Bali Ha'i at the Beach opened in 1958 and was located near the entrance of the Pontchartrain Beach amusement park, which was open from 1939 to 1983. It was known as Pontchartrain Beach-Combers before a lawsuit from Don the Beachcomber resulted in a 1959 name change to Bali Ha'i at the Beach.

The exotic experience began even before arrival at the restaurant. A bamboo-decorated “Sampan Taxi” would pick diners up from the parking lot and deliver them to the Bali Ha’i entry port, an impressive bamboo A-frame peak. There were also shuttles running from the restaurant to downtown New Orleans, complete with onboard Tiki drinks.

The bar menu was glamorous and theatrical. There was even a large carved volcano that dispensed drinks to customers.

The Cantonese menu brought new dishes to New Orleans diners, including moo goo gai pan, chow mein, rumaki and eggrolls. The new spices and sauces livened up familiar seafood, but American standards were also available for the less adventurous diners.

Bali Ha’i became the place for celebrations for decades – weddings and anniversaries, proms and graduations and, of course, the perfect first date. Private parties could book the Bora Bora Hut, the Lanai Hut or the Samoan Hut.

Although Pontchartrain Beach closed in 1983, the restaurant stayed open for a few more years. By 1988, the furnishings and memorabilia had been sold off to the public.

Two tikis and an A-frame gazebo with a sign from the Bali Ha'i have been relocated to Veterans Memorial Park in Kenner, LA. The Bali Ha'i signature mug was a copy of the logo mug from Tiki Bob's in San Francisco.

Oceanic Arts was a major contributor to tiki culture since its opening on June 25th, 1956, when it was opened by LeRoy Schmaltz and Bob Van Oosting.

Bob and LeRoy have provided carvings, decorations, signage, light fixtures, and all the outfitting needed for a tiki location to nearly all of the major spots, including Disney. Oceanic Arts served as a Home Depot of sorts for the tikiphile.

The store was closed for good on November 24th, 2021.

Bob and LeRoy went out on a triumphant note by announcing the publication of a book chronicling their much beloved business on the same day. This book, authored by Jordan Reichek and published by Peekaboo Gallery, was issued in a regular or slipcover edition. This was accompanied by 2 rounds of auctions and accompanying auction books. Together, these books give a very thorough overview of the work produced by Oceanic Arts.

The Islander (1966-1980) was a staple of Stockton's late-night entertainment in the 70s and 80s. Tommy Lee bought The Islander from restaurateur Hop Louie, who had hired architect Warren Wong to design the building to resemble a shipwreck on a sandy beach.

Most of the Islander's mugs were manufactured by Otagiri (OMC) and included: the "Islander child's tiki" mug, more commonly called a peanut mug today, which was available in black and the more common brown; three-face bucket mugs in both a short and tall size, which Mai Tais were served in; a rare green Maori-face bucket mug; a strangely large Scorpion bowl for two with an outrigger scene on one side and palm trees on the reverse; a "surf rider" mug that was also used at the unrelated Latitude 20; a tall wahine mug in the shape of a palm tree trunk (also the same shape as a Tiki Bob mug); a tiki mug with the image of an Andres Bumatay tiki on it (this same tiki was also used for early Islander menu cover artwork); a three-tiki bowl by an unknown manufacturer, and marked as being from the Islander only with a clear sticker on the bottom; a "Hurricane" mug (more commonly called a Kon Tiki mug today, as the face was borrowed from Thor Heyerdahl's Kon Tiki); a later Hurricane mug that looked like a section of bamboo; a Wan Fu mug that is commonly called Mr. Sleepy by collectors; an unusual bug-eyed moai mug sometimes seen with white eyes; skull mugs for serving the Kona Grog, which came in black or white; a coconut mug which can be found in varying shades of brown, for serving the Coconut Punch; a pineapple mug with holes for two straws, which came with the Pi-Yi; a Suffering Tiki mug with two straw holes and a toothy grin that will be familiar to Kelbo's fans; and a Bora Bora head mug, also with two straw holes.

In the mid-90s, the building was moved to 10464 North Highway 99, and operated as the Pollardville Chicken Kitchen. The building is now demolished. The left-behind original lot is now a Tower Records.

Tommy Lee passed away at age 87 in 2002.

The Stockton Islander is not to be confused with the earlier Los Angeles Islander.

Images attribution: The Bank of Stockton Archives

Built in 1963.

The structure looks to have stayed intact and it still appears to have its original fish-shaped sign.

From postcards, it appears that the lobby once had hanging globe lights and some Witco furnishings that did not survive remodeling, but much of this motel is still very much the same.

This was the second Bahooka location (opened in 1976), and the one that lasted into the new millennium. The original location in West Covina operated from 1967 until 1980.

The exterior was decorated with pier pilings and long lengths of thick nautical chain strung between them. Also on display was an anti-aircraft cannon. The chain and cannon were painted white.

