Thursday at the Tahitian Terrace

In June 1962, Disneyland opened the Tahitian Terrace restaurant in Adventureland. This previously posted shot shows the exterior and a lovely hostess waiting to welcome you inside, circa November 1963.



The recently acquired shots below give you an insider’s look from 1964. I am digging the feathered Native American headdress on the little boy below right.



I wonder what happened to that way-cool wall art?



From the same batch, a hostess escorts her guests to their table.



She is holding menus to be distributed once the guests are seated.



Your time at the Tahitian Terrace was not just about food; it was an experience! Below, you can see part of the Luau floor show that entertained guests while they dined, circa July 1968. From the back of the menu:

Nestled beneath the tumbling waterfall is a matchless stage setting…a stage whose “curtain” is a cascade of water, and whose “footlights” are a leaping flame of fire burning on the water itself! For your summer evening entertainment, the falls magically draw aside . . . and out from behind the waters, sarong-clad natives appear to perform the swaying rhythms and amazing rituals of the islands . . . the hypnotic bare-foot fire walk and thrilling fire-knife dance, and the traditional grass-skirted “twist” of Samoa, Tahiti and Hawaii. (The dedicated student will note how the story-telling technique varies from island to island . . . here a hip movement, there the entire torso.)



From September 1969:



The Terrace closed in 1993 and was replaced by Aladdin’s Oasis. Its loss has been mourned ever since.

See more Disneyland Tahitian Terrace photos at my main website.