Every journey starts with a first step, but sometimes you may forget when and where that first step might have been. When it comes to the living the Tiki lifestyle, it usually starts by walking into your first Tiki bar. Then you hit another. Then you buy a Tiki mug. Then you buy another, etc.
I can remember my first Tiki bar. It was Hula Hula in Seattle, WA…
The year was 2006. In theory, Hula Hula should’ve been my first step in the Tiki world, but actually, it wasn’t. My first step was at an amusement park in Pennsylvania called Knoebels Grove…
Knoebels Grove is located in Elysburg, PA which is about a 25-minute drive from where I grew up. There is no admission fee to get into the park. You can buy tickets and go on the rides you choose, or you could get a hand stamp and ride all the rides you can in one day. Because Knoebels was close and inexpensive, my family went all the time. One of my favorite rides is still the Haunted House.
The Haunted House is a dark ride and you go in on a two-person car that rides on a track. The ride takes you through different themed rooms that are filled with scary creatures and things that jump out at you. The ride is guaranteed to make you jump! Here is a POV video of the Haunted House.
At the very end of the ride, you come into a jungle room. The first thing that you see is a giant Tiki god that blows air into your face…
Jungle animals jump out at you…
You pass a waterfall and this guy jumps up from behind a bush and yells at you…
The entire jungle room is black-lit and looks really cool. It’s more of a jungle theme than a Tiki theme, but there is a tropical feel going on for sure!
The first time I stepped into Hula Hula, my first Tiki bar ever, it instantly reminded me of the jungle room in the Haunted Mansion…
I can almost imagine that native jumping out from behind those tables!
Putting everything together…
I love Tiki because it reminds me of my childhood. A Tiki bar in Seattle, WA and a haunted house in PA may seem totally unrelated, but my mind made the connection.
So I ask you: what was your first step into embracing the Tiki lifestyle?
Interested in checking out Knoebels?
Here is the park’s website.
And Facebook page.
Want to grab a Mai Tai at Hula Hula?
Here is their website.
And Facebook page.
This is my official write up on Hula Hula.
I love knoebels. It’s my childhood amusement park growing up. Reading this makes me realize how tiki influence the haunted mansion is.
That’s awesome! So it wasn’t just me… 😀 Every time I go home to PA I always hit Knoebels.