From The Cove:

"Established in 1952 by Gene Kopp, the décor and façade were much different than they are today. The building had previously been a roofing store, made of cinderblock, which was painted to tout the original 'The Cove.' Rumors tell of slot machines being residents of the early Cove, before they were made to be removed.

Gene’s son, Richard Kopp, came home from California, where he worked at a ship-yard, in the 70’s to help his father run the business. He introduced the nautical and tiki theme to The Cove, re-faced the cinder block with lumber, and brought many items from the shipyard, including the hatch doors that he made into the Cove tables we still use to this day. He eventually took ownership of The Cove and continued to add tiki flair, rumored to have been modeled after a favorite bar in Mexico, including the classic light fixtures covered with blowfish shades, and other décor that is still proudly cared for, throughout the remodels and facelifts in later years.

During Richard’s ownership, a young girl named Charlotte joined his employment as a cook and worked her way to management and then eventually became owner of the business. Charlotte Meyers' notoriety as the next Cove owner was in her amazing capacity to care for and cultivate an incredibly loyal following of people… lots and lots of people. Her guests became members of her family, whether she called them 'Honey' or by their name, she loved them all. She threw grand parties, danced while balancing shot glasses on her head, and was perpetually the life of the party – whether at The Cove or supporting other local businesses. Her loving nature extended to her predecessors, whole heartedly pouring herself into introducing the next owners to her loyal patrons and friends, and mentoring during the next transitional period.

Debra and Johnny Urrutia purchased The Cove in 2005, having minimal experience in the bar and restaurant industry. They were local entertainers who wanted to have a place of their own to celebrate live music after other venues either closed or traded in their stages for pre recorded music. Deb left her profession in teaching to take Charlotte’s crash course in bar & restaurant management, and, perhaps against the odds, eventually found her footing and came to cherish the role.

Deb and John, with the help of friends, family, and supporters, chose one area at a time to remodel or refurbish. They added a patio for outdoor seating, completely remodeled the bathrooms and kitchen, replaced the bar, and added a saltwater fish tank for guests to enjoy. All the while, there was a strong dedication to keep the integrity of the theme and the richness of the history. Throughout their years of ownership, business has steadily grown, thanks to the continued patronage of loyal guests and an amazing crew of employees who charm first time visitors into becoming the newest members of our Cove family!"

Opened in 1963, the Talisman Motor Inn had multiple restaurants for fine dining and entertainment.

The plan for the Talisman Motor Hotel was imagined after a trip to Japan with a vision of a Japanese steak house, garden, and overall design for business, modern banquet facilities, weddings etc. The hotel had their main dining room “Raffles” and their own tiki bar “The Beachcomber Room”. Within a few years The Beachcomber Room was relocated to the lower level and the original space was used for meeting rooms. The new “Beachcomber Lounge” did very well as a live music venue from April 1976 until it closed in 1991.

The Beachcomber Room's interior design was by Mary Orenstein of Toronto in a “Tahitian Style” featuring statues of Polynesian Warriors, a war canoe over the bar and South Pacific weapons. The band rested on “tons” of lava rock imported from California. It also included a 90ft. Polynesian mural.

This Beachcomber Mural Painting was created by Alexander Von Svodoba, an Austrian painter and mosaic artist. Von Svodoba was commissioned to create a ninety-foot mural in “rich tropical colours depicting a South Seas theme”. The mural was apparently removed and most of it destroyed when the Beachcomber was relocated.

This listing is describing a physical location for the Munktiki business.

Munktiki is a father-son outfit that started in early 2000, and their specialty is crafting beautiful, high-quality tiki mugs. Paul Nielsen (the Dad) has been selling his ceramic crafts since he was in high school in the '60s; his son Miles "Stuckie" Nielsen has similarly been dabbling in clay since he was a child. Paul made his first tiki mug in 1997.

Most Munktiki mugs are of their own design; each mug has a character name on the back, and a number and date on the bottom. Many Munktiki mugs are fiercely collected limited editions, notably the "Shecky" mug based on the Tiki Central mascot designed by Tikifish.