The interior of Bahooka was lit quite dimly, which contributed to its labyrinthine feel. The building was appraised at 8,598 square feet and had seating for 350 patrons and a banquet room that served 80. Aquariums were everywhere -- over 100. The decor could perhaps be described as more nautical than truly tiki, with many items salvaged from the same Navy scrap yard in Long Beach where they obtained the chain and anti-aircraft cannon outside.

Some of the more eclectic items included an old set of post office boxes flanked by Marquesan tiki poles in the front lobby, a vintage standing visible gas pump with glass cylinder at top, and an old set of sliding metal jail cell doors that could "lock up" patrons eating in the "jail booth".

Tikis could be found throughout Bahooka. Some of them were vintage pieces and some by more modern carvers.

They would make any drink a flaming drink -- even non-alcoholic ones.

Near the entrance was an aquarium holding a rather large, decades-old fish, a Pacu named Rufus, who ate carrot sticks. The pacu is a close relative of the piranha, and has become known as "the testicle-eating fish" after some unfortunate incidents in Papua New Guinea's Sepik River. Rufus was much beloved, however, and stuck to carrots.

Bahooka was also featured briefly in the film Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas.

At the beginning of 2013, it was announced that the owners of the building had sold it to a group intending to gut it of all decor and turn it into a Chinese buffet. The decorations were sold, with much of it winding up at Clifton's Pacific Seas (the jail cell doors, the gas pump, the largest tiki on premises...).

The current whereabouts of Rufus are unknown, despite a massive fundraising to re-home him and an offer by Damon's in Glendale. The new owners of the building were unwilling to produce him, however, leading to speculation that Rufus did not survive the transfer from his old tank.

The Bahooka closed in March 2013.

After the building's remodel, it was home to at least one or two short-lived Chinese restaurants. As of July, 2022, it is home to a Boston Lobster restaurant.

The Caliente Tropics Resort began its life as simply "The Tropics" when it was opened in 1964 by Ken Kimes. Kimes owned 40 motels, and five of them were the Polynesian-themed Tropics chain with locations in Blythe, Indio, Modesto and Rosemead. The Kimes family later earned headlines when Ken's wife Sante and son Kenny were wanted, and later tried & convicted, for a variety of crimes including murder and kidnapping.

In its '60s heyday, the Tropics, especially its Congo Room steakhouse and underground Cellar bar, attracted the celebrities of the era who lived and vacationed in Palm Springs, including members of the Rat Pack. The front of the resort held a Sambo's coffee shop. In later years, the Cellar bar was closed, and the Congo Room became the Reef Bar.

The Tropics fell into rough times in the '80s, attracting unsavory characters who disrespected the hotel. The hotel was rescued by new owners in 2000, and after a $2.2 million renovation, it was restored to its former tiki glory.

A couple years later the Reef Bar was remodeled to bring it up to speed with the newly refreshed hotel, with bamboo work by Bamboo Ben. In 2006, the Reef Bar was transferred to independent owners, and was called Hawaiian Bill's.

In 2009, the Reef Bar/Hawaiian Bill's had been gutted of all tiki details, and the hotel was advertising the restaurant/bar space on site as available for lease. They were planning on making some major architectural changes to the building, including the removal of an A-frame entrance to the bar and restaurant. Thankfully, that didn't happen.

In 2015, new hotel owners reinvested in the tiki theming, having the artist Bosko complete large tiki signs ringing the courtyard, representing different Polynesian islands. The grounds still have several detailed vintage tikis by carver Ed Crissman.

In February 2017, Rory Snyder took over and refreshed The Reef Bar overlooking the pool.

In Summer of 2022, Snyder added Sancho's Mexican Restaurant and a second bar, Le Fern.

*This site was the original host of the ever-growing Tiki Oasis event (2001-2005), before it moved to the San Diego Crowne Plaza (2006-2019), and was briefly held at San Diego's Paradise Point (2020) before moving to San Diego's Town and Country in 2021.

**Since 2009, Caliente Tropics resort has been host to the annual Tiki Caliente event (as well as other tiki events like Circa Caliente) which some describe as a smaller and more intimate version of what Tiki Oasis is like now. The resort also sees a great deal of traffic during Palm Springs' Modern Week.

The founder of the Trader Vic's chain, Victor Jules Bergeron, is interred with his wife Helen in the Mausoleum at Mountain View Cemetery. You will find them on the bottom floor at about eye level, near the west-facing end entrance. If you visit, be sure to bring some menehunes to leave in remembrance.

On the second floor of the same Mausoleum, Henry J. Kaiser is interred. Henry J. Kaiser's connection to tiki is that he built the Kaiser Aluminum Dome, where Arthur Lyman's albums were recorded, and the Hawaiian Village, which was later purchased by the Hilton chain.

