The Space Age Lodge opened in 1963, six years before astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon.
The futuristic-themed hotel in Gila Bend, Arizona, was the brainchild of entrepreneur Al Stovall who had already established the first Space Age Lodge at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, the only theme park built under the direct specification of Walt Disney himself.
This Space Age Lodge opened with 40 bedrooms containing luxury amenities such as color TVs, air conditioning and a heated swimming pool in the shape of a lunar module. The lodging was wittily described as being a new concept in ‘Space-ious comfort’ and offering ‘Moon Level luxury at Down to Earth rates.’
The coffee shop was open 24 hours a day and this souvenir menu with its starry graphics perfectly captures the feeling of excitement around man’s exploration of space.
In the mid-1980s Best Western acquired the Space Age Lodge, preserving the property’s Googie architecture (a bold, bright and futuristic style of architecture that reflected the space race and America’s strong car culture)  and keeping many original Space Age murals.
The Space Age Lodge remains a popular stopping off point for lovers of American kitsch and the coffee shop is now called the Outer Limits.