Skip to Main Content

Yeehaw Junction, Florida: Desert Inn at Yeehaw Junction (Gone)

Chickens roamed the property (a former saloon and brothel). Featured an unusual jackass mural photo-op; the place was originally named Jackass Crossing. In late Dec. 2019, a semi loaded with orange juice crashed into the building, causing severe damage.

Status:
Gone

Visitor Tips and News About Desert Inn at Yeehaw Junction

Reports and tips from RoadsideAmerica.com visitors and Roadside America mobile tipsters. Some tips may not be verified. Submit your own tip.

Historical marker.

Desert Inn at Yeehaw Junction

The inside is unique with beautiful hardwood floors that look original. Menu is simple. Really nice folks.

[Shannon Hiser, 05/10/2017]

Desert Inn.

Desert Inn at Yeehaw Junction

The Desert Inn is a classic Florida and historic site.

[Reagan, 06/02/2016]
Desert Inn

The new owners of the Desert Inn want to turn it into a full-throttle Wild West-style attraction, tapping its colorful history. According to a report in the Orlando Sun-Sentinel, the still-intact upstairs brothel would be opened to the public as a museum, and the Inn would stage daily gunfights between a costumed sheriff, an enraged wife, and a bordello-customer husband. Another new attraction, according to the Sun-Sentinel, will be "fake spiders lowered from the ceiling by strings hooked behind the bar."

No timetable is offered for these improvements, and we would note that changes have come very slowly at the Desert Inn. It didn't get electricity or running water until 1978.

[Roadsideamerica.com Team, 08/25/2014]

HIstorical marker.

Desert Inn at Yee Haw Junction

How can you turn up a chance to visit a town named Yee Haw Junction -- a place that is on the National Register but in an area that looks like it should be on the Godforsaken Places Register. The town has only one business, the Desert Inn, a cafe, hotel, and bar all in one. It has an unusual jackass mural that people like to have their pictures taken in front of.

[Leo Griffin, 07/24/2013]
Historic Desert Inn at Yeehaw Junction

Founded in the late 1880s as a trading post. The present structure dates back to 1898 and served as a supply and recreation center for cattle drovers, lumber men and tourists when Osceola County was still underdeveloped. Cowmen and lumbermen came to the Desert Inn to eat, drink and dance at the "oasis." Listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1994. Museum, Gift shop, operating inn and restaurant. Careful of the chickens roaming the property.

[Phil Qualter, 09/04/2005]

Latest Tips Across Roadside America

Catch up on the latest discoveries from the road.

Explore Thousands of Oddball Tourist Attractions!

Unique destinations in the U.S. and Canada are our special obsession. Use our attraction recommendation and maps to plan your next road trip.

My Sights

My Sights on Roadside America

Map and Plan Your Own Roadside Adventure ...Try My Sights

Mobile Apps

Roadside America app: iPhone, iPad Roadside America app for iPhone, iPad. On-route maps, 1,000s of photos, special research targets! ...More

Roadside Presidents app: iPhone, iPad Roadside Presidents app for iPhone, iPad. POTUS landmarks, oddities. ...More

Florida Latest Tips and Stories

Latest Visitor Tips

Sight of the Week

Sight of the Week

JFK's World Famous Twine Ball, Highland, Wisconsin (Mar 18-24, 2024)

SotW Archive

USA and Canada Tips and Stories

More Sightings