14 Retro Travel Postcards You Won’t Find Today

Travel postcards were once an essential part of any vacation, offering a way to share a piece of your trip with friends and family back home. They were sold at gas stations, hotel lobbies, diners, and roadside attractions, often featuring exaggerated colors or charmingly outdated slogans. While postcards still exist today, many of the retro styles and subjects are long gone. Let’s take a closer look at 14 retro travel postcards that have vanished from the modern rack but not from memory.

1. Greetings from Route 66

Pineapple Supply Co. on Pexels

The iconic “Greetings from Route 66” postcards featured giant block letters filled with scenic images from across the legendary highway. Bright colors and desert backdrops made them a roadside must-have. Each stop along the route had its own variation, celebrating diners, motels, and gas pumps. As parts of Route 66 were bypassed by interstates, these cards began disappearing. They remain a symbol of classic American road trips.

2. Las Vegas Postcard

Steve Shook on Wikimedia

In the 1960s and 1970s, Las Vegas postcards featured brilliant neon signs from casinos that have since been demolished. Names like Stardust, Dunes, and Sahara glowed in exaggerated hues. These cards captured the energy of a nightlife scene that was far more vintage glitz than modern glam. Many of the casinos have been torn down or remodeled, and the postcards with them. They now serve as colorful relics of Sin City’s past.

3. Florida Alligator Farms

Uncredited for C. F. Hamblen Wholesale, St. Augustine, FL on Wikimedia

Postcards from roadside alligator farms across Florida once showed tourists smiling next to gators or holding baby reptiles. The cards often featured playful slogans and illustrated borders. These attractions were part of old Florida tourism, before theme parks took over. As attitudes toward wildlife changed, many of these spots closed. The quirky postcards are now collectibles from a vanished era.

4. Niagara Falls at Night (Tinted Prints)

Curt Teich staff artists on Wikimedia

Early tinted postcards of Niagara Falls lit up in pastel shades created an almost dreamlike version of the natural wonder. These stylized prints were popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Unlike today’s high-resolution photos, these cards offered a more romantic, artistic impression. As printing techniques improved, the hand-tinted style disappeared. Modern cards rarely capture the same surreal charm.

5. California Orange Groves

Tichnor Brothers, Publisher on Wikimedia

Postcards from Southern California once proudly displayed endless rows of orange trees with blue skies in the background. They symbolized prosperity and sunshine, often with cheerful taglines. These groves have mostly been replaced by housing developments and freeways. As the landscape changed, so did the postcard themes. The lush agricultural pride once so widely promoted is hard to find now.

6. The Ozarks Hillbilly Humor Series

Lina Kivaka on Pexels

Many postcards from the Ozarks featured cartoon “hillbilly” characters in overalls, usually with humorous or exaggerated captions. They played into rural stereotypes that were widely accepted in mid-century Americana. Though popular with tourists at the time, these cards fell out of favor due to changing social attitudes. Today, most shops avoid selling this type of humor. They are now mostly found in antique shops or personal collections.

7. Atlantic City Boardwalk Glamour Shots

Unknown author on Wikimedia

Postcards from Atlantic City in the 1950s and 1960s often featured glamorous beachgoers, parades, and boardwalk entertainers. The imagery was styled and posed, showing off an idealized version of summer fun. Many of these scenes no longer exist in the same way. The city’s postcard style changed with its shifting tourism base. The polished charm of old Atlantic City is now a vintage memory.

8. Smoky Mountains Bear Encounters

Pub. by Standard Souvenirs & Novelties, Inc., Knoxville, Tenn. on Wikimedia

Tourist postcards from the Smoky Mountains once depicted close encounters with black bears, often showing them approaching parked cars or picnic areas. These cards were both amusing and alarming, reflecting a different era of wildlife tourism. As safety standards increased, this kind of content became discouraged. Park officials removed feeding spots, and the postcards faded out. They now reflect a bygone version of roadside nature stops.

9. Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota

Unknown author on Wikimedia

Postcards of the Corn Palace used to be bright, cartoonish renditions of the building covered in kernels and murals made from real corn. Each year, the theme and artwork would change, which led to new designs. In the past, the cards leaned heavily into kitsch. Newer versions are more modern and less stylized. The original quirky designs have mostly disappeared from racks.

10. Pennsylvania Dutch Country Folk Art Cards

Self Scanned on Wikimedia

Postcards from Pennsylvania Dutch Country often featured hex signs, barns, and Amish figures in a folk-art style. The colors were bold and flat, often resembling wooden decorations found in local shops. As postcard printing shifted to photo-realism, this charming illustration style was replaced. These folk-art cards are no longer widely produced. Their visual simplicity now feels like a lost craft.

11. The Big Texan Steak Challenge (Amarillo, TX)

Unknown author on Wikimedia

Vintage postcards from Amarillo’s Big Texan Steak Ranch celebrated the 72-ounce steak challenge, often showing cartoon cowboys sizing up enormous plates of meat. These cards leaned heavily into Texas bravado and playful exaggeration. Over time, the imagery has been updated to more polished photos. The cartoon-themed versions are no longer printed. They once perfectly matched the roadside attraction spirit.

12. Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Souvenir Cards

Detroit Publishing Company on Wikimedia

Santa Cruz postcards from the 1970s often had grainy, sun-bleached images of roller coasters and beachgoers with playful retro fonts. The cards captured the laid-back, funky vibe of a classic California beach town. Today’s postcards are more polished but lack that same easy charm. The aesthetic of the old cards is now more likely to appear on T-shirts than in a mailbox. Their carefree style has vanished from souvenir stands.

13. Minnesota Paul Bunyan Statues

C. I. & co. on Wikimedia

Northern Minnesota towns once sold illustrated postcards of giant Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox statues. The designs were often exaggerated and cartoonish, giving the characters a mythic presence. Many of these attractions have been updated or replaced. The playful postcard designs were replaced by more generic photography. Only collectors and locals still remember the original art.

14. Old Detroit Skyline Before Renovation

Scan by NYPL on Wikimedia

Postcards from Detroit in the 1960s and 1970s showed a very different skyline, dotted with buildings that have since been torn down or repurposed. The designs emphasized industrial strength and modernity, with stylized borders and slogans. As the city changed, so did its postcard imagery. Many of the older designs have vanished from stores. They now serve as a snapshot of a city in transition.

• Tags:
• postcards
• vintage
• Travel
• souvenirs
• Nostalgia