passing by this special location and not meeting this fantastic lady would have been a massive loss. Ramona is a wealth of knowledge concerning Rt. 66. I only regret that I didn't plan more time to spend talking to her before pushing on in the morning. The conditions were not the Holiday Inn and if that's what you want you should head out to the highway and pay the price for your expectations. My goal with my route 66 trip was to stay in motels that depicted the feeling of travelers in the past. This location is perfect. The room is very clean and well kept. I found it to be larger than some of the other motels that I stayed in along the Route. My entire experience was exactly what I was looking for in my Rt. 66 experience. I would stay at the Munger Inn again any time. Greg Hendricks

Arrived around 8:30pm and the office was closed. We had reservations. Had driven over 2 hours on a Friday after work. Not a huge area and wasn't sure if we'd find another place to stay if one motel was already locked up at 8:30pm. Walked to the open laundry room door and the young lady there was getting ready to head home. Thankfully she opened the office and checked us in. She mentioned she had planned to head home. There was another family that arrived just after us. Recommend arriving early, even with reservations (reason for the 3 stars). I can see that it is typically not a busy place. I suppose staff is accustomed to leaving early. Would not recommend reserving this motel unless you can arrive by 5pm. Overall, adorable place. Certainly brought us back to the 1970s. Color scheme, wall photos, furniture, carpeting, bathroom fixtures, old tv, and the lack thereof microwave and mini fridge. Limited outlets made it difficult to find spots to charge our devices (HA!). Was a real eyeopener of how far technology has taken over out lives. We would stay again for a night just to reminisce, but need to be able to get her early in the day.

I reserved a night over the phone (because they do not have an online system) and unfortunately had to cancel it day of because of car mechanical issues on our road trip. I called for a few hours and could not get ahold of anyone, and there was no voicemail to leave a call back request. When we finally got ahold of someone, I asked what the cancellation policy was. The owners response to my question was "what about it?" To which I was dumbfounded and didn't no how to reply, other than stuttering that I wanted to cancel our day or reservation. She rudely responded "why" and when I continued to tell her about our car issues that would keep us from making it to town, she responded asking where we were. The conversation had a very hostile tone from her end. So when I asked if we were going to be charged or not, she responded "what would the big boys do?" I asked her to repeat the question because I didn't understand. And she repeated and said "what would the big chains do?" And I replied hesitantly saying they'd charge us, she said yes. So I asked if we were being charged, and she said she wouldn't charge us. I asked if she was the owner, and she said yes. We appreciated we wouldn't be charged, but after her rude attitude we are glad we aren't staying in that establishment. We were really looking forward to our stay before our car issues, too.

We went here just to stay at this charming little motel. Each room has theme. We totally enjoyed this place. Americana at its best.

What a nice experience when traveling 66. I would definitely stay here again if in the area. We booked 5 rooms and didn't have an issue with any of them.

A step back in time in the best way. Nice and quiet with rooms that capture the spirit of Route 66. The owner Ramona can be a little gruff and the lobby reeks of smoke. But the rooms are quiet and the rates are reasonable. Not the most modern, TVs are old tube style, but it's nice overall.

We LOVED our visit to Munger Moss. From the wonderfully retro sign out front to our really nice room with Route 66 pictures on the wall, this was a delightful experience. They ain't fancy here and they are NOT a chain, still using keys to unlock rooms. And you can't really reserve a room online but you can contact them via the website to hold you a room. They called me back the next morning and told me to give them the credit card info when I arrived. Sadly, the restaurant is long gone but the retro Route 66 vibe remains -- and it's for real. So get your kicks on Route 66 when you visit Munger Moss.

I called to reserve a room months ago, and reserved one with the owner and gave her my credit card number. Showed up tonight around 7 and the front desk was locked and no one was working. There was a sign on the door that they were closed for the night. I called the number and Ramona, the owner, told me she wasn't checking in anyone else tonight. I told her I had a reservation, and she checked and said I didn't. She lost the reservation and didn't offer to check to see if they had a room. They didn't look busy. She said she could offer me a free night next time we were driving through, which probably won't happen again. I understand that things happen, but after spending an entire day in the car, I didn't want to have to drive another hour and spend an extra $100 to find a place for the night (which is what I had to do). Disappointed. I wanted to give this place a good review.