There is also a Munktiki Imports line with their designs crafted in China and then imported to the United States. These are more commonly used with large wholesale orders. These are marked as such on the bottom and are less expensive than the pieces crafted in-house.

Additionally, there are non-tiki lines affiliated with Munktiki, including Münkstein and Yakimon.

Munktiki's original location was in Pacific Grove, California (near Monterey), at 561 Junipero Ave. In 2009, Munktiki moved to Portland, Oregon. In 2017, the business again moved to Astoria, Oregon.

Munktiki also owns and operates Dead Man's Isle, a tiki/nautical bar in Astoria that opened July 14th, 2022.

Munktiki items can be purchased through the Munktiki website, eBay, and a limited number of retailers.

The Tiki was another brainchild of Lake George legend, Charles R. Wood. Wood was an innovator, philanthropist, and all around fun guy. He opened Storytown USA (now Great Escape) a Disney-esque theme park in 1954; a full year before Walt himself opened Disneyland. Wood also beat Walt to the punch with his version of Polynesian paradise the The Tiki. Why mention Disney's Polynesian Resort when discussing the Tiki? Because they are the last two themed full service resorts with Polynesian dinner show still operational in the continental United States.

The Tahiti Lounge at The Tiki Motor Inn opened on July 15, 1965.

The original lobby area remains relatively unspoiled and is currently Paradise Island Lounge. The original gift shop is now the Garden Cafe.

This hotel was run by Howard Johnson for many years, but it hasn't been stripped of its character like so many others that have been bought by hotel chains. Connected to the Waikiki Supper Club, which has Polynesian dinner shows nightly during July & August.

The Tiki also hosts Ohana: Luau at the Lake each year, bringing tons of tikiphiles to enjoy a celebratory weekend comparable to other major regional tiki events like Tiki Oasis or Tiki Caliente in California, Tiki-Kon in Oregon, or the Hukilau in Florida.

This first Chuck’s Steak House was opened in Waikiki at the Edgewater Hotel in 1959, by Chuck Rolles.

As seen in the postcard, they had a bar with a tiki, fish floats, fish nets, and other flotsam and jetsam.

The restaurant became known for its casual atmosphere, self-serve salad bar, and high-quality steaks at reasonable prices. Today, a self-serve salad bar does not seem ground-breaking, but Chuck's was one of the first restaurants to implement this and they introduced it to the mainland.

Since 2007, with the creation of the Waikiki Beach Walk, this entire area has been redeveloped and no signs of the original Chuck's remains.

Over the years, the Chuck's chain expanded across the United States, although many locations have since closed, leaving only a few remaining, including one in Santa Barbara, California.

Kukui was a modern tiki nightclub in Oxford, England, opened in 2008. Being a nightclub in a college town, its target audience was a young crowd, and was set up for music and dancing rather than lounging and conversing.

To give one example, they invited controversy at their first ever Halloween party in 2008, when an online listing promised “one of the naughtiest nights of the year” with “KY Jelly wrestling — naked” and “fetish snake shows involving a 12ft albino python”.

Capacity was set for 800 persons.

The space was an unusually successful melding of sleek, modern lines with Polynesian Pop. This same combination has been attempted many times before, and usually lands with a thud; in the hands of interior design firm CheekyTiki and graphic designer TikiRacer (responsible for the interior and graphics for Mahiki in London), the result was beautifully proportioned and worked well.

It was divided into six distinct areas, including the private blue-domed Castaway Room, seating 35 and sealed off from the main space by a 4m tropical fish tank. Alternatively, you could book the Californian Room, with a 15m tropical rainforest wall screen.

'Hula Hula Girls' and 'Honolulu Hunks' served the keenly priced cocktails, designed for sharing.

Kukui closed in May 2011.

A second Kukui location opened in Bournemouth in 2010 and then closed 6th February 2012, re-opened as Lola Lo Bournemouth on the 9th February 2012, before closing once more in July 2014 only to be re-opened as a non-tiki themed establishment afterwards.

Opened on March 19th, 2022 in what had been known previously as the old TheaterNOW building.

This venue bills itself as an "Adventure Bar" which incorporates some aspects of tiki decor besides just the cocktails, but also includes a Cabinet of Curiosities vibe with artifacts from all corners of the world as one would expect to find in an old-school adventurer's club.

