Tiki Bars
The Exotic Tiki Lounge - at the Mirimar East Hotel
Fort Walton Beach, Florida, United States (Closed)
Operated in the early 1960s.
Postcards list the location for the Mirimar only as downtown on Highway 98. It appears to have been at the site of the present-day Suites at Marina Bay.
Tiki Apartments - Seattle
Seattle, Washington, United States (Closed)
The Tiki Apartments were an example of dingbats -- boxy apartments, usually supported by stilts, with open stalls below for parking. (Their name is likely to have been coined by architect Francis Ventre while he was lecturing at UCLA in the early '70s.) Thousands of the inexpensive 16-unit structures were built in the late '50s and early '60s to accommodate the huge number of people moving to the West Coast. Dingbats are being demolished by the dozen to make way for multi-story complexes with underground parking, so they are doubly ephemeral when paired with a tiki theme and tiki imagery.
Other than the sign, there doesn't appear to have been any other tikis or tiki features about this property.
Permits were issued for demolition in 2019 to build a 6-story, 56-unit new complex called Lake City Apartments.
Hale Kai -- at the Brant Inn
Burlington, Ontario, Canada (Closed)
The Hale Kai (House by the Sea) operated during the 1960s and was located at the Brant Inn in Burlington, Ontario. John Murray Anderson was the owner and director.
The original Brant Hotel opened in 1900 and burned to the ground in 1925. It was reconstructed that same year. Anderson and his partners, Kendall and Cec Roberts, purchased the property in 1939. Anderson became sole owner in 1954, having bought out the others.
Anderson is credited with being the first to bring big bands and floor shows into Canada and specifically with getting the popular Sky Club, which extended out over Lake Ontario, built at the Inn. There was Sophie Tucker, Victor Borge, Lena Horne, Louis “Satchmo” armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Johnny Mathis, Andy Williams, Liberace. And the big American bands came through — Goodman, Les Brown and his band of renown, and Stan Kenton, who packed 1,600 people into the place.
Poor health led Anderson to sell the Inn in 1964 to a firm called the International Atlas Development and Exploration Ltd.
In 1968, the decision was made by the owners of the Inn to close the entertainment landmark following the New Year’s Eve celebration. Demolition took place in 1969.
A commemorative plaque marks where the Inn once stood, located at the western end of Spencer Smith Park close to Maple Avenue.
*Today not much is known about the Hale Kai. Focus seems to be on the 1940s and 50s which are considered the high point of the Brant Inn. So, the Hale Kai may have only been around for a very brief time in the 1960s.
Tahiti Motel - Wildwood Crest
Wildwood Crest, New Jersey, United States (Closed)
The Tahiti Motel was opened in 1963. Its original owner was Robert Gerhardt Jr.
It is commonly referred to as being a part of the Doo Wop style of architecture, named after the popular music of its time, but this style is also referred to as Googie architecture in California and other parts of the country.
The Tahiti Motel was demolished in December of 2004.
It appears the letters of its sign were saved and displayed (at least at some point) at the nearby Tangiers Hotel which is also from the same era and has an A-frame out front that used to be a coffee shop but is now their office.
Dragon Seed Restaurant Luau Hut
Jackson Heights, New York, United States (Closed)
Dragon Seed opened for business in April 1949 and closed July 1993.
The name probably came from a contemporary novel of the same name by Pearl S. Buck first published in 1942. The book describes the lives of Chinese peasants in a village outside Nanjing, China, immediately prior to and during the Japanese invasion in 1937. The story was adapted for the big screen in 1944, starring Katherine Hepburn in a whitewashed role as "Jade".
It was a very popular Chinese and Tiki fusion restaurant. There were beaded curtains and a wishing well. You could order Mai Tais and Zombies, which were served in tiki mugs with fruit garnishes and paper umbrellas, and they had a pu-pu platter.
It was also a favorite restaurant of Louis Armstrong and his wife, Lucille. The neighbor kids would go there while he was eating and ask for autographs and he would oblige them, but sometimes his food got cold so he would just eat the fortune cookies and when he got home his wife would make him a Dagwood sandwich.
After closing in 1993 the tiki decor persisted a surprisingly long time, especially a couple of moai outside the front door which were brought inside at some point and then disappeared prior to the last remodeling in 2017.
Since 2017, this location is Raices Colombianas, a Colombian restaurant.
Mojave Oasis
Newberry Springs, California, United States (Closed)
Mojave Oasis was opened in Spring 2011, in Newberry Springs, by Amy Boylan (Queen Kamehameha on Tiki Central).
The concept was definitely influenced by the 1960s Lake Loreen's Blue Lagoon (which was located in Newberry Springs and was also situated on a man-made lake and had a plane called "The Tiki Bird").
Newberry Springs is a very isolated area, located 20 mi (32 km) east of Barstow, approximately 40 mi (64 km) due west of the Mojave National Preserve, and approximately 100 mi (160 km) south of Death Valley National Park.
