The Outrigger was a Polynesian-themed restaurant in the Lafayette Hotel. The Lafayette is a historic building dating back to the '20s; it was operated by Hilton when the restaurant opened in 1958.

The Outrigger was one of four themed restaurants in the hotel that were opened at the same time: The Ivanhoe Room with the medieval splendor of King Arthur's court with tunnels, torture chambers, fireplaces, shields and lances; steaks, seafood, cocktails and piano bar. Outrigger Room off Broadway entrance has South Seas tropical decor, exotic drinks, "Polynesian" waitresses, Cantonese appetizers and dinners. The Gaslight Room on corner of First and Linden has Roaring 20s theme with banjo and piano music by TV personality Jad Paul. Fife & Drum has Revolutionary War period decor, lunch buffet.

It's not known exactly when the Outrigger restaurant closed, but probably around 1967.

The building was converted to condominiums in 1968.

Edwin Tan's Chinese Gardens took over the space that was previously Trader Island, sometime around 1970. Later, it became the Imperial Palace Inn. In the mid 80s, the location operated as Mandarin Garden. In 2008, the building housed the Scorpions Sports Bar & Grill. By 2013, the building was vacant and has remained so through 2020.

The Edwin Tan's iteration of the space retained some of the tiki poles and decor but many of them were painted in much brighter colors by successive owners.

Trader Island was opened by Lula Herrera in 1965. It was originally graced with large tikis around the exterior that were carved by Tahitian native and ex-pat Al Kalani (age 28). Al was also a featured dancer in the Trader Island dance ensembles that entertained there regularly.

By 1970, the site had become Edwin Tan's Chinese Gardens. Later, it became the Imperial Palace Inn. In the mid 80s, the location operated as Mandarin Garden. In 2008, the building housed the Scorpions Sports Bar & Grill. By 2013, the building was vacant and has remained so through 2020.

These photos below show the roof support beams when they still retained their irregular edges and before they had been planed smooth in later versions. Other than this and successive painting on the exterior, the building has remained remarkably the same over the years.

The Reef opened on August 8th, 1958, and was co-owned by George Millay, creator of Sea World. The original restaurant had interior designs by Bobby Mavis, and had "Hula Grounds" with many tikis.

Quote from a 1961 review from the Long Beach Press-Telegram:

"The Reef Is a large place with numerous dining rooms which accommodate thousands of guests each week. Bearing such fancy names as the Coco Room, the Tonga Room (both dining rooms), the Pali Room (large banquet facilities), and the Tiki Room (cocktail lounge), each is smartly tropical in decor. Most of these rooms provide their guests with breathtaking close-up views of harbor shipping and Long Beach’s sweeping skyline. For those who like to dine or sip cocktails In open air the Reef has a long handsome patio which also overlooks the water. In addition the restaurant has a huge turn-park area which can handle groups from 150 to 1500. Tommy Noh, the Reef's lively young manager, directs a staff of 70."

The Reef burned down in 1974, and was later re-built in 1980 by David Tallichet, one of the original partners in the old restaurant.

Tallichet and his company have run over 100 restaurants around the country over the years. The other Polynesian project he is well-known for is the Ports O' Call Restaurant at the Ports O' Call Village.

However, Tallichet re-built the new Reef building in a mining theme, that was popular around the country at the time, with lots of raw wood beams. He was later heard to voice regret that he didn't stick to the original Polynesian theme so many area residents fondly remembered. It's since been remodeled several times and the mining theme has been erased as well. The current restaurant isn't really tiki or Polynesian at all but it is almost 3 times as large as its predecessor and is still run by Tallichet's family-owned company, Specialty Restaurants Corporation, which currently owns 18 other restaurants, including The Castaway in Burbank, Castaway in San Bernardino, the aviation-themed Proud Bird ear LAX and 94th Aero Squadron in Van Nuys as well as Orange Hill in Orange.

Pacific Ocean Park was a theme park on a pier extending into the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica. At the very end of the park was Mystery Island, a South Seas-themed area with a volcano and a train ride.

Dedication on July 10th, 1958. Actress Mitzi Gaynor (from the film, South Pacific) was there to drop a lei into the waters and do the hula. See below...

It opened to the public on Saturday, July 28, 1958 with an attendance of 20,000. The next day, it drew 37,262, outperforming Disneyland's attendance that day!

Pacific Ocean Park closed in 1967, and was demolished in the mid-'70s.

Opened @ June 8th, 1958 when they started advertising in the Santa Ana Register.

Themed motel just south of Disneyland. This site is now Eden Roc Inn & Suites.

The Waikiki Motel had a prime location, just south of Disneyland (the park is even painted into the background of the Waikiki Motel's postcards). The building is gone, this site now holds the Desert Palm Inn & Suites.

For many years, the Aku Aku Motel (also known as the Aku Aku Motor Inn) had a glorious A-frame entrance but it was demolished in October 2006, and now no traces of tiki remain. A few years later, the name was changed to Best Western Woodland Hills Inn, and now any hint of its tiki history is gone.

Opened by William Chin and ran from 1961 to 1965.

Tiki Kai had a very large and dramatic A-frame entrance, flanked by Milan Guanko tikis.

The Tiki Kai was succeeded by a second tiki establishment, The Golden Lei, which was opened by local realtor Fred L. Fredericks and lasted a very short time.

By the late 60s there was an entirely different themed restaurant in its place.

The building was demolished to make way for a Pizza Hut in 1971 and from 2008 until most recently the location is being used as a medical office.

This is the second location of Hula's Island Grill & Tiki Room, the first being down the coast in nearby Monterey. This newer location, which opened in late 2006, goes even further with the tiki theme than the original spot. The owners got assistance with the decor from Bosko, 'Onatiki, Tiki Tony, Polynesiac, Oceanic Arts and Munktiki, and consulted with Forbidden Island's Martin Cate in developing the bar. The space is warm, lined with lauhala matting and filled with carvings, floats and tapa lamps.

Then, Hula's Modern Tiki opened in Phoenix (2009-2018) followed by Hula's Modern locations in Scottsdale (2014) and High Street (2020). The first Hula's Modern Tiki in Phoenix re-located on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2018 to a new location on Seventh Street north of Camelback Road, less than a mile away from the original.

The Pago Pago Club was reportedly a hangout for staff at the Disney Studios, which were located across the street. Exact dates of the operation of the club are not known, but it was open as early as 1947 (per a postcard drawn by a Disney artist). Guitarist Paul Page played off and on at the Pago Pago for ten years.

Not a lot remains aside from the occasional drink token that pops up from time to time...

This Don the Beachcomber opened at the former Trade Winds around 1976 or so. It operated for a few years and closed in the late '70s. In later years, this location briefly became Coconut Joe's Warehouse and Hawaiian Cowboy, and the building was demolished in 1984.