Tiki Gardens, Indian Rocks Beach/Indian Shores, FL (restaurant)

A couple years back, a couple friends and I set up at Indian Rocks during one of the hurricane swells. We dubbed it the Tiki Gardens Longboard Classic, and surfed some very nice waves. It was all done in the spirt of the old Tiki Gardens. The sun was shining, and the waves were 4-5ft and steady. Pretty big by Gulfcoast standards. We had a blast, the only downside was we couldn't get our trophies or eat at Trader Franks.

Well I was digging through my files from the Tiki Gardens Memorial from before the earthlink travesty, and figured I would upload a few Items from them. Here are some shots of items that were for sale at the shops of Tiki Gardens. Some are ebay captures, some are from people who sent the images to me, and some are from my collection....

So we start the tour ...

One of the gift shop windows.

The Oriental Shop

Sugar, Tea, Flour, and coffee carved wood cannisters.

Tiki Gardens cologne.

Peacock Cologne.

Tiki Gardens Coloring book. Thanks to Doris for this one!

Green Mug

Moari style panel.

From Doris, if I recall correctly, this was a prototype
for a logo tiki for Tiki Gardens. Glad they went with Lono and Kahona!

Tiki Gardens bike license plate, and a scan of the Tiki Gardens Poster.

The Polynesian Shop

Charm Bracelet piece

Collectible Spoon

From the folks at Owl Central...

I... SO... NEED...THESE!

Tooth Pick Holders. From Doris.

Pine Apple Tray. These came in several very cool colours.

Thats it for now... Enjoy!
TG
http://www.exotic-tiki-gardens.com

Thank You Tiki Gardener!

I'm enjoying your post a lot.

Another interior shot of Trader Frank's Restaurant that i picked up today.

This is a pretty rare postcard with a nice night shot of Tiki Gardens.

DC

Here is another postcard from my collection with a night view of the exterior.

(extra for sale on ebay)
DC

[ Edited by: Dustycajun 2010-01-24 09:56 ]

Great thread and what a fantastic place this must have been.

Here is an add for Trader Franks and a little write up on the same day. It's from the St.Petersburg Times April 9th 1973.

Both the add and the write up mentions the Wiki Wiki Lounge. I have not seen this lounge mentioned before, maybe I missed it.

A few months back I was lucky and snagged a four-face bowl that was sold at Tiki Gardens. It was in a box of other cups and mugs at a garage sale.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxLJeD5BdH4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aZ7chrlcXMo

Two quick video/slideshows I put together. A third one posted soon.
Time to dig out the 8mm films and get them transferred!

TG
http://exotic-tiki-gardens.com

Classic! What a place.... What's up with - in that first photo in the first slideshow- those Bikini babes sticking that Yamaha up the Tiki's nose !??

By the way: WHO here is the a proud owner of the famously rare Tiki Gardens LP and can loan it to me?

I would like to use some part of it for my next CD of Tiki...I have a CD copy of the platter, but I need a studio quality-dub, which I can have done by my label. Free CD and credit as a thank you!

I was going through my postcards from Tiki Gardens and thought it would be fun to post all of the different Tikis along with the names that Tiki Gardens used.

The first and most prominent Tiki was the large Kahona, the Water God, located near the entrance. There are many different postcards featuring Kahona, here are a few of my favorites.

Up next is Little Kahona, God of the Birds.

Here is Oro, the two faced Wind God

Lono, Polynesian or Supreme God

Ku, the Hawaiian War God.

This one was called Aku Aku.

Long Ears, an Easter Island God.

A fernwood Tiki.

A Tiki for Pacco the Red Macaw

A funky Monkey God Tiki

And, the impressive Kahiki-like-Tiki located at the entrance to Trader Franks.

That's alot of Tikis, what a great place!

DC

X-elle-lent post, DC. What a cavalcade of concrete characters! Lining up the usual suspects, and then some!
If only they would have had concrete on Easter Island, they would have had much less work, and maybe the forests would still be there. :)
But then again, the island paradise of Tiki Gardens suffered the same fate as Rapa Nui.

What happened to all these cool tikis...possibly all demolished when the place closed .

Going through some old boxes from my childhood and came across a souvenir bag from Tiki Gardens. Not the best condition, but....

Good ol' Kahona...

JonPez
http://www.playgroundzero.net/
------_-

[ Edited by: JonPez 2011-04-01 10:25 ]

Indubitably an ancient parchment found in an ancestral cave on EASTER ISLAND!

On 2011-04-01 10:34, bigbrotiki wrote:
Indubitably an ancient parchment found in an ancestral cave on EASTER ISLAND!

Sometimes it feels like archeology when I am excavating boxes at my parent's house...

Found a tourist slide taken at Tiki Gardens in December 1983 a while back and now that I have the slide scanner up and running, here goes! Enjoy!

Here are some nice wire photos that went for some Big $ on ebay a while back.

