Flora-Bama

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Flora-Bama Lounge and Package (aka The Flora-Bama), located on Perdido Key in Pensacola, Florida, is a beachside oyster bar, nightclub, and Gulf Coast cultural landmark, touted as being America's "Last Great Roadhouse". The Flora-Bama takes its name from its location only feet away from the Florida-Alabama border (it is officially located entirely in Florida).

[edit] The Bar

The establishment is referred to by locals as simply "the bama" and before its partial destruction by Hurricane Ivan, it boasted in the range of 20 plus bars within the building. In addition, at any given time before the storm, up to 4 live bands could be playing simultaneously providing a wide array of music for visitors to enjoy. The bar is primarily outdoors and offers a huge deck where one can eat and drink while having a beautiful view of the gulf of mexico.

Widely known as a place where "you can have a millionaire sitting next to a biker," this unique make-up of bar patrons is one of the contributing factors to its large appeal and attraction. Locals mingle with tourists rather easily and on large holiday weekends such as Memorial Day, Fourth of July, and Labor Day, cars line the highway for miles in both directions as the bar draws such a large crowd. The staff is almost as entertaining as the clientele, and the food is "seafood" on par with Captain D's or Long Johns. But who cares when you are swilling cheap beer in LA (Lower Alabama) with a girl named Misty (at least that's what her right-breast tattoo states)?

[edit] Hosted Events

The Flora-Bama Lounge is host to a number of annual and one-time local events. Perhaps most famous of these festivities is the Annual Interstate Mullet Toss, where contestants compete by throwing mullets across the Florida-Alabama Border. Winning throws approach distances in excess of 150 feet and the event is always held in the last full weekend of April. Additional events include the "Polar Bear Dip," the "Mullet Man Triathlon," and the "Super Bowl Chili Cook-off."

A recent and addition to the event is the Annual Mullet Man Triathlon, a conventional sprint-distance race consisting of a 1/4-mile swim, followed immediately by a 15-mile bike and a 4-mile run. Not considered a serious competitive event by most of the contestants, the true motivation is (half-jokingly) said to be the post-race party. The subject of Jimmy Buffett's song Bama Breeze

This article about a building or structure in Florida is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.