Post #739268 by Jungle John on Fri, Mar 13, 2015 9:46 PM

South Florida has it's own brand of "tiki" and that usually entails an open hut-like structure with a thatched roof found mostly on the intra-coastal waterways or beaches or hotel poolsides. These open places offer "Floribbean" fare and decorate with an eclectic mix of nautical decor with a tiki or two thrown in so the place can have "tiki" in the name. They are found up and down the coast from the Space Coast to Key West. The best are chill bars where you can go barefoot and hang with locals and tourists. The old days of big mid-20th-century Polynesian-pop themed temples are long gone here with the sole exception of your destination, the Mai-Kai in Ft. Lauderdale. There are some remnants around and a lot of artifacts of the old days, but the trend is dead here despite any rumor of Tiki 2.0 or the new Tiki Renaissance. Market forces have dictated that people don't want to come here and sit in dark tiki restaurants and bars when the ocean and sky and palm trees beckon outside. Have a nice trip. Going south on US-1 would probably be much more interesting than the interstates or turnpike. If you go directly east from Orlando you'll be in Cocoa Beach. There is a rickety tiki bar at the far end of the ocean pier there. They make the world's best rum drinks.