Tiki Tom-Tom’s Road Trip
Call me Ishmael. Call me Ahab. Call me Tiki Tom-Tom. Call me a Polynesiac.
A year or so ago —never mind how long precisely—having retired, with not much money and nothing particular to interest me, I thought I would drive my Taco truck around a little and see the Tiki homes of the world. I met many a Polynesiac. I drank many an elixir. And I only am escaped alone to tell thee.
My visits to 75 homes (the ones featured in Polynesiacs: Tiki at Home) across the continental United States occurred between June 5, 2021 and April 11, 2022. The first leg of my driving expedition was in June and July of 2021 and included 35 bars. I drove from North Carolina to California (coast to coast) and back. Then, I drove north to Upstate New York via Pennsylvania and back home in September 2021. Like the snowbirds, it was time to go south to Florida. By the end of December 2021, I had visited 51 homes. Feeling as if I had neglected the Pacific Northwest, I added 9 more visits in January of 2022. By then, I thought I was done, but I was invited to present at the closing of Oceanic Arts. I used this opportunity to pack in the final 15 home visits (final for the book), all in the span of one week.
Oh, and I’m still going, in case you’re curious. As of this update, I have visited 84 home Tiki bars.
- ZsaZsa’s, Durham, NC
- The Monkey Room, Roswell, GA
- The Barloney Tiki Lounge, Roswell, GA
- Mona ‘Roa Lanai, Atlanta, GA
- Tangaroa Tavern, Nashville, TN
- Mermaid Lounge, Nashville, TN
- Hale Manu, Nashville, TN
- Almost Always Lounge, Houston, TX
- Moai Icehouse, Austin, TX
- TaBoozy Lei, New Braunfels, TX
- The Tiki Room TX, San Antonio, TX
- Enchanted Tiki Trailer, Tucson, AZ
- Hunahuna Hut, Maricopa, AZ
- Atomic Lagoon, Phoenix, AZ
- Pele Bar at Barefoot Bay, Imperial, CA
- Jurupa Hideaway, Jurupa, CA
- Chi Chi Lounge, Riverside, CA
- Grass Shack Gardens, Oceanside, CA
- Lowbrow Tiki, Whittier, CA
- Trader Sampson’s Cocoanut Canteen, Eagle Rock, CA
- UNPOC Lounge, Tehachapi, CA
- Orr Oasis, Las Vegas, NV
- Smoking Monkey Lounge, Las Vegas, NV
- Caliche Cove, Las Vegas, NV
- Cannibal Cove, Salt Lake City, UT
- Shark Bait Lounge, Denver, CO
- Jungle Flower, Denver, CO
- The Forbidden Hole, Omaha, NE
- The Black Flamingo, Kansas City, MO
- The Flora Lounge, Kansas City, MO
- Nani Malolo, Springfield, IL
- Rancho Kahiki Tiki Bar, Columbus, OH
- Shipwreck Shirley’s, Columbus, OH
- The Sunken Schooner, Benton Harbor, MI
- Faye’s Tiki Lounge, Livonia, MI
- Mai Tiki Bar, Indianapolis, IN
- Driftwood Lounge, Allison Park, PA
- Boom Boom Room, Pittsburgh, PA
- Tiki Paka’s Isle, Rosendale, NY
- Enchanted Honu Tiki Lounge, Mint Hill, NC
- Likelike Lounge, Charlotte, NC
- Bull Tiki, Durham, NC
- PaPa Nui, Charleston, SC
- Nui Keoki’s Enchanted Grotto, Jacksonville, FL
- Hala Kahiki Hideaway, Orlando, FL
- Cannibal Lounge, Orlando, FL
- Faré Mananui, Kissimmee, FL
- Rosy’s Reef, Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Hammerhead Hideaway, Hollywood, FL
- Carver Will Anders, Wilton Manors, FL
- Lalotai: Den of Monsters, Atlanta, GA
- Enchanted Jungle Lounge, Portland, OR
- Waters House of Tiki, Happy Valley, OR
- The Cosmos Lounge, Salem, OR
- RiKa Tiki Reef, Portland, OR
- Headhunter’s Hideaway, Olympia, WA
- Bamboo Grove of Westwood, West Seattle, WA
- Fuzzy Smudge, Olalla, WA
- Rockin’ Jellyfish Lounge, Gig Harbor, WA
- Crow’s Nest Lounge, Tacoma, WA
- The Headhunter, San Diego, CA
- The Lava-Flow-Inn, La Mesa, CA
- Lumi-La Lounge, La Mesa, CA
- South Pacific Room, Vista, CA
- Hidden Tiki, Escondido, CA
- Rano Raraku, Escondido, CA
- Hale Kahiki, Los Angeles, CA
- Sven Kirsten’s Home, Los Angeles, CA
- Tapu Tiki, Ventura, CA
- The River Kai, Riverside, CA
- The Desert Oasis Room, Corona, CA
- The Rincon Room, Camarillo, CA
- Trader Dazz, Silver Lake, CA
- Pineapple Mermaid Grotto, Sierra Madre, CA
- The Below Decks, Del Rey, CA
- The Lava Pit, Asheville, NC