I called and asked how old you have to be to rent a room there and the lady automatically started being a bitch. She started laughing then I told her I was 19 and she replied "haha I'd rather not". Wouldn't recommend this place to a hobo tbh.They need to improve their business instead of being assholes to people so they won't stay there anymore. Also I've heard they ponder through all your shit when you're gone cause they have the keys!!!!

Adorable Route 66 motel. As other reviewers have said, its not swanky or your standard idea of "nice" but the charm of the history and past associated is wonderful. You have your basic amenities. I really appreciated the free wifi. That and type bed were all I really needed for my one night stay. Also some tips, the woman at the front desk (I missed her name) was super friendly. Said she's been working here for 42 years. We asked for her recommendations on dinner and a little something to do in the evening. We ended up at Dowd's Catfish and BBQ and checking out the rather remarkable community Route 66 museum in the public library, so be sure to take a look if you're into that sorta thing!

This place is so cool and homey. Ramona is wonderful. her husband have owned it 48 years and take a lot of pride in the tradition here. Vintage but very clean and comfy.

Lol, open sign in the window but the woman who runs this place was NOT having it when I rang the front door bell. Guess we aren't staying here!

This is the sort of nostalgic place to stay we were looking for on out trip home from the west coast. We've been traveling on sections of Historic Route 66 for the past few years, when ever we get a chance. Love the history that the route 66 associations are trying to preserve. This is NOT a tourist trap by any means, just a nice piece of history that's fun to find. The motel was clean and well maintained and - very importantly - reasonably priced. This motel is one of the few remaining truly independent motels left, not just on Route 66, but in the country. It's not affiliated with any of the chain hotels/motels and was a treat to find and stay at.

This is an old Route 66 motor inn style motel. My room was clean if a bit tired. Not a bad room, but not the current standard holiday inn express sort of place. My room had a large shower stall rather than a tub. The towels were the sandpaper like cheap motel towels. Heat was baseboard electric and worked well. It had an old tired motor inn style bed too. The lady at the desk was friendly and the motel has wireless. There was cable but it was the uber-basic setup where there were maybe 10 channels total. I'd put this motel near the middle of the cheap roadside inn experiences I've had. For about $40 for a single it fit the bill for a cheap 1 night stay.

What a terrific find! We did our research for Route 66 hotels, and Munger Moss rose to the top...and we're so glad it did! This charming hotel was clean and comfy, the room spacious, and the vintage vibe perfect. Everyone was so gracious and friendly, too, especially super sweet Ramona. We'll definitely be back.

What a trip into the past. After a week long trip of Rte 66 and all the shady and rundown motels in between, Munger Moss Motel made the stop worth it. The room was very clean and full of 1964 charm (which in this case is a good thing) Easy check in & Check out, The Owner working the front counter was very helpful on finding a locally owned food establishment near by and sharing her knowledge of directions on Missouri Rte 66. If you don't plan to stay here, it's at least worth the stop to snap a photo of the beautifully restored 40's/50's sign. A true Missouri landmark on crumbling Rte66

