Tiki Oasis 2009 road trip day 3

Welcome to the home stretch of our road trip to Tiki Oasis. Today's leg takes us through Bakersfield and then on down to San Diego for the opening party at the Bali Hai.

Coconut Joe's was our destination in Bakersfield at 4158 California Ave. Although not a vintage location, there are plenty of great things to see inside. We also tried a sampling of both their chicken and tri-tip. Smoky, juicy, tangy, and delicious - we highly recommend Coconut Joe's for a great meal!


We were lucky to meet managing partner Jeff Salters whose enthusiasm for the restaurant and the food were definitely contagious (he's responsible for the tri-tip recipe). Jeff let us know that the owner is quite a serious tiki collector and has also stocked his banquet facility with vintage tiki artwork.


We were told numerous people have made offers for the vintage lighted Primo Beer clock. You can see why from the picture below - very cool!




Once we arrived in San Diego we met up with our friends Austin and Marci for dinner at the Turf Supper Club. The restaurant is an incredible time-capsule from the 1950s. Original wallpaper and artwork along with the circular booths create an atmosphere that is 100% authentic. Another unique feature of the Turf Supper Club is the fact that you grill your own meal. Great quality meats complemented with your choice of sauces made for a delicious dinner.


Mr. & Mrs. Roadside make a rare appearance in the photo section of the blog:-)


After dinner we headed over to the Tiki Oasis opening night party at the Bali Hai. The party was a blast with cocktails, music, Tahitian dancers, and a crowd decked out in their vintage finest. Did we mention cocktails?

The Goof high atop the Bali Hai.

We're making this post short today as we have a couple of seats reserved for us by the pool. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it!

Tomorrow will be a full day with vending on the patio next to a 15 foot tall tiki bar made of spray foam followed by music and entertainment in the evening. We'll continue to post photos over the weekend as time allows!

Tiki Oasis 2009 road trip day 2

We're wrapping up Day 2 of our road trip to Tiki Oasis in Delano, CA, having logged another 379 miles and checked off three more of our planned tiki road stops. We also have a surprise for you with one unexpected tiki discovery.

Although our route to Los Angeles traces old Highway 99, we detoured south of Red Bluff to follow a scenic route through fruit and nut orchards and acres of sunflowers.

In addition to the great scenery, we were really happy to have taken the detour when we came across this sign. Rather than tell you where it is, we decided it would be more fun to throw down a challenge: can you idenify the mystery location?


We haven't come across a reference to this location in our road trip resources and would love to hear from anyone who can identify it and can share any history. It appears that the only thing tiki about it is the sign, but what a sign!

The next three stops on our road trip were all in Modesto and chock full of tikis.

Starting off the trio is Minnie's Restaurant located at 107 McHenry Ave. Parking is limited in the front so be sure to take advantage of the ample parking lot around back. If you're traveling south on McHenry, take the first right past the restaurant onto Needham St. The parking lot is on your right.

We struck gold at the back entrance with three fantastic tikis.

Back entrance

Front entrance

Back entrance

If you enter Minnie's from the back, you'll walk directly into the tiki bar. The lighting was murky, but the bar was well stocked with tiki decor. Our favorite pieces were the velvet paintings of tropical beauties. If you're hungry - for both food and more tiki decor - just walk through the bar into restaurant seating at the front. We can't vouch for the food, but there was a small group of people waiting to get in when the restaurant opened at 5:00 pm.

Just north of Minnie's you'll find the Tropics Motel at 936 McHenry Ave, now a Rodeway Inn. We didn't explore the hotel much, but did take some fun photos of the strangely headbanded tikis that populate the grounds.

On a side note, James Teitelbaum writes in his book Tiki Road Trip, 2nd Edition, that the Tropics Motel was opened by Ken Kimes who was also responsible for the Tropics Motel in Palm Springs, now named Caliente Tropics. We stayed at the Caliente this past spring and highly recommend it.

Our favorite stop of the day was the Tiki Lounge at 932 McHenry Ave. It was closed the first time we drove by, but we swung by later and were glad that we did because we got to meet Cliff, the Tiki Lounge's friendly bartender.

According to Cliff, the Tiki Lounge shifted focus about two years ago and has become a popular night spot for a young gay crowd. That shift brought new energy to the place and improved its reputation tremendously. Cliff also mentioned that the owner is very protective of the tiki decor, but recently approved a small expansion of the dance floor to meet the demands of his customers. The change is minimal with booths shifted closer to the back wall and black tiles replacing some of the carpeting.





So, there you have it, the end of Tiki Oasis Road Trip Day 2! Tomorrow should see us in San Diego just in time to meet up with friends for the opening party at the Bali Hai.

We'll continue to blog throughout the weekend and update you on the launch of our three new voodoo and tiki-themed t-shirts at Tiki Oasis.

We're also looking forward to your comments on our mystery tiki sign!