Mai Kai Tiki Bar & Polynesian Dance Show
If you are ever in Miami, I highly recommend checking out the Mai Kai Restaurant, an authentic old-style Tiki bar that has been around since 1956. If you are a retro-enthusiast, you will really get a kick out of this place and the slice of a by-gone era that it provides.
And, yes, the Polynesian Dance Show is totally worth it! Of course, it’s fun to just pop in for a drink because the ambiance is great. Even the bathrooms were full of carved wood and other decorative touches.
I know I say this every time, but it was tough to choose which photos to include in this post because there were so many interesting things at the Mai Kai that I wanted to share with my A to Z peeps.
Are there any places you’ve been to that make you feel like you have stepped back in time? Isn’t that a fun feeling?
Follow me on Instagram & I’ll follow you back!
I’ve gone from turning up my nose at the idea of cell phone pictures, to being an avid iPhone photographer, which is why my theme for the 2014 A to Z blog challenge is Instagram Travel Photos. If you are on Instagram, I’d be delighted to follow you. Simply follow my photo feed (@TuiSnider) on Instagram and I’ll follow you back!
For more, check out my collaboration with Morgan Dragonwillow. Morgan used my iPhone photos to accompany her poems in a book called Wild Woman Waking. Check it out!
What is the April A to Z Blog Challenge?
Each April, people from all over the world participate in the April A to Z blog challenge, and you can too. It’s a lot of fun and it’s a great way to meet other bloggers. To play along, all you do is make a blog post for each letter of the alphabet during April, then use the blog hop linky to visit as many other bloggers as you can.
My A to Z Inspired Book: Unexpected Texas
I’d like to thank everyone who commented on my blog during the A to Z Challenge last year, because it convinced me to take the self-publishing plunge. On March 2, 2014, I released Unexpected Texas as a paperback and eBook and it quickly became an Amazon Best Seller!
Check out other A to Z blogs below:
Check out the other participants of the A to Z Challenge
Tui Snider is an author, speaker, and photographer who specializes in North Texas travel, cemetery symbols, and haunted lore. As she puts it, “I used to write fiction – but then, I moved to Texas!”
Snider’s best-selling books include Paranormal Texas , Understanding Cemetery Symbols, and 100 Things to Do in Dallas - Fort Worth Before You Die.
Snider has several more books in progress, and enjoys connecting with writers and readers all over the globe through social media, her newsletter and her website: TuiSnider.com.
[…] Sadly, Tiki Bars are few and far between, so when my pal, Woofmutt, told me to check out the Mai Kai Restaurant and Tiki Bar in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, I jumped at the chance. My husband and I made reservations for dinner and a show. And wow! Was it ever worth it! I’ve shared photos of Fort Lauderdale’s Mai Kai Restaurant and Tiki Bar before, actually. Here’s a photo essay that will give you a little taste of what the Mai Kai gardens and tiki bar look like: T is for Tiki Bar […]
I love the old school tiki ambiance with all those carved idols by the little waterfall.
Hi Shilpa! Yes, it was a lot of fun. My father in law lives there, so next time we visit, I would like to go again. :D
I guess for me, The Lodge at the Ancient Ruins would be the place that makes me feel I’ve stepped back in time. The lodge was designed to mimic the ruins of Great Zimbabwe, down to the aging of the statues, etc. (many of them have lost their heads). During the dinner hour, traditional dances are performed on a stage over the diners’ heads. It’s a pretty incredible place.
Hi Holli,
Is this lodge in Zimbabwe? Sounds like a magical place!
I’ve gotta say, I am really jonesing for a road trip… even just to explore places an hour away.
That looks like a fun place.
Oh, it *is* a fun place, Patricia! If I lived nearby, I’d definitely take advantage of their membership deal. :D
My husband would love this! He would bring his own tiki cup! There is a place near here that brings me back to more innocent times. It’s an ice cream shoppe complete with soda jerk serving up homemade ice cream! We go there in the summer (more often than we should). It’s become our stomping ground!
Hi Cristina!
I have so much love and respect for Mom & Pop businesses like that. There are some great spots around here like that, too. Mmm… I miss the place up in Port Townsend where they made their own ice cream. In June, they would make fresh strawberry ice cream, and in the fall their homemade pumpkin ice cream was out of this world!
So, does your hubby have a tiki bar at home? I love all things tiki!
Tui, Ok…perfect…who doesn’t love a Tiki bar? The wood, the drinks…too fun!
Hi Corinne, Yes! In fact, after writing this post, I’ve got the urge to set up a Tiki bar at our house and throw a cocktail party. :D
Looks like an incredible place to spend a fun evening! Thanks for sharing, Tui :)