Bahi Hut Lounge

Arnold's Lounge
St. Augustine, FL
Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack

The roadside advertising at Arnold’s Lounge gives motorists another reason to look around while traveling U.S. 1 north of St. Augustine. Bright signs fit a place devoted to evening entertainment, offering a different attraction after the museums and sightseeing stops have closed for the day.

Arnold’s developed a following for live music, dancing, and neighborhood-bar atmosphere. Its property also featured two distinctive older signs, including a large design apparently influenced by Holiday Inn’s famous Great Sign. Together, they gave the lounge considerably more roadside presence than a name painted above the door.

UPDATE: Arnold’s Lounge remains in business, advertising live entertainment, karaoke, and dancing. The separate older sign pictured in this series was reportedly removed around 2014–2015, so it should not be confused with the larger sign associated with the property. The lounge survives, though its advertising has changed. 07-26

Safari Lounge (Gone)
Florida Keys, FL
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

The giant rhinoceros outside Safari Lounge supplied a rather unexpected welcome along the Overseas Highway in the Florida Keys. A wildlife-themed watering hole wasn’t exactly the tropical scene most travelers anticipated. That contrast helped make the place memorable before anyone ordered a drink.

Opened in 1982 at Caloosa Cove, the lounge acquired the nickname “Dead Animal Bar” because of its collection of mounted wildlife. The unusual interior gave it an identity far removed from a conventional waterfront bar. It also appeared in the television series Bloodline, adding a little screen recognition to its local reputation.

UPDATE: Hurricane Irma damage forced the original Safari Lounge to close in 2017. Following extensive renovation, the property reopened in 2023 as Oceanside Safari Restaurant and Lounge, retaining an updated animal theme. The original roadside sign is reported gone, but the location has continued its hospitality career in a substantially changed form. 07-26

Sloppy Joe's Bar
Key West, FL
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

Here's the famous Sloppy Joe's Bar located in the town of Key West, FL. Sloppy Joe's originated as a saloon back on December 5, 1993 when Prohibition was repealed. Ernest Hemingway was a regular customer at the once called Russell's Bar and encouraged the name change to Sloppy Joe's. Today, Sloppy Joe's still remembers its Hemingway ties and hosts the annual Hemingway Look-Alike Contest. In addition, the Hemingway Days Festival began here at Sloppy Joe's. Many thanks to Paul Bauke for info. 01-09

Hemingway encouraged the Sloppy Joe’s name, drawing inspiration from a Havana establishment he knew. Following a rent dispute, Russell moved the business to its present location on May 5, 1937. Customers helped carry the operation into its new home, contributing another memorable episode to a place already collecting plenty of stories.

UPDATE: Sloppy Joe’s remains open, with live entertainment and the annual Hemingway Look-Alike Contest keeping its connections to Key West nightlife and literary lore active. Its familiar signs continue to mark a popular Duval Street stop. Nearly a century after its beginnings, the old saloon still gives visitors plenty to talk about. 07-26

Silver King Tavern (Gone)
St. Petersburg, FL
Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack

This grand old sign hangs outside the second floor of the Silver King Tavern on Central Ave in St. Petersburg. It is a short walk from Tropicana Field. It is primarily a lunch place claiming to have the "freshest of fresh Gulf seafood" but it does bring in a lot of jazz acts certain evenings and weekends. The older scene it attracts is in sharp contrast to the booming techno club next door. There have been many plans to restore downtown St. Petersburg, but none have passed the city council. Every Friday night they close off the streets for free music concerts called the "Get Down Town Music Series". Many thanks to Steve/Back on Tack for info.

The tavern combined seafood with live music, including jazz performances on selected evenings and weekends. Its relaxed atmosphere offered an alternative to the louder nightlife developing nearby. For visitors exploring downtown, the sign and old storefront supplied a little visual connection to an earlier commercial streetscape.

UPDATE: Silver King Tavern is closed, and the familiar fish sign is reported removed. A precise closing date and the sign’s eventual fate could not be independently confirmed. This photograph preserves one of the distinctive advertisements that once gave Central Avenue’s individual businesses their own roadside identities. 07-26

Bop City Bar (Gone0
Ybor City, FL
Photo courtesy Steve/Back on Tack

Ybor City is a large Cuban community in Tampa. At one time it was well know for its many cigar factories where immigrants from the island would hand roll stogies. Today it is a Tampa’s club district. The tiny streets, which resemble New Orleans, are packed on the weekends. Bop City is off the main drag of Seventh Avenue. The bar is a simple, concrete, oblong, reggae dance hall. It is shoulder to shoulder bopping in the almost pitch dark. Three buck imported beer from Jamaica is the drink of choice. Many thanks to Steve/Back on Tack for info.

The sign eventually outlasted the business and became part of New World Brewery’s collection of salvaged Tampa character. Owner Steve Bird described it as one of his favorite pieces, recalling the surprise of discovering its different neon colors when it was illuminated. Saving it preserved a tangible connection to a bar whose working days had ended.

UPDATE: Bop City is gone, but its neon sign was rescued and displayed at New World’s former Ybor location. During the brewery’s relocation, plans called for repairing it and bringing it to the new venue. Its current illumination could not be confirmed, but the sign’s survival gives this neighborhood nightlife memory a welcome second life. 07-26