After reading a blurp of the hotel on the internet, I decided to check out Munger Moss Motel. Authentic Route 66 Motel for a trip down Route 66, nice... I thought. Arriving at the front office to check in, I'm greeted by Amanda who checks me in. I ask if there is a room closer to the front (I had a bad experience in Memphis where my car was broken into while parking in back, away from the street or front office). She says all the front rooms are taken and that my room was up hill in the back in the next building. As I drive up hill to my room which is in the second building and VERY secluded from the road, I notice most rooms seem to be vacant in the front building. I return asking if she is sure she does not have a room closer to the front. She said yes though she would have to change the price because they are smaller rooms and cost less. I'm thinking why did she lie in the first place and say "no"; maybe to get the customer to pay a higher rate? Amanda says she can't change the price because a credit card was used and not cash. Not feeling good about this whole incident I reluctantly leave. Midway up I stop in front of what I thought was empty room because there were no cars in front or around (yes, 20 or 30 rooms with NO cars!) to decide if I want to stay or not. As I start calling other hotels to check on availability I'm surprised to see a guy open up a door from the (I thought vacant because no cars around) units in front of me and starts staring menacingly at me. With no car in front of his room I'm thinking he is one of those down and out people living in a cheap hotel room. As I continue calling other hotels he just stands there and stares. Creepy! He comes up to car and asks what I'm doing. I tell him I needed a minute to determine if I'm staying at the hotel or not. He says he's the maintenance guy which is a bit of relief because my first initial impression was some guy wanting to fight. He says he was freaked out a bit because I was sitting in my car in front of his place. I told him I thought these rooms were empty because no cars were around. At this point, after being lied to about the room and facing the menacing maintenance man, I decided to LEAVE. I go to front office to drop off key to find door locked! I check time to make sure office was still open because Amanda said they closed at 10pm; it was 9:30 so I was confused. Maintenance man walks up and asks what I wanted. I told him I wanted to leave. He says Amanda was freaked out and locked door. I'm surprised and a bit peeved because there was no reason why she should be freaked out. I did not do anything that would threaten her in any way besides parking to call other hotels. I just wanted to leave! Menacing maintenance guy opens door with Amanda coming to front. She says the owner would need to talk to me to get a refund and asks for my phone number. I give her my number and leave to another Motel where the front desk person was WAY friendlier and a welcome relief from the most bizarre hotel/motel experience I ever had! Totally freaky and creepy! It's unbelievable that I was lied to and then to be confronted by the menacing maintenance man, both who acted inappropriately and overreacted just because I sat in the parking lot to call a few hotels. But it doesn't end here... Leaving the Motel on Tuesday night, I was expecting a call from the owner either the next day or the day after at latest. I have several businesses where if we have an unhappy customer, my employees know to call as quickly as possible; either the same day or the next at latest. No call Wednesday or Thursday so I call the owner on Friday. She picks up and says she will refund the room and asked about my experience. I'm thinking, nice, she cares. Feedback is very impor.... STOP... opps, did I interrupt my story. Well, that's what she did. Not even making it through 1/5 of the story she interrupts me mid sentence to tell me I have a "phobia" from car break-ins and this is not Memphis - How am I suppose to know that especially with this seedy motel on the outskirts of town! When receiving feedback from a customer you should ALWAYS let the customer tell the whole story. I didn't even get to the part about being lied to. Anyway, at this point she becomes unexpectedly defensive about how they are all about good experiences for their customers. Maybe I expect too much from my employees and how we treat our customers that set the bar a bit high. Though you should always call back customers quickly if there is a problem and then listen to see what the problem is to find a fair resolution and, more importantly, make changes to improve your business. Is this too much? She says she will talk to her employees though I can tell this was not sincere and just to get me off the phone. I need to get her my credit card details which require a call back because my fiancé has the credit card, call back to get this whole experience over with.

We stayed here for one night during our Route 66 trip and found it to be an enjoyable place to stay. It is definitely vintage, and if that's what you're after, this is the right place. Very well-kept & clean. The proprietors were genuinely friendly. We'll stay here in the future for sure.

Poor Tony L. and Greg R., they clearly do not appreciate true nostalgic Americana. But that's ok, quaint motels on the back roads of America are not for everyone. For those who are terrified by motel keys, privacy & seclusion, dated souvenirs and old ladies, there are plenty of cookie cutter hotel chains available, and the Munger Moss Motel is not the place for you. Don and Ramona have owned the motel for 45 years and have done a decent job keeping it true to the motor lodge style of years gone by. The office is part gift shop, ice machine (we were sweetly offered a bucket of ice prior to heading to our room) museum and time capsule. Ramona was friendly and informative and even signed a couple of postcards my wife purchased. I took several pictures of the classic neon sign and we drove up to our room. The room was clean, quaint, quiet. It had been updated, but still kept the essence of a 40s or 50s motel room. My only complaint, oddly enough, is that both the motel and it's owners seem tired of keeping up the image. Perhaps it's due to a lack of interest from travelers? I won't hesitate to return if it's still here.

