Tiki Bars
Tiki Motel - Vernal
Vernal, Utah, United States (Closed)
Opened in 1964.
Tom Snyder, owner, renamed this motel, formerly known as The Rest Haven. He installed the sign.
Later postcards attribute ownership to Wilford and Glenna Adams.
In addition to the sign is a large (probably concrete) moai head resembling a decanter that was created by M. H. Strikow for Kahlua liqueurs.
Today, as of 2021, there is no sign of anything tiki and the site is home to an Econo Lodge.
Beachcomber Hotel
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, United States (Closed)
Circa 1960s.
This lavishly decorated restaurant had koa wood tables, large carved tikis, masks, bamboo and thatch, hanging fish floats, wood canoes hanging from the ceiling, a separate full-length bar, and wood beaded curtain dividers between sections. A fully decorated space.
Located off Rt. 22 East of Harrisburg, PA.
Today, as of 2021, this location is home to Peacock Indian Restaurant.
The only vestige of the tiki lounge are the two “lava rock waterfall” features that flank the front door on the interior. The current owner tried to revive the waterfall but he said that it didn’t look quite right because the water pumps didn't function properly.
Lake Loreen's Blue Lagoon
Newberry Springs, California, United States (Closed)
A.F. (Gus) and Loreen Raigosa were a couple of Los Angeles area entrepreneurs who bought property in Newberry Springs (situated in the Mojave Desert about 150 miles from Los Angeles and 20 miles east of Barstow on Highway 66) and built a 7 acre lake (later expanded to 45 acres) at the beginning of 1960.
Next came docks, cabanas, and barbecue pits. Tetherball and volleyball courts and a nine-hole golf course as well as swings for the children followed. Trees and shrubs were planted and a scattering of carved Tiki gods. They stocked the lake with bass, channel catfish, and bluegill and operated the site as a tropical campground with luaus.
The "Tiki Bird" plane with a tiki paint job and tropical pin-up art was another interesting draw.
The restaurant, itself, was decorated in "authentic Tahitian decor" and had two separate dining areas with red carpets, trimmed in bamboo, with Tiki masks, and a large carved tiki overlooking a waterfall effect. The bar served traditional tiki cocktails.
Eventually, the couple sold the property in 1972 and moved to the Bahamas.
The Hurricane - San Francisco
San Francisco, California, United States (Closed)
The Hurricane was a pre-tiki bar & nightclub located in the International Settlement section of San Francisco during the 1940s-50s.
The place had some amazing murals, tons of bamboo, thatched roofs, tapa cloth, and featured some of the earliest ever cocktail mugs -- including skulls (similar to those made by Tepco for Trader Vic's) with naked women on them.
Before International Settlement days, the street’s first incarnation was the "Barbary Coast", famed center of Gold Rush debauchery and vice. The 1906 earthquake demolished most of it, bringing an abrupt end to that chapter. Just before Prohibition, the area was known as "Terrific Street". "International Settlement" was the block’s exotic name from the late 1930s to its decline in the late 1950s. Jazz music, tropical clubs, and leggy stage shows were the style of the time, themes aimed at attracting sailors passing through town. The result was a potent mixture of glamour and grit.
Pago Pago - San Francisco
San Francisco, California, United States (Closed)
This pre-tiki bar ran from the 1940s to the early 1950s. It was located just to the left of the entrance to the "International Settlement" in San Francisco.
Mitchell Lewis was the Pago Pago's proprietor and signage outside proclaimed this the "House of Zombie" and "Lure of the Islands".
Later, this location became the "Arabian Nights" in the mid 1950s.
Before International Settlement days, the street’s first incarnation was the "Barbary Coast", famed center of Gold Rush debauchery and vice. The 1906 earthquake demolished most of it, bringing an abrupt end to that chapter. Just before Prohibition, the area was known as "Terrific Street". "International Settlement" was the block’s exotic name from the late 1930s to its decline in the late 1950s. Jazz music, tropical clubs, and leggy stage shows were the style of the time, themes aimed at attracting sailors passing through town. The result was a potent mixture of glamour and grit.
Bali-Hai - Northport
Northport, New York, United States (Closed)
Opened October 24, 1963.
In the 1970s, the Bali Hai was a popular Polynesian showplace, complete with bamboo mugs and native dancers.
The Cow Harbor Inn took over in the 80s and prospered – until competition from newer restaurants became insurmountable. Finally, the Cow Harbor Inn was shuttered and the space fell into dis-repair.
The building site included a two-story house built around 1790, according to information from the Northport Historical Society, and some residents expressed opposition to tearing it down, but eventually, that's what happened.
Currently, as of 2021, this location is home to a new modern building -- the TD Bank.
Henry Fink's Club Samoa
New York, New York, United States (Closed)
Circa 1940s to 1950s.
This pre-tiki bar and nightclub in the midst of "The Street" in New York was decked out in South Pacific style with bamboo and painted island murals, but the big draw were the three shows nightly of burlesque dancers.
Chopper Tiki Bar
Nashville, Tennessee, United States
Opened June 3rd, 2019.
Barista Parlor owner and founder Andy Mumma, Isle of Printing founder Bryce McCloud and longtime Husk Nashville bar manager Mike Wolf have taken over the former Bar Luca space, to create a neo-tiki bar with a "Jetsons" meets "Polynesian Pop" vibe.
The bar itself is trimmed out in bamboo, but the giant robot hovering over it and the sci-fi theming may scare away those looking for a more traditional tiki space.
Still, Chopper has a serious rum collection at hand and their cocktails look to be on-point.
The Hurricane & Tahitian Bar - New York
New York City, New York, United States (Closed)
The Hurricane was a hot pre-tiki era night club on the northwest corner of 49th & Broadway from about 1940 through 1944. It filled the second floor of the Brill Building, a historic landmark famous for nurturing the popular music industry from the 1950s into the 1970s; anyone who was anyone in the music industry at the time was seen there.
The name, Hurricane, was probably inspired by the 1937 film, starring Dorothy Lamour.
It was decorated with fake palm trees and other tropical flora and fauna.
Most notably, Duke Ellington headlined at the Hurricane in 1943. According to Ellington, it was at the Hurricane that night club audiences first began to be integrated.
The Hurricane was operated by lawyer David J. Wolper, but many speculated that he was actually the front man for the mob and that they actually ran the place.
After many conflicting reports towards the end, about whether the club would stay open or was simply closed for remodeling, the Hurricane did indeed close.
Meanwhile, another successful spot, Zanzibar, whose tropical/African theme welcomed both a black and white audience, was looking for a new spot. They had opened the previous year in a smaller venue and were looking to expand.
The Zanzibar owners paid more than $50,000 and apparently another $35,000 to redecorate the old Hurricane location in gold, beige and black and opened later in 1944 to instant success with headliners like Cab Calloway and other famous musicians who frequently squabbled over who would headline this new premier club spot.
Hollywood Tropics
Hollywood, California, United States (Closed)
Another pre-tiki classic...
Harry "Sugie" Sugarman, manager of Grauman's Chinese Theater, opened his first Tropics supper club in 1934 or '35 at 421 North Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills (later it became The Luau). It was such a success that he opened this second location, the Hollywood Tropics, in 1939.
Around 1945, the Hollywood Tropics was bought by Glenn Billingsley. That same year, Tom Breneman bought-in and changed the Hollywood Tropics to a self-named restaurant.
Tom Breneman died of a heart attack in 1949. After Breneman's death, the building was occupied by the ABC Radio Center.
Tahiti Inn - Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona, United States (Closed)
Opened in 1959, a few months after Hawaii was given statehood.
This hotel had a magnificent palm tree sign, 73 rooms, and a very nice pool. Appeared to have little theming beyond the sign, but the sign was spectacular.
Unfortunately, the Tahiti ditched its tropical theme to become the Airport Travelodge in 1977. The motel is currently a Days Inn by WyndhamAirport.
Mauna-Kai
Williamsville, New York, United States (Closed)
Opened February 14th, 1963.
This location billed itself as "The Splendor of the Polynesian Islands brought to the Niagara Frontier."
They had a volcano effect, a waterfall, and a "tropical" river.
This location appears to have been around for at least 10 years, into the 1970s.