Gila Bend, Arizona: Stovall's Space Age Lodge

The exterior is eye-catching, and the interior of the bubble dome above the motel check-in counter -- including a mural of the moon landing -- is worth a quick peek.

Stayed here on our way to San Diego. I drove by the Space Age Lodge dozens of times in the late '80s -- as an airman at Luke AFB supporting the Goldwater Range -- but never actually stayed there. I decided to tick a stay there off my bucket list this past weekend and am so glad I did.

Yes, the place is showing its age, but the room was clean and comfortable; nothing too elaborate, of course. We ate breakfast in the restaurant, which has great murals, souvenirs for sale, as well as a 5-ft. tall statue of an alien named Frank.

Just across the street is a very good Italian restaurant that pays homage to Prince Harry. He ate at the restaurant when he was stationed at the Air Base for a brief period of time. There's even a cardboard cutout of him at the booth he sat at when he ate there.

Shocked these guys don't sell stickers! But worth a stop.

Odd and fun stop-off in the middle of nowhere to grab a not-bad-burger or stay overnight, as there is a hotel attached.

This is a great little restaurant and a real blast from the past! We were raised in the 1960s Space Age and Cold War era. We have a ten-year-old son and we try to raise him in a world more like we knew when we were children. Being able to show him this restaurant and the amazing photos on the wall, which even include a Russian cosmonaut, was great. Not to mention the food was terrific American food much like I grew up with before cholesterol was an issue and no one had ever heard of organic. Our visit was for lunch on the way to Disneyland and we liked it so much we just had to have supper there on our return trip.

If you are on the highway anywhere near Gila Bed you have to stop at this place, especially if you grew up in the sixties. Can't wait for my next excuse to swing by again. The restaurant is also part of a hotel, but we did not stay there as we were only passing through.