We felt so at home at the Munger Moss. Incredibly affordable, unique, and lovely Route 66 motel. My husband and I were driving through and I knew from the moment we decided to take the trip we needed to stay at the Munger Moss. It is like the Grandma's House of motels--homey, comfortable beds, retro interior. Our room had these amazing mustard yellow armchairs, a built-in wood veneer desk, and an delightful turquoise bathroom. Ramona and Bob Lehman are the owners, and they were incredibly sweet to us. In my opinion, staying here is a no-brainer; you can stay at a chain motel for $30 more, or you can have the clean, comfortable, and personal experience that the Munger Moss provides. I'll take the latter every time.

OMG this place is adorable and I could talk to the owner, Ramona, all night! She is so lovely and knowledgeable and passionate about Route 66. The lobby has a LOT of great Route 66 merchandise and collectible memorabilia that I've never seen anywhere else. The room is a perfect combination of vintage style plus comfort. Super squeaky clean too. There's a thriving bowing alley across the street where I drank beers and ciders and ate bowling alley pizza and wallowed in that safe, retro, cozy, small town feel. I dream of coming back in the summer when that pool is open and just staying a week to relax and soak the awesomness all in. I will NEVER chose to sleep in a chain motel as long as places like Munger Moss are around...and Munger Moss was CHEAP too.

This place is a dump!!!! I was greeted by a barefoot woman who appeared to be heavily medicated. The office smelled like a mix of farm animals and heavy smoke. The souvenir's were old and dusty. I was given a key that was like a house key which made me nervous. I am from the big city, I do not feel safe with hotel keys that can be easily copied. I went to the first room and when I opened the door, the smell almost knocked me down. I began to cry as I immediately questioned every decision I had made in my life. Exactly how had it come to this? The next room I was offered was in the back of the property. I drove by day laborers who live at the hotel, cooking on small portable grills outside of most of the rooms. The room was hot, and although it smelled bad, it was not as bad as the first. The air conditioning was more loud than cool. The room was constantly hot. When I went to take a shower I noticed I could see the street from my tub, meaning people in the street could see me in the tub. I still stayed in this tragedy. When I woke up in the morning I was covered with bug bites. Do yourself a favor, avoid this god forsaken hell hole at all costs. I CANT BELIEVE that there are those that give this place a positive review. It is a dump by any reasonable estimation.

Let me just preface this by saying that I'm a little biased. Prior to my stay here in late January, the last time I was here was when I was 6 years old and my grandparents and I did the epic Route 66 trip from LA to Chicago (and then back again). We actually stayed at the Munger Moss on that trip. Now, some 25 years later, I found myself driving from Chicago to move back home to Los Angeles after a brief stint living and working in Northwest Indiana. So for me, my experience was about pure nostalgia--and that's exactly what you get at the Munger Moss. It's not your fancy Ritz-Carlton top of the industry hotel, nor is it your middle of the road, run of the mill, Holiday Inn or Motel 6 type place--which is exactly the reason you stay here. It doesn't change. Ever. Everything was still exactly the same way as I remember it being when I was 6. This hotel is pure Route 66. It oozes it from every bathroom tile and 1950s style decor. Even the neon outside hearkens back to a time that I wish we would get back to remembering again. Ramona (one of the owners) is fantastic, and lovely and...she gave me a hug and wished me luck on my trip back to California. Would I stay here again? Absolutely. Do I want them to be new and shiny and swanky? Absolutely not. The beauty and the absolute...charm of the Munger Moss is that it doesn't change and that it never will. Absolutely a must have experience to stay here.

This was the first stop on our Route 66 trip and what a great stop. My wife and I were traveling with our two daughters, 9 and 12. This place has been owned by the same family for 45 years. Take a minute to talk to people and ask questions, politely, and you might be surprised. I had a wonderful chat with the owner and she takes pride in this motel. This is not the big city so I guess a little smoke is a "bad" thing to people that are out of their comfort zone, but I smelled no smoke in the room we were in. It was clean and the decor was spectacular. There are not a whole lot of these wonderful motels left, especially in original condition and I am glad we were able to find this one. I simply cannot say enough good about stopping here and I would do so again in a heart beat. I have many things I could say to rebut the bad reviews, but that really isn't the point. They have a different idea of what quality is unfortunately do not understand what a gem this place is.