Tiki Lounge, Ludington, MI (bar) - Locating Tiki

UT uncle trav Tiki Socialite Kalamazoo Joined: Apr 27, 2005 Posts: 2465	UT uncle trav Posted posted on Sun, Jul 27, 2014 5:25 PM Here is a little update on this location from an unplanned expedition to the northern latitudes of my Tiki territory this weekend.The TIKI LOUNGE is located inside the Stearns Motor Inn in Ludington Mi. The hotel was built in 1903 and has been kept up extremely well. I spoke with the owner who was nice enough to speak to me for a few minutes and answer some questions. The Tiki Lounge was purpose built in 1968. Unfortunately the only lights in the bar are on at night so my photos are of bad quality as I was there during the early afternoon. The bar has been updated through the years but to the owners credit he has tried to keep as many of the original pieces as he could. The bar is very small and is for now a dance club opened on the weekends. Hanging from the ceilings are many old blowfish lamps, fishnets and other ropes and flotsam and jetsam. The walls are covered with bamboo and tapa. The handrails in the lounge are all wrapped with rope. I did not see the Witco Tiki stools documented back in 2004. I walked through the lounge with the light from my phone to show me the way. The owner said that was never any ephemera made for the lounge but he said he would like to have a proper cocktail menu made and sever drinks in tiki mugs once again. Even though the lounge is a bit tired the owner has done a fine job of keeping this northern outpost of tiki going. Only open on the weekends and the lounge is now a dance club with loud music and a light show. Hopefully one day will again be a classic tiki survivor. Here are some pics. Here is an old school cool sign on the side of a warehouse for the lounge on the way into town. Gotta love this one! The vintage sign for the motor inn. A very nice figurehead above a small thatched roof with some netting. A couple of half round poles. They appear to be Witco. Though in two different spots in the lounge now they once flanked an entrance to the lounge through the lobby. That entrance had been walled over years ago. Here is a shot of the other pole. Note the bamboo, tapa, carved wood trim and large Witco carvings. This is the best shot the the large Witco statue that I could get. It was in the back of the lounge and I didn't even know it was there until the owner pointed it out with the light of his phone. It is about nine feet tall and aged to perfection. Here is a shot near the dance floor showing the rope wrapped handrails and netting. This awesome fish also appeared to be Witco and is a whopping five long. A large Maori inspired piece. Another great Witco piece. And yet another large vintage carving. The updated entry to the lounge from just outside the lobby. And the entry from the main street. "Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann [ Edited by: uncle trav 2014-07-27 17:31 ] [ Edited by: uncle trav 2014-08-16 05:29 ]

Here is a little update on this location from an unplanned expedition to the northern latitudes of my Tiki territory this weekend.The TIKI LOUNGE is located inside the Stearns Motor Inn in Ludington Mi. The hotel was built in 1903 and has been kept up extremely well. I spoke with the owner who was nice enough to speak to me for a few minutes and answer some questions. The Tiki Lounge was purpose built in 1968. Unfortunately the only lights in the bar are on at night so my photos are of bad quality as I was there during the early afternoon. The bar has been updated through the years but to the owners credit he has tried to keep as many of the original pieces as he could. The bar is very small and is for now a dance club opened on the weekends. Hanging from the ceilings are many old blowfish lamps, fishnets and other ropes and flotsam and jetsam. The walls are covered with bamboo and tapa. The handrails in the lounge are all wrapped with rope. I did not see the Witco Tiki stools documented back in 2004. I walked through the lounge with the light from my phone to show me the way. The owner said that was never any ephemera made for the lounge but he said he would like to have a proper cocktail menu made and sever drinks in tiki mugs once again. Even though the lounge is a bit tired the owner has done a fine job of keeping this northern outpost of tiki going. Only open on the weekends and the lounge is now a dance club with loud music and a light show. Hopefully one day will again be a classic tiki survivor. Here are some pics.

Here is an old school cool sign on the side of a warehouse for the lounge on the way into town. Gotta love this one!

The vintage sign for the motor inn.

A very nice figurehead above a small thatched roof with some netting.

A couple of half round poles. They appear to be Witco. Though in two different spots in the lounge now they once flanked an entrance to the lounge through the lobby. That entrance had been walled over years ago.

Here is a shot of the other pole. Note the bamboo, tapa, carved wood trim and large Witco carvings.

This is the best shot the the large Witco statue that I could get. It was in the back of the lounge and I didn't even know it was there until the owner pointed it out with the light of his phone. It is about nine feet tall and aged to perfection.