Stories From California

A Poolside Trailer Palace as Big Escape

You might think you are lost after bouncing in your car for 15 minutes through rocky desert, trying to avoid potholes and only seeing utility poles and tumbleweed. But this really is the way to Hicksville Trailer Palace, a retreat for artists and for anybody who wants to escape the rush and noise of Los Angeles.

Hicksville was dreamed up and built with lots of love for details by writer, director and DJ Morgan Night, and once you reach the retreat, you feel like you are stepping foot on a movie set. The scene is quite surreal: on a bed of astroturf, several trailers from the 50s and 60s are positioned around a retro-style pool that, after the desert ride, looks very, very inviting.

The western-themed Pioneer trailer includes wooden interior and a hitching rail. The Fifi, named after Fifi Mahony’s Wig store in New Orleans, has glowing wig heads. If you open your fridge in the Lux, named after the late Lux Interior of the Cramps band, you will find a chopped-off head. And then there is the Integratrailer, inspired by the Integratron built in the 1950s by George von Tassel following plans given to him by aliens from Venus. Consequently the Integratrailer comes with an alien communication system - fully functioning under the perfect circumstances.  

“First you have to drink seven to eight margaritas, maybe smoke a little pot, turn it on and I swear it works! At least that’s what I’m told,” explains Morgan with a mischievous smile.   

Hicksville also offers a recording studio and an editing trailer equipped with the newest technology. Bands and film crews come to rent the whole park which is also great for weddings and birthday parties.

But all details aside - the most magical thing happens at night, when silence settles over Hicksville and you have a panoramic view of the whole universe. Stars are cascading over you like waterfalls. This is Morgan’s favorite part of the park: “When there are no guests and I get to go skinny dipping in the park, float in the pool under the stars and listen to the underwater speakers - it is just amazing.”

Even floating in the Hicksville pool at night in a swim suit is stunning. This place is not only an extraordinary place to connect with yourself - it might just make you believe in alien connections.