From The Sorrow Drowner:

"Once you cross the threshold, you will be transported into the classic era of Exploration. The Lemurian Institute, a global leader in history and exploration, led by its founder, Edward Bartholomew Wheatley the Third, have assembled a team of the finest adventurers and scholars from around the globe. What happens behind the doors of the Institute has been a question for decades; however, as the old saying goes, 'When the Machairodus Kabir is away, the Indefatigable Galapagos Mice will play!'

Enter The Sorrow Drowners!

This rag-tag group of individuals, nicknamed for their near nightly revelries, keep the Institute running while the Board of Directors are out exploring! Many of these acolytes pine to be in the field but have yet to pay their dues. Instead, they stay behind to research and catalogue the variety of artifacts sent home by the Institutes elite expedition teams and partners worldwide. Due to all the doldrums of lab work, an informal vote was taken and the Sorrow Drowners have decided to open the doors of the Institute to all of YOU! (Truth be told, its mostly because theyd prefer the chance to speak to someone that isnt 2000 years old.) Just dont tell E.B.!

Once inside, you will be welcomed with open arms into 'The Grand Marae', the meeting hall in the Institute typically used for lectures, but sans supervision the dais has been co-opted into a space for members and a variety of entertainers to perform! Books and notes have been pushed into corners to make room for you in the Library and you have been granted access to the secretive Director E.B. Wheatley IIIs office to view his personal collection. Most importantly, they saved you a seat at the bar as they serve up drinks a tad bit stronger than Lemonade!

So prepare yourself, The Sorrow Drowners welcome you!

Owned and operated by The Lemurian Institute, Inc., wholly owned by North Carolina Native Alfred Brian Wheatley and designed by former Disney Imagineer Brandon Kleyla, aka Trader Brandon, whose resume includes attractions worldwide and is perhaps best known for his work on both Trader Sam's Tiki Bars in Anaheim, Ca and Orlando, Fl. You will want to spend hours here just looking at all the artifacts from around the world and to allow yourself to get lost in the story.

'People love being able to escape, to get lost in an experience, and thats what were doing here,' says Brandon. 'Were stepping out of the framework of a traditional Tiki bar and delivering a much larger experience, set in the golden age of adventure. The age of Earhart, Bingham, Carter, and Bird.'

'My whole life, I was always on the hunt for adventure! I havent climbed Mount Everest or Walked the Plains of the Serengeti, but when I couldnt there were movies that could,' says Alfred Brian Wheatley, proprietor of the Sorrow Drowner. 'It was in these films that I found myself enthralled and, when presented with the opportunity to create this experience, it was these films that guided my hand. It is my wish to bring a space permeated with that sense of adventure to Wilmington.'

The Sorrow Drowner will feature a large menu of classic craft cocktails from classic tiki faire to drinks from around the world as well as a menu of island favorites. Select Evenings, the stage will come alive with a Vaudeville Style Revue featuring a variety of acts as well as an interactive cast of wandering comedic characters. Our hope is to provide the city of Wilmington and Coastal North Carolina with an ever-changing experience that youll want to visit again and again!"

NOTE On January 8th, 2025, the owners of The Sorrow Drowner announced their intentions to re-locate their business to California, with promises to document their progress toward this goal online as the process unfolds.

Opened March of 2024, after having been closed for over 20 years following the demise of its original location in the San Fernando Valley.

Run by Bobby Green and the 1933 group.

Re-imagined as a speakeasy at the Tail O' the Pup in West Hollywood, the 18-foot-long hotdog-shaped building near the corner of Santa Monica and La Cienega boulevards, which was also a Bobby Green project (re-opened in July of 2022).

Besides being the site for Tail O' the Pup, this upstairs locale was The Doors’ recording studio in 1970, and it was their office. They recorded “LA Woman” here. Jim Morrison liked the way the tile echo sounded [in the bathroom]. So he sang all the vocals to “LA Woman” here.