Also dug up a few more photos and stories from a historical book on Indian Rocks Beach.

Frank and Jo

I never realized how big the Ku was.

A sticker.

A thimble

The record Bigbro was looking for. Has anybody heard this? Narration by Frank Bowers.

And a Really BIG matchbook.

DC

I have a recording of the record. It is ... interesting.

I have a copy of that album... I agree with Swanky.

As for the old wire photos on eBay, was anyone on T.C. one of the big bidders? P.M. me if you were!
Thanks!

JonPez
http://www.playgroundzero.net/
------_-

[ Edited by: JonPez 2011-07-26 06:23 ]

Re-enabled links to all the photos I've posted... Enjoy....

TikiGardener,

Thanks for re-posting all of the great photos.

The Tiki Gardens bumper stickers are back on ebay for $4.99 each, not a bad price for some Tiki Gardens fun. I may have to get another one to put on my motorhome.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Tiki-Gardens-FL-Vintage-1950s-Style-Travel-Decal-/220821604677?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3369fe4945

DC

[ Edited by: Dustycajun 2011-08-06 10:14 ]

These are smaller repros of the original ones...

On 2011-07-29 16:40, Dustycajun wrote:
TikiGardener,

Thanks for re-posting all of the great photos.

The Tiki Gardens bumper stickers are back on ebay for $4.99 each, not a bad price for some Tiki Gardens fun. I may have to get another one to put on my motorhome.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Tiki-Gardens-FL-Vintage-1950s-Style-Travel-Decal-/220821604677?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3369fe4945

DC

The story goes that group of Australian investors traded opals for Tiki Gardens instead of cash. The father of a former girlfriend was the real estate broker for the deal (or part of it). He gave me this on my college graduation in 1989. It was one of the opals he received as his commission of the sale.

Jon Pez,

That is an interesting story on the opals.

There were some more of the wire photos sold on ebay that I grabbed a few images from. First a few of Frank.

A couple Tikis that I have never seen before.

Kula the Camera God.

And this little guy hanging out by Lono.

Cool historical stuff.

DC

Jon Pez, what a story, amazing this really happened! Sacred ancestral grounds being traded for glass pearls !... :wink:

DC, thanks for watching and clipping those photos, that "Kula the Picture God" Tiki was completely unknown to me! What a funny find, that one must have gone for big bucks. Plus now I know where THIS photo I used on page 202 of Tiki Modern came from:

I still don't know who the model is, but it seems the two pics are form the same photo session. I wonder where at Tiki Gardens that Witco Mainlander fountain stood.

Here are some of the other photos that got bids from sixty to over a hundred dollars each:

The Tiki Gardens boat in the dry dock:

[ Edited by: bigbrotiki 2011-08-08 06:38 ]

The Mainlander Witco is in this shot on the far right, under the 2nd "R" in restaurant.

Saw this on eBay and thought I'd add to the thread:

Here's the auction:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/vintage-1950s-1960s-era-Tiki-Gardens-Rrock-Island-Beach-Florida-postcard-/160657148575?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2567e98a9f#ht_500wt_1413

More AP Press photos currently on ebay all from the same seller: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1972-St-Petersburg-Florida-Tiki-Gardens-Tiki-God-Statue-Wire-Photo-/270824374596?pt=Art_Photo_Images&hash=item3f0e640144

Note: I have nothing to do with the seller, I just found these on ebay and thought others might be interested in seeing them.

I don't think I saw this one posted:

I came across some information on the pier that was located across from Tiki Gardens. Here's the story

A 900-ft. long pier originally known as the South Shore
Fishing Pier, built in 1960, was bought by Frank and Jo
Byars in the mid-’60s and renamed Pier Kahiki. It was
across from their famed attraction Tiki Gardens, and the
Byars wanted it primarily for the parking lot. The pier
attracted serious fishermen until it was closed after being
badly damaged by Hurricane Agnes.

An aerial photo postcard.

And some photos of the pier after Byars turned it into the Pier Kahiki I spied on ebay.

Love this fish logo.

DC

haven't seen this one till now..... thought I would share.

Here a few more news-wire photos from ebay.

The beginning.

Construction of the Tikis.

Emerging from the swamp.

The end.

Fire sale.

DC

Here is a match book Tiki Kate gave to me a few years ago.

Erik the Red

A Florida souvenir plate from the 60's showng a lot of attractions.

And a close up.

I finally got one of those newswire photos that have been circulating around.

This one a Beauty and the Beast shot with the reigning Ms. St Petersburg and the new candidates from 1971.

DC

Have no idea if this has been posted because of the broken links...

On http://www.3dstereo.com you can buy a complete pack of Viewmaster slides with pictures of the Tiki Gardens. They also have Adventureland slides from Disneyland too. They're cheaper than the $98 Tiki Gardens.