Mojave Oasis was a private campground centered around a small pond/lake with both tent and trailer camping.
In addition to vintage trailers which could be rented, the property had paddle boats for going out on the lake, a wrecked vintage plane (The Tiki Bird), dozens of vintage tikis (some from Benzart Davis and some from Ben Wilson who ran the old El Tiki) and new carvings (like the carved mermaids by Tiki Ray for instance), a clam shell roofed bar (The Mermaid Lounge) and a hut called The Rapa Nui Roost -- both created by Danny Gallardo (Tiki Diablo), and an A-frame stage for live music performances.
Camp spaces could be rented out by appointment and Amy also held an annual Mojave Oasis event.
Financial difficulties forced the closing and sale of the property in 2016.
El Tiki - Imperial
Imperial, California, United States (Closed)
Ben Wilson 7/7/1929-2/18/2021 was the owner of El Tiki. Ben opened El Tiki in 1962 on Highway 111 and Worthington Rd.
They served great Mexican food combined with exotic Hawaiian decor, and it was the site of many memorable birthdays, anniversaries, and prom dates. He carved all the Tikis himself, collected nets and shells and tropical curiosities, and decorated it in true beachcomber fashion. There was even a full whale rib in front of the restaurant. The booths were lined with bamboo and had thatched roofs, it was dark and mysterious. Ben was the consummate host and bartender, he always had a smile and a story for everyone.
He closed the restaurant around 1978 but converted the property into a house and lived there for many years. The building is still there. Many of the original Tikis proudly stand guard on the property to this day.
3 of the larger tikis were purchased by Amy Boylan (Queen Kamehameha on Tiki Central) for her Mojave Oasis location in the early 2000s.
Tropical Hideaway - Disneyland
Anaheim, California, United States
This open-air dining area opened in December 2018 and is nestled between the Jungle Cruise and Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki Room in Disneyland's Adventureland.
It replaces the space that had previously been Aladdin's Oasis, although there is one small section to the left as you wait in line that is still decorated with lanterns and barrels filled with Persian rugs from the Aladdin era - hearkening back to the street vending of Agrabah.
This was not a full turning back the clock to the original Tahitian Terrace, which had live shows and occupied the space before Aladdin's Oasis, but it is a significantly better use of the space - diverting traffic from the Enchanted Tiki Room's Dole whip line and providing a pressure relief valve from an area that was growing more and more congested each year. Before this, the Aladdin's Oasis was only opened sporadically as a character greeting site.
The Tropical Hideaway features an open-air dock where patrons can sit back and relax on the Jungle River waterfront while enjoying sweet and savory bites (bao dumplings or chilled ramen shaker salads) or enjoy a Dole whip. As the sun goes down, flickering torch lights illuminate the area. Rosita is also hanging out with the visitors, awaiting a Jungle Navigation Co. Ltd. boat (which is running uncharacteristically late) to take her on a journey towards a solo career. She spends her time telling jokes and reminiscing about the Hideaway from way back when.
Souvenirs from this location include collectible sporks - each with Adventureland inspired imagery on their handles - occupying an ambiguous collector niche adjacent to swizzle stick collecting.
Glenlani Tiki Apartments
Los Angeles, California, United States
The Glenlani Tiki Apartments were built in 1960.
They are an example of dingbats -- boxy two-story apartments supported by stilts, with open stalls below for parking. (Their name is likely to have been coined by architect Francis Ventre while he was lecturing at UCLA in the early '70s.) Thousands of the inexpensive 16-unit structures were built in the late '50s and early '60s to accommodate the huge number of people moving to Southern California. Dingbats are being demolished by the dozen to make way for multi-story complexes with underground parking, so they are doubly ephemeral when paired with a tiki theme and tiki imagery.
The Glenlani has apparently lost its sign, reading "Glenlani Tiki" and possibly the swag lamps as of 2021, but the whitewashed standing tiki on the other side of the structure is still there.
According to Redfin, the space has 11 units as of a 2020 assessment, so it was either slightly smaller than the normal dingbat or 5 of those original 16 units were incorporated into the remaining units to make them more spacious, probably now considered as condo conversions.
Kala Kai Apartments
Lomita, California, United States
This 34,356 square foot condo features 74 bedrooms and 42 bathrooms. It was built in 1963 and still has many of its original tikis in place.
The Monkey's Paw - at Downtown Grill
Macon, Georgia, United States (Closed)
Opened in Fall 2020.
Located in a secret lounge above the Downtown Grill.
You needed a reservation to go and they only sat 8 people at a time.
The Monkey's Paw closed their Downtown Grill location and re-opened at a new location in the basement of Pearl Passionate Cuisine & Cocktails (which closed June 23rd, 2024).
The Pearl venue became a new location called The Monkey's Paw Tropical Tapas on July 11th, 2024 with tapas dining upstairs and the Monkey's Paw Tiki Lounge downstairs.