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Tiki Gardens, Indian Rocks Beach/Indian Shores, FL (restaurant) |
bigbrotiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 25, 2002
Posts: 10599
From: Tiki Island, above the Silverlake
|  Posted: 2011-08-06 5:16 pm Permalink
Jon Pez, what a story, amazing this really happened! Sacred ancestral grounds being traded for glass pearls !... 
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:
[ This Message was edited by: bigbrotiki 2011-08-08 06:38 ]
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JonPez
Grand Member (first year) 
Joined: Jul 01, 2003
Posts: 224
From: Orlando, FL
| Posted: 2011-08-06 8:35 pm Permalink
The Mainlander Witco is in this shot on the far right, under the 2nd "R" in restaurant.
_________________
JonPez
http://www.playgroundzero.net/
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Luki
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Mar 01, 2003
Posts: 147
From: Chicago area
| Posted: 2011-09-27 4:19 pm Permalink
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
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tigertail777
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 25, 2004
Posts: 522
From: Oregon
| Posted: 2011-09-27 7:06 pm Permalink
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.
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SandraDee
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 11, 2011
Posts: 630 | Posted: 2011-09-27 8:37 pm Permalink
I don't think I saw this one posted:
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3946
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2011-10-24 9:49 pm Permalink
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
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Tipsy McStagger
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 21, 2004
Posts: 3394
From: HELL
| Posted: 2011-11-23 5:29 pm Permalink
haven't seen this one till now..... thought I would share.
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3946
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2011-12-17 10:35 am Permalink
Here a few more news-wire photos from ebay.
The beginning.
Construction of the Tikis.
Emerging from the swamp.
The end.
Fire sale.
DC
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Mr. NoNaMe
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 10, 2006
Posts: 1869 | Posted: 2011-12-20 12:48 pm Permalink
Here is a match book Tiki Kate gave to me a few years ago.
 
Erik the Red
_________________
Viva Kate!
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8FT Tiki
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 30, 2003
Posts: 1175
From: Kansas City, MO
| Posted: 2012-01-01 8:53 pm Permalink
A Florida souvenir plate from the 60's showng a lot of attractions.
And a close up.
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I once was lost..... but now I'm found.....
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Dustycajun
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Nov 16, 2007
Posts: 3946
From: Santa Barbara, CA
| Posted: 2012-02-01 6:19 pm Permalink
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
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SandraDee
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Mar 11, 2011
Posts: 630 | Posted: 2012-03-01 6:15 pm Permalink
Have no idea if this has been posted because of the broken links...
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tikilongbeach
Grand Member (first year)
Joined: Aug 05, 2011
Posts: 737
From: LBC via DFW
| Posted: 2012-05-31 8:22 pm Permalink
On 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
_________________
-Lori
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Tiki Wachee
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 30, 2012
Posts: 19
From: Tampa Bay
| Posted: 2012-06-01 10:55 am Permalink
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.
_________________
~cs
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Tiki Wachee
Tiki Centralite
Joined: May 30, 2012
Posts: 19
From: Tampa Bay
| Posted: 2012-06-26 12:08 pm Permalink
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
[ This Message was edited by: Tiki Wachee 2012-06-26 16:07 ]
[ This Message was edited by: Tiki Wachee 2012-06-26 16:37 ]
[ This Message was edited by: Tiki Wachee 2012-06-26 20:27 ]
[ This Message was edited by: Tiki Wachee 2012-06-26 21:04 ]
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