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The Monkland Tavern (5555 Monkland Avenue, NDG) neon sign is a splendid example of what the signmakers of yore called ‘bastard lettering’ — a specially created script that is not based on a font or typeface. It was removed from the main facade in 2005 because it is an anglicization of ‘Taverne’ and does not therefore comport with the language laws brought into effect in Québec in 1977.
Montreal, Québec

Montreal Signs Project

This permanent exhibition of commercial signs aims to preserve the cultural heritage of the city.
National Neon Sign Museum
The Dalles, Oregon

National Neon Sign Museum

This rare, carefully curated collection showcases the history of neon inside a grandiose Elks lodge.
At the museum, Elvis is alive and well.
museums

Philadelphia’s Neon King Gets a Glowing Castle

Longtime neon connoisseur Len Davidson finally has a museum to house his impressive collection.
Max Ufberg June 1, 2021
Permanently Closed
The museum houses a smattering of signs.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Neon Museum

Old neon signs from the City of Brotherly Love provide a snapshot of the city’s evolution.
Permanently Closed
Elephant Car Wash
Seattle, Washington

Elephant Car Wash Sign

Now housed in a museum, this giant pink elephant stood in downtown Seattle for more than 60 years.
The entrance to Fernweh Park
Oberkotzau, Germany

Fernweh Park

Named after the German word for "a longingness to travel," this park brings together thousands of city and street signs from around the world.
A cream-colored accent lets visitors to Arizona's Coconino National Forest know they have reached the Red Rock Ranger Station.
forests

The Unsung Ranger Behind the U.S. Forest Service's Iconic Signs

Career ranger Virgil "Bus" Carrell had no design training, but "really gave a damn," say experts, about his lasting legacy.
Greg Christensen April 12, 2021
The renovated Civic Pharmacy sign, as seen in 2020.
Ottawa, Ontario

Civic Pharmacy Sign

This illuminated sign was the first of its kind in Canada and remains a vestige of the Atomic Age.
Lerwick Public Sign Snails
Lerwick, Scotland

Lerwick Public Sign Snail

The unexpected mascot of Shetland's capital.
Bombay Beach, California, 2018.
roadside attractions

Seeing America Through Its Roadside Signs

A photographer captured the handmade, the unusual, the downright puzzling.
Pearse Anderson January 7, 2021
Boljkovci, Serbia

Srpski Holywood

A Hollywood-sign replica with a typo on a remote hillside.
Cambridge, MA 2018.
infrastructure

Meet the Artist Who Does Extreme Close-Ups of Utility Poles

Rosamond Purcell finds stories, landscapes, and more on their mottled surfaces.
Winnie Lee October 16, 2020
The sign directing you to the historically nonexistent swing-bridge.
Bainham, New Zealand

Salisbury Historic Swing-Bridge

New Zealand's most advertised nonexistent landmark
Oates is depicted in the upper right.
Halstead, England

The Village Signs of Gestingthorpe

A hunched figure depicted on the signs honors a local gentleman who died on an Antarctic expedition.
Zenigata Sunae, the curious sand art of Kan-onji.
Kanonji, Japan

Zenigata Sunae

This massive, Edo Period, coin-shaped sand painting is believed to be a source of great luck.
San Francisco, California

Li Po Cocktail Lounge

One of the last remnants of the city's Chinese nightclub scene is now a dive bar selling killer mai tais.
Ham Sandwich Sign
Finglesham, England

The Ham Sandwich Sign

A beautiful Kentish country intersection hosts a tasty little photo spot.
The ghost sign.
London, England

Smith Square World War II Ghost Sign

A faded reminder of what was once a common sight in London during the Blitz.