Tiki Gardens - 3 Reel ViewMaster Packet
Price: $98.00
Qty in Basket: none
Code: dECO-A974-S6
economy grade - very light wear on jacket
very hard to find
3 reel packet

Only 1 Available

Qty:
Tiki Gardens - Indian Rocks Beach, Fla
popular Florida Tourist sites as it was during the 1960s and see:
Tiki Gardens Entrance
Tiki God
Lono-Supreme God
Memehune Island
Paradise in FLorida
Chang
Change & roses
Monkey Village
Long ears
Parakeet Bell Tower
Bay - Hukilau Shack
Tree Fern Tiki
Temple of Kon Tiki
Fire Mountain
Madame Pele
Tahiti Hut
Shops - Tiki Gardens
Trader FRank's Restaurant
Torch Lighting Ceremony
Great House
Signal House Shops

Plenty of tourist attractions have their own gift shops, but how many gift shops have their own tourist attractions?

In 1962, ‘Trader’ Frank and Jo Byars opened a small gardens on about four acres adjacent to their Signal House gift shop on Gulf Boulevard in Indian Rocks Beach. When the gift shop burned down in 1963 they rebuilt the shop and opened an expanded gardens in 1964. Eventually, following a 1969 expansion, the complex would encompass several gift shops, the south seas themed gardens complete with exotic birds and monkeys, and Trader Frank's Restaurant, on more than twelve acres.

In 1986, the Byars sold Tiki Gardens to a pair of foreign investors who ultimately seemed unsure what to do with the attraction. They sold it to Pinellas County in 1990. The buildings were demolished and tikis sold, with much of the property being turned into a not so exotic beach access parking lot.

Information provided by http://www.lostparks.com.

Condition:
Reels: like new
Jacket: very slight tear at top flap in left-hand corner
Booklet: none issued

I have this View-Master set and can heartily recommend it. I'm a VM collector, so I've got ongoing searches running for many different sets, and this one is a difficult one to come by. Took me about a year or two to finally win one on eBay, at $30 plus shipping. I was willing to go up to $50, so quite pleased with that outcome! Florida was at the height of its popularity as a destination at the same time that View-Master was at the height of its popularity as a medium for showcasing destinations, so what we have preserved on these old reels today is a sort of portal into that time and location...possibly the closest thing to a time machine other than the movies. I like to play the Tiki Gardens album while viewing this set, for added ambience.

I know of no other VM set that is quite as focused on tiki specifically as this one is, but other "old Florida" sets worth mentioning include Weeki Wachee Springs, Rainbow Springs, Sunken Gardens (St. Pete), Floridaland (Sarasota/Venice), Parrot Jungle, Monkey Jungle, Lion Country Safari, Jungle Gardens (Sarasota), Cypress Gardens (Winter Haven), Busch Gardens (Tampa), Cape Coral Gardens, Bok Tower (Lake Wales), Silver Springs, Marine Studios/Marineland (St. Augustine), Sea World (Orlando), Seaquarium (Miami), Historic St. Augustine, Greater Miami, and of course, the various Disney World sets. There are certainly plenty of other Florida-based sets and individual reels, but these sets offer a pretty good road trip. I wish they had made a set featuring the Mai Kai, but I was down there for Hukilau this year with my 3D camera, so you just may see some of my stereo photos of it here once I get some time to go through them.

Perhaps a little closer to the topic of tiki (and not to be missed) are the various sets focused on Hawaii. The Polynesian Cultural Center is perhaps the best Hawaiian example, but to a tikiphile, the title is more promising than the actual content. Many of the Hawaiian sets focus on the natural beauty of the islands, which is perhaps as it should be, and they're definitely worth owning.

Another Tiki Gardens View-Master set up is for auction...still sealed (RARE!) and current bid is $27 (not bad for this set, especially considering its condition):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261049219283

Update: The auction closed for $38.26. No doubt this particular set will resurface with a $50 markup soon. :)

~cs

[ Edited by: Tiki Wachee 2012-06-26 16:07 ]

[ Edited by: Tiki Wachee 2012-06-26 16:37 ]

[ Edited by: Tiki Wachee 2012-06-26 20:27 ]

[ Edited by: Tiki Wachee 2012-06-26 21:04 ]

A nice little ad for Trader Franks at Tiki Gardens.

A couple of very cool menu covers.

And an old photo of the entrance.

DC

there's a beach access there now, actually marked as "tiki gardens"...

I've been trying to reach the proper person at the parks & rec dept to find out about doing a big tiki there...

so far no response...

Found this ad from the 1960s...

Official St Petersburg Weekly Guide April 27, 1962

-Tom

I was born in Pinellas Co, and remember going to Tiki Gardens as a little kid, around 1972. I think the food was fairly pricey, since even though I wanted to eat there, all I can remember doing was walking around the gardens. Seems like it was always dark when I was there. I remember burning torches, lots of plants, and what seemed like really big Tikis.

Tiki Gardens ashtray

A few more news wire photos ...

DC