Category Archives: Tiki Sites and Stores

Surf Shack Funhouse at the LA County Fair

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Tiki Sites and Stores and tagged with , , ,

When we go to the LA County fair, we spend the day eating ridiculous food and taking solace in the air-conditioned marketplace buildings. Then around sunset we head out to the carnival rides for a turn on the ferris wheel during the magic hour.

While we crunched numbers to figure out how many tickets we’d need to get, I took notice of the nearby Surf Shack funhouse on the midway.

Closer inspection revealed quite a few tikis!

These garish cartoon masks were even incorporated into the attraction as “obstacles.”

On a separate note, don’t funhouses make you want to sing tunes from “Grease”?

More tiki sightings at the fair to come!

House of Tiki – Costa Mesa, CA

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Tiki Sites and Stores and tagged with , ,

House of Tiki in Costa MesaIt’s hard enough to run a business in this economy, let alone one that caters to this wacky subculture (rest assured I mean that in the most endearing way). And so September meant bidding aloha to the House of Tiki.

Hawaiiana at the House of Tiki

This family-run shop brought a slice of Hawaii into a World War II Quonset hut in Costa Mesa.

Retro Hawaii posters and tiki lamp

You may not be able to visit the brick and mortar (er, bamboo and corrugated steel) location anymore, but you can still browse their wares courtesy of their eBay store.

Green Shakatiki mug

I picked up one of their signature Shaka Tiki mugs—the green one in the upper left corner—which were sculpted by Crazy Al. On the right, you may recognize Tom Selleck as Magnum P.I. immortalized in mug form.

Shaved iceThe owners graciously served up shaved ice for the folks who came out. Mr. Baseball, who melts in the heat, was much appreciative.

Nice ride!

Tiki Island Volcano Golf – Orlando, FL

Posted by The Tiki Chick in Tiki Sites and Stores and tagged with , ,

Tiki Island Adventure Golf
Somehow I was under the impression that there wasn’t that much tiki in Florida, at least not in the coastal bars that call themselves “tiki.” I guess they all must have migrated inland—how else can you explain these two tiki-fied mini golf courses within a few miles of each other?

Apatosaurus in front of Tiki Island Volcano Golf

On our last day in Orlando we went to check out Tiki Island Adventure Golf, where an impressive apatosaurus (I still want to call it a brontosaurus, or maybe a longneck) guards the entrance.

Tikis and a triceratops

The two courses were not only entertaining, but also informative! Each dinosaur had a sign with its name and a description. I like how it looks like that triceratops is keeping an eye on that sneaky tiki.

Dinosaur dome

This dome at the top of the course has a golden Moai inside—and also serves as a good shelter during a somewhat-expected downpour.

Tiki Island Volcano
According to a video on their web site, this volcano/waterfall can spew fire Mirage-style. But we saw nothing, so it must lie dormant during the day or supposedly until someone gets a hole in one on the last putt.

Brontosaurus Boats
I thought these “Brontosaurus Boats” were pretty awesome. Except it doesn’t look like there’s much room to maneuver them around the moat.

Volcano Golf Tiki Island

Tiki Island Volcano Golf
7460 International Dr.
Orlando, FL 32819
407-248-8180