The Flora-Bama Lounge and Package (aka The Flora-Bama), located on Perdido Key in Pensacola, Florida, is a beachside oyster bar, beach bar, and Gulf Coast cultural landmark, touted as being America’s “Last Great Roadhouse”. The Flora-Bama takes its name from its location on the Florida – Alabama border line. The bar is in fact located all within Florida, with the Alabama line being the western outside wall.  The Flora-Bama Old S.A.L.T.S. Marina and parking lot on the north side, however, is located on Old River in Alabama.  Adjacent to the Flora-Bama across the road is the Flora-Bama Liquor Store & Silvermoon Lounge  on the original site of a Kentucky Fried Chicken, built in the mid-1980’s.

The Bar

The Flora-Bama was originally constructed in 1964, one year after the Alabama Point bridge was completed in the deal that moved the AL/FL line 2 miles east to its present location.  [1] In the early days of the Flora-Bama, the lounge was practically the only thing in the area. As traffic began to increase along the new highway, business grew and the lounge grew to match it with piecemeal construction to accommodate the larger crowds. In 1978, the Flora-Bama was sold to Joe Gilchrist.  Pat McClellan joined Joe as a partner in 1986.  The two remain the co-owners of the bar today.

Widely known as a place where folks from all walks of life can mingle “hard hats to millionaires, shrimpers to Admirals, hippies to yippies, singer/songwriters to U.S. Senators!”  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 Flora-Bama first gained national attention from such celebrities as Jimmy Buffet whose lyrics “Ragtop Day” urged folks to “jump in their ragtops, go on down to the Gulf, listen to some country-western, and grab themselves a ‘cold one’ at the Flora-Bama,” and when former Oakland Raiders quarterback and NFL MVP Kenny Stabler referred to the Flora-Bama as “the best watering hole in the country” long before he ewas tossing a fish there at its annual Interstate Mullet Toss.

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 bars on the grounds. In addition, 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 formerly offered a huge deck where one can eat and drink while having a beautiful view of the Gulf of Mexico.

The Bushwacker

The Bama serves a local favorite known as the “Bushwacker” a formidable frozen concoction of rums, coffee liquors and milk that is a favorite among locals and tourists alike.  It’s delicious taste and texture comes from an enhanced version of the original recipe, “smuggled” in from P’cola Beach’s Sandshaker Lounge by Pat McClellan over a quarter century ago!

Hurricane Ivan

In the last 45 years the Flora-Bama has weathered its share of storms, only to rebound bigger and better!  However in September 2004, Hurricane Ivan scored a direct hit on the Flora-Bama, causing catastrophic damage. The front bar and original package store, built in 1964 at the entrance was destroyed, and most of the other 1976 additions were either destroyed or heavily damaged.  The Deck Bar, Top Deck, Oyster Bar and restrooms added in 1986, survived the storm in fairly good condition!  The stairs leading from the Deck Bar to the Top Deck survived while the main stage area near the Lotto Bar is covered with a tent-like canopy called the “Bama Dome”.  The main building has yet to be rebuilt, but many of the old amenities have nevertheless been replaced.

Rebuilding

While the rear deck was destroyed, a boardwalk allowing beach access was constructed in its place. An outdoor stage beneath a large tent (called the Tent Stage) was erected to complement the indoor main stage that survived the storm. Much of the property is connected by ramps and walkways leading to the beach and music areas by way of one service/food/beer bar or another.  S-shirts, lottery tickets and souvenirs are presently being sold on a large roadside trailer.  In 2010 a major rebuilding effort began, including a larger, enclosed Bama Dome area along with additional stairs and an elevator to a larger upper deck area.  The next couple of years will have an additional 2^nd floor level added above current restrooms with additional music/listening rooms and restoration of much of the original bar destroyed by the storm!

Recovery

Despite being closed for many months while repairing and rebuilding, the Flora-Bama’s crowd swarmed right back to the bar as soon as it reopened its doors. There is live music to be had every day of the week, with usually at least five bands playing on Saturdays. It is still a spot likely to attract celebrity visitors, including sports figures such as Eli and Peyton Manning, Mike Ditka, Bobby Cox, John Rocker, and Kenny Stabler to name a few.  Songwriters/musicians who’ve played there have included Hank Cockran, David Allan Coe, Billy Joe Shaver, Pete Fountain, Marsha Ball, Jeff Cook of “Alabama, John Prine, Shawn Mullins, as well as Taylor Hicks (who got his start here!).  Writer John Grisham included the Flora-Bama in his book “The Firm.”

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, an event where individuals compete on the beach throwing a mullet from a 10 foot circle in Florida across the state line into Alabama. Not only is the Mullet Toss a great excuse to throw a weekend long party, but contributions are made to local charities, mostly to youth organizations. 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 addition to the event schedule 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 Jimmy Buffett song Bama Breeze was written about this roadhouse as well as others (although the video for the song was made at the ruins of The Firedog Saloon in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, another popular beach bar, that was destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005).