In 1952, Jack Sutton opened Dutton's Jungle Gardens, which sprawled across 7-acres at the intersection of Orangethorpe and Raymond Avenues.

The property was covered with more than 500 palm trees and crawled with assorted megafauna: an alligator, bear, lion, three elephants, orangutans and more. One of the biggest attractions was Jerry, a chimpanzee who was toilet trained and could dress himself and brush his own teeth. Admission to the jungle was free and large paths led people through the dense canopy where they could get close to the animals, which inevitably caused liability issues.

Dutton offset the cost of running the animal attraction with this swanky Polynesian joint known as the Palms Restaurant. Serving exotic gourmet food, it hosted parties of up to 1,000 people. Menus housed in the Anaheim library show Lobster dinners were served for $3.50; Hawaiian dinners such as Barbecued Pork and Opae Teriyaki were served for around $5 a plate. Guests included such glitterati as actor Dale Robertson (Dynasty) as well as Catwoman Eartha Kitt. The brochure below shows that the bar was known as the "Lantern Bar" and featured a ton of swag lamps! There was also a "Terrace Room" and a "Gold Room".

But ultimately the operation was too much for Dutton to handle. In 1974 thieves raided the jungle making off with two flamingos, two silver pheasants, a Ghigi Golden pheasant and other birds totaling a loss of $1,200. In 1976 police responded to reports of an unruly party of approximately 700 guests at the Palms. According to the Santa Ana Register a “free-for-all” broke out with people launching rocks and bottles at police forcing cops to use mace and batons to break up the throng. Three people were arrested for assault on a police officer and one lawman was hospitalized.

On May 17, 1976 the Palms closed. It stood vacant for two years and succumbed to a suspicious electrical fire in 1978.

The Palms restaurant was right next door to the Akua Motor Hotel, now known as the Akua Motor Inn.

Started in the 1960s (1967?).

The Tikis was a massive entertainment complex, elaborately landscaped with tikis and volcanos, and featuring a Polynesian show. The Tikis could accommodate groups up to 1,500, and was able to entertain up to 3,000 people in one night.

The Tikis had caves, waterways, waterfalls, mermaids, an 80’ exploding volcano, 15 bars, up to 5 bands would perform each night, there was a petting zoo with exotic animals, and a handmade (!) roller coaster. Each night culminated in a Polynesian extravaganza and ended when a gorilla swooped down via a zip line, often knocking over guests’ beverages, and grabbed one of the maidens for a sacrifice.

Sometime after 1970, owner Danny Balsz divorced his wife, Doris Samson, and The Tikis closed in 1979.

Balsz attempted to recreate The Tikis in nearby Lake Elsinore, but he was never able to reopen.

Early menus and other items are labelled "120 Via Lola," which maps to the south face of the site rather than the east face. The Palm Springs location site dates back to at least 1941, but this Don's was opened there on March 2nd, 1953.

Frank Sinatra was a regular here, and was reportedly a big tipper, but also a demanding customer. He liked the Navy Grog.

Today, this same spot houses Bootlegger Tiki.

The now restored rooftop tiki torches from the old Don the Beachcomber's now form the logo for the adjacent Ernest Coffee Co., which opened in June 2014. The two entrepreneurs behind this independent coffeehouse, photographer Jaime Kowal and designer Chris Pardo, also paid tribute to the history of this site by calling it after Don the Beachcomber’s real name: Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt. (They also own neighboring bar Bootlegger Tiki, a nod to Don’s occupation before he essentially invented the tiki bar.)

Opened January 1961 at the corner of Roscoe at Desoto in Canoga Park, CA.

Today, as of 2023, this is a vacant lot.

Opened July 23rd, 1959 and was popular through the 1960s.

The Tiki-Jo was in the Miramar Hotel (now the Fairmont Miramar), and featured a tiki carved by Eli Hedley, grandfather of Bamboo Ben.

This 2-story, 118 room motel was built in 1961. Designed by Armet and Davis.

Originally it had a bar/lounge called the "Tropics Room", now gone.

Formerly run as a Days Inn and as a Knights Inn, it was recently called the Clarion Pointe Fresno (as of 2021-2024). As of 2025, its future remains uncertain.

You can still see some rock tiki faces built into the rock wall in front and the signature wood tikis out by the pool area (as part of a bench). The interior appears to have been completely gutted and redesigned, however.

Open perhaps as early as 1958.

The Outrigger was in the Surf & Sand Hotel. It was one of several restaurants owned by Glenn Billingsley, first husband of Barbara Billingsley of "Leave It to Beaver" fame.

Known for their celebrity bartender, Popo, who worked at several other locations and won some prestigious cocktail contests.

Harry "Sugie" Sugarman, manager of Grauman's Chinese Theater, opened his Tropics supper club on November 27th, 1935 at 421 North Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills. The Tropics was one of the earliest exotic theme bars in the Los Angeles area, with an interior decor consisting of bamboo and tropical foliage. The club's dance floor was located in the "Rain Room" which had a glass roof upon which tropical showers fell several times each night.

The Tropic's food menu consisted mostly of Chinese and American dishes with the specialty being Sugie's Indian Curry Chicken. Sugarman capitalized on his motion picture connections by naming exotic drinks in honor of the celebrities who frequented the Tropics (such as Shirley Temple -- shown below...although her signature mocktail is said to have been invented in the late 1930s by a bartender at Chasen's in Beverly Hills). A few of the celebrities and the drinks they inspired at The Tropics were Sonja Henie (Thin Ice), Lana Turner (Untamed), Caesar Romero (Deep Purple), Rita Hayworth (Karanga), Paulette Goddard (Captain Blood), Barbara Sanwyck (Papeete), Robert Taylor (Coquette), and Bette Davis (Samoa of Samoa).

The Tropics was purchased by Stephen Crane and renamed The Luau in 1953. The Luau was demolished in 1979 to make space for a Rodeo Drive shopping complex. In addition to his Beverly Hills club, Sugie also opened another Tropics club at Sunset and Vine in Hollywood.

Hula's Island Grill in Monterey started off initially in 1998 with more of a Hawaiiana/Surf feel, but has been deepening its tiki roots over the years, most notably with the addition of their Tiki Room. Carved masks and trim details by the artist Bosko are throughout the restaurant, and a very large Tiki Tony carving shares the space with much bamboo and Leeteg reproductions. The restaurant is enormously popular with locals, and has a very cozy, intimate feel. Traditional drinks include a proper Mai Tai, and Hula's has their own branded glassware and their own branded tiki mugs available (call ahead to make sure they are in stock).

In 2006, a second location opened up the coast in Santa Cruz. 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.

This used to be Samoa Hut.

The Harbor Hut has been family owned and operated since 1951.

There is also a fish and chips take-out building on the property called "The Li'l Hut".

Their original outdoor tikis have deteriorated and they have replaced some of them with more modern carvings. One old standing rootball headed tiki has lost his body and just the head remains if you compare earlier to later photos below...

Mr. Vise Grip's Bamboo Bar was the small tiki bar within the 19 Broadway Nite Club, from 2003 until a fire damaged the space in 2009. The Nite Club remains, but the Bamboo Bar is no longer.