Tiki bars are for grown-ups, right?
Not so. Captain Lou’s Shipwreck Lagoon, located near the ports of Mystic, Connecticut, is a harbor for kids and grown-ups. When Lou and his family want to spend time together, they break out a fun collection of Tiki-inspired board games. Some games are new; some are decades old. A few are designed to be simple; others are too complex. It doesn’t truly matter. Playing board games gives the family a chance to have fun in a tropical setting – even when there’s a nor’easter blowing around outside.
Lou did the same when he was a kid. Growing up in New Jersey, his grandmother and brother would often play board games with him. Fireball Island was his favorite. He loved it as a kid because “the board was gigantic!” For those unfamiliar, Fireball Island – “The dimensional adventure game of pitfall and perils!” – is a rather elaborate and well-designed board game produced in 1986 by Milton Bradley. The game board is a three-dimensional plastic mold of an unchartered tropical island with a large tiki-looking idol, Vul-Kar, sitting at the top of a volcano. To play, you have to avoid red marble “fireballs” as you make your way up and down winding paths around the island. The goal is to steal Vul-Kar’s jewel and carry it to an escape boat without getting incinerated. There’s only one jewel, so if you’re the first to steal it, you also become the target for all the other players as well.
Lou successfully avoided incineration, and so did his love of the game. After he created the Shipwreck Lagoon, Lou found an original Fireball Island board and a compete set of its pieces to add to his game collection. It’s now enjoyed by the next generation, his two kids. When he pulled out the game board for me, I was immediately enchanted. It’s a beauty, and, apparently, quite valuable. Complete, original, opened versions of the board game currently go for around $500 on eBay. If you’ve got a copy from your childhood, find it, and hold on to it.
Fireball Island is not the only board game available at Captain Lou’s. Need more options? Lou has an original Walt Disney’s Adventureland Game from the 1950s. It’s a great game for younger kids based on the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland. Players move their boats along the river hoping to draw cards to “photograph” the animals. Lou also has Forbidden Island, a more recent, motorized game. To win, you’d better learn how to keep your balance on the bridge when Tiki god gets angry. Or how about Sneaky Statues Easter Island? Move your Moai into a straight line before your opponent does. Perhaps Countdown to Volcano Island? You’d better return the four guardian totems to the volcano before the magical Tiki gets you. There’s also the very recent Jungle Cruise game, released with the re-make of the film. It’s not his favorite. Lou has found that modern boardgame rules often get too complex to be fun. Sometimes the simplest ones are the most fun.
Aptly described by Captain Lou, his Shipwreck Lagoon is “inspired by the Enchanted Tiki Room, Creature from the Black Lagoon, and the legendary bars of the past.” One corner of his dining-room-turned-Tiki-bar is filled with Disney artifacts including a Trader Sam’s Nautilus mug, a fountain, a squawker’s animatronic bird, and Mickey’s statue from the lobby of the Polynesian Hotel. These items remind Lou of his childhood days at Disney World. Another corner is nautical, complete with fish nets, a vintage fireplace, the Creature from the Black Lagoon, and a faux aquarium. “After a cocktail or two, you’ll believe there are real fish in there,” quipped Lou. In other spots, you’ll find vintage Tiki items that connect Lou to one of his favorite spots, Lee’s Hawaiian Islander, the special occasion Tiki bar from Lyndhurst, New Jersey, where his parents got engaged. All in all, there’s a sense of joy and playfulness that anchors you back to the happiest days of your life.
Yes, home Tiki bars are for grown-ups. Yes, home Tiki bars are also for kids. Both can be true if you want it. The best part? Home Tiki bars are lovingly created to appeal to the kid inside all of us, no matter our age.
Let’s dodge fireballs. Let’s line up the Moai. Just don’t steal the jewel before I do, okay?