At the top of a staircase, the new Lucky Tiki has many of its old features on display, including a huge tiki by Crazy Al, but also incorporates many new pieces, especially hanging lamps by a variety of artists. Other details include some new Tiki tOny tikis, some green breezeway tiles that feature the Lucky Tiki mascot tiki at center, and custom wallpaper that also serves as the pattern for the staff's button-up Aloha shirts.

There is an outdoor patio with tables and chairs, and lit by several tiki swag lamps, also featuring a huge cartoony PNG mask by Vic Hdz.

The bar has their own food menu with coconut shrimp and crab rangoon and other favorites, but you can also order food from Tail O' The Pup downstairs.

Soft opening on March 9th and official opening on March 13th, 2024.

Occupies the site formerly inhabited by the Zebra Room.

The Hula Hula Room decor is dark and cozy, walls lined with tropical wallpaper framed by lots of lauhala matting and bamboo. Well-lit with colored lighting and aiming for a classic tiki bar feel and look.

Opened in 1954, this short-lived establishment was technically at the very beginning of the tiki era, but from all accounts was still very much a pre-tiki Hawaiiana bamboo and surf bar/restaurant.

The interior was decorated with bamboo, rattan, and natural materials, with some large sheets of tapa on the walls as well. However, no actual carved tikis or tiki mugs.

The cocktail menu, shown below, is basically lifted from Don the Beachcomber's, including some of the graphics.

An advert from 1955 describes Steve Romer's Surf Rider as “Tops in Hawaiian entertainment featuring George Kainapau, the Golden Voice of Hawaii." Customers could also dance to the music of the in-house band called The Surf Riders.

The restaurant served Cantonese and American food, had private banquet rooms and a fashion show luncheon was held every Wednesday.

According to newspaper reports, the restaurant went into receivership in 1957.

This location is not to be confused with the Bakersfield Surf Rider, opened a few years later, which epitomizes the over-the-top decoration in the Golden Era of Tiki.

There were many unrelated restaurants that used this name over the years, and it is worthwhile to note that the name and what it evoked reaches back to the pre-tiki era.

*NOTE: This location at 137 S. Lake Avenue would eventually become home, four years later, to The Tahitian, which fully embraced the Golden Era vision of Tiki.

Today, with the area having gone through several construction remodelings, there is no sign of the original building. As of 2024, it appears to have been in what is now a parking lot area adjacent to Fidelity Investments.

Hawaiian Paradise was a pre-tiki venue that opened at 7566 Melrose Avenue on April 7, 1937. The owners were Bill Calhoun, George Mason and Lorena “Rena” Rogers. Rogers was an ex-actress and, from 1916 to 1941, wife of actor-turned-director Frank Borzage. After giving up acting, Rena took many trips to Hawaii, and back in Hollywood would throw huge Polynesian-themed parties with singers and hula dancers to entertain.

The restaurant served both Continental and "Island" cuisine. As of 1937, they also boasted a new all-glass roof for "year round starlight dancing".

Hawaiian Paradise celebrated its 1-year anniversary on April 7, 1938. Later that year, Mason was out; Rena and Bill Calhoun remained owners. By 1939 Calhoun alone was the face of Hawaiian Paradise, now known as “Hawaiian Paradise Isle.” In February 1940, it became the Hawaiian Paradise Ballroom, a last gasp of the tropical theme.

Later that year, 7566 Melrose became the latest outlet of “Club 41” fronted by George Distel, and was closed by the courts for multiple violations of State liquor laws. In 1947 the building was remodeled as the Horton Dance Theater.

This location has been home to many businesses over the years.

The Drake Theatre was opened here on March 26, 1970, initially screening straight adult movies, it went over to gay male adult movies in around 1975/1976.

In 1977 the Drake Theatre was listed in the Bob Damron Address Book as operating as a gay male adult theatre. It was later known as the Aladdin Theatre, operating into the 1980’s.

After closing it became an adult bookstore & video store, which closed in early-2008.

Most recently, this spot was home to "Orange Bone" a dog salon and boutique store, which closed in 2023.

The South Seas was connected to the Three O Seven Club at 307 W Pike in Long Beach, CA. Circa 1953.

This pre-tiki establishment featured such cocktails as the "Monkey's Tail" and the "Banana Bazooka"!