Skip to content

Now Gathering in Jacksonville · Free to Join

Exotic Grogs. Hidden Escapes.

Rum & Thatch is a social network for those looking to escape the daily grind. We meet three times monthly: once for drinks at the best tiki bars around, once at the beach, and once at the cigar bar. All in the spirit of disconnecting and enjoying what it is we love. Join today free and gather with us at the next meet-up.

  • Monthly Mixers: get-togethers at the best tiki and tropical bars
  • Driftwood Socials: golden hour on the sand, exotica on the speaker
  • Ember Nights: monthly evening and conversation at the cigar lounge

Come Join Us.

Real names optional. This is what other members see, so no email addresses. Up to 30 characters.

At least 8 characters. You'll sign in with it and your username or email.

Not in Jacksonville yet? Tell us your city - every signup tells us where to gather next.

Travel-poster illustration of a coquina fort, a Spanish colonial bell tower, a shrimp boat, and a driftwood bonfire on the dunes at sunrise.

Now open

Jacksonville is open

Rum & Thatch opened in Jacksonville on Monday, August 24, 2026. Northeast Florida is the first chapter: monthly Mixers at the city’s tiki and tropical rooms, Driftwood Socials on the beaches at golden hour, and Ember Nights at the cigar lounges out toward Ponte Vedra Beach.

First 50 members

Founding Members

The first 50 people to join are Founding Members, and their membership is free for life. Membership is free for everyone right now; a Founding Member’s stays that way permanently, whatever comes later. The seat is claimed by joining, and there are only 50 of them.

Next up

Mixer

Halloween Rum Mixer

Thursday, October 29 · 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM ET

Somewhere in Northeast Florida · the spot is revealed when you join

Our Halloween Rum Mixer: a relaxed night out at a tiki bar with good company. Come for a drink or two and some conversation. No agenda, no pressure. The spot is set: we're meeting at The Wreck Tiki Lounge. The Details: - Thursday, October 29, 7 to 9 PM - Look for the Rum & Thatch sign on our table and say hi - Costumes welcome, not required - 21+. Free to attend. Everyone covers their own food and drinks Tap "I'm going" so we know who to look for, and say hi on the wall below. First time? Most of us are new too.

See the details
Claim a Founding Membership

Free to join · 21+ · 50 founding seats

The Manifesto

We are here to escape.

Not from our lives. From the noise in them.

We are in pursuit of happiness. The unhurried kind: a colorful drink, a warm night, a cigar reminiscent of the Caribbean, a song that sounds like somewhere else.

Ambience

Tiki Bar Ambience

Torchlight, tropical nights, and slow exotica lounge music, about an hour each. Put one on while you read, work, or unwind.

More on YouTube

Banyan Lanterns

Crickets, torchlight, and a lantern-hung banyan in a tiki village on Halloween night.

Spirit Grotto

Rain, thunder, and a waterfall at a candlelit cave tiki bar on Halloween night.

Driftwood Nights

Glowing surf, torchlight, and a tiki bar at the far end of the beach.

Articles

Start reading before the first round

Straight answers about tiki, rum, and escapism. Free to read, no signup needed.

All 10 articles

What Is Polynesian Pop?

The American invention that gave us tiki bars, exotica records, and thatched roofs in the suburbs - where it came from, why it collapsed, and how it came back.

Read the article

Rum 101: How to Read the Bottle

The three style families, what the words on the label actually mean, why rum ages faster than whisky, and the six bottles that build the whole canon.

Read the article

Ten Tiki Cocktails, and Where They Came From

Mai Tai, Daiquiri, Zombie, Painkiller and six more, with the historically defensible spec, the method, and the disputed origins labelled as disputed.

Read the article

Six Other Florida Markets

Pick a market to see the tiki and tropical bars we’ve scouted there and the cigar lounges Ember Nights would run through.

Join Free
Travel-poster illustration of tropical art deco hotels, palms, and a Polynesian supper club on a South Beach shoreline at sunrise.
Not yet gathering

Miami Metro

Fort Lauderdale / Miami

The Mai-Kai's home turf, and the deepest rum shelves in Florida.

10 tiki & tropical bars

See what we've scouted →

Travel-poster illustration of a torch-lit tiki longhouse on a cypress-lined freshwater lagoon at dusk.
Not yet gathering

Central Florida

Orlando / Central Florida

Immersion country: kinetic speakeasies and rum masterclasses.

10 tiki & tropical bars

See what we've scouted →

Travel-poster illustration of a pirate ship at anchor off a Gulf harbor, brick cigar-factory buildings, and a thatched palapa bar at sunset.
Not yet gathering

Tampa Bay

Tampa / St. Petersburg

A pirate speakeasy, 250 rare rums, and thatch on the Gulf sand.

10 tiki & tropical bars

See what we've scouted →

Travel-poster illustration of a mid-century tiki lounge, chickee huts, and a banyan tree on a calm Gulf beach at sunset.
Not yet gathering

Southwest Coast

Sarasota / Naples

Bahi Hut, pouring since 1954, and palapas down to Marco Island.

10 tiki & tropical bars

See what we've scouted →

Travel