Opened around 1975.

Hawaii Fountain was a Chinese/Polynesian restaurant with the typical New England-style painted tikis. It served tropical drinks in tiki mugs and served the classic "Polynesian" dishes, including a Pupu Platter.

In mid-2006 the restaurant's interior was gutted, and reopened as the non-Polynesian You You.

Despite this, they decided to leave the exterior standing tiki and a couple of side-support tikis in front. The tikis now share space with a couple of Foo Lion additions, but they are still there as of 2021.

And while the interior may have been redesigned entirely, You You has a number of tiki cocktails on their bar menu, still served by the same bartenders that worked for the previous owners, and they serve them in tiki mugs, so you can still sample a bit of that Hawaii Fountain magic after all.

This famous little bar is a Los Angeles institution and was opened on April 28th, 1961 by Ray Buhen. It is now owned and operated by Ray's son Mike Buhen and grandson Mike Buhen, Jr.

The Tiki-Ti drink menu has over 80 drinks, but picking one can feel a little bit like picking a race horse. The menu is divided into sections for the base alcohols, but beyond that, it's just a list of colorful names. These recipes are closely guarded family secrets. There are plenty of classic cocktails on the menu, but many of the drinks are the creation of Ray or his son or grandson. One of Ray's creations, Blood & Sand, is named for the Tyrone Power bullfighting film by the same name, and as it is being mixed the bar's patrons call out "Toro, Toro!" Mike or Mike will happily take the time to ask you a few questions and guide you to a drink you're sure to like.

On Wednesdays, a tribute is made to Ray -- a bell is rung five times, and the whole bar stops what they're doing to toast to Ray.

For decades, Tiki-Ti was owner-operated, with no employees, making it one of the very few places in California that could allow smoking. In June 2015, the Buhens hired their very first employee, longtime regular Greg Bansuelo, to help behind the bar. Smoking is no longer permitted at Tiki-Ti.

The Buhens close the bar when they go on vacation; be sure to check the Tiki-Ti website's calendar to make sure they are open before you stop by. Tiki-Ti is extremely small (just 12 barstools and 5 tables), and is incredibly popular so if you don't like crowds, be sure to get there right as it opens, preferably on a Wednesday. Be sure to bring plenty cash as they don't accept credit cards (although this might have changed recently?). There is an ATM in the back, but it charges a hefty fee and is sometimes hard to reach when the place is packed.

In 2021, during the downtime from the Covid closure, the front of the interior bar was given a facelift by Anders Anderson (A-Frame) with bamboo fronting and diamond-shaped panels decorated with tapa cloth and carved tiki masks. Anders previously had donated a traditional swag lamp or two as well.

The Tropics was purchased by Stephen Crane and renamed The Luau for its opening on July 25th, 1953. This was Crane's original restaurant; after the success of the Luau, he eventually went on to open the popular Kon-Tiki chain of Polynesian restaurants.

Steve Crane's Luau was one of the Hollywood/Beverly Hills restaurants (along with Don the Beachcomber and Trader Vic's) that established Polynesian cuisine (and more importantly drinks) as de rigueur in the 1950s and '60s. The Luau produced some of the most beautiful and highly desired serveware objects (designed by Gabe Florian) to come out of midcentury Polynesian restaurants.

The Luau was demolished in 1979 to make space for a Rodeo Drive shopping complex.

There is no connection between this historic restaurant and a newer restaurant that briefly operated with the same name in Beverly Hills.

Luau, along with its sister restaurant just across town, The Leilani, opened in 1951 and was owned and operated by the Dunn brothers, Jimmy, Roy and Stanley. Luau used to have a tiki bar, and drinks were served out of tiki mugs. The Leilani and Luau both had the same mugs printed up, with both names on each: a black moai mug, and a three-face bucket mug. In later years, Luau didn't have much to offer to a tikiphileit had devolved into an inexpensive all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, with no tiki at all to be seen inside (not even a bar!). For many years, however, its sign remained as a fabulous example of classic midcentury graphic design. In 2013 the restaurant closed, and the sign is gone.

Ren Clark's Polynesian Village was in the Western Hills Hotel, and was richly decorated with bamboo, tapacloth, floats, lights, thatch and peacock chairs. It had several rooms: the Tahitian Room, the Hawaiian Room, the Samoan Hut, and the Cannibal Cocktail Lounge. Its signature tiki was carved by Milan Guanko.

Ren Clark was a magician, and held several posts in magician groups in the 1950s. For entertainment at his Polynesian Village restaurant he performed a magic act; as a souvenir, patrons could purchase a grotesque mug of a severed head -- this mug has become one of the more sought-after tiki mug collectibles, despite it not being really all that "tiki."

The Polynesian Village opened on June 20th, 1960. The hotel was open from 1951 until it burned down in 1969.

The location is currently a Winn-Dixie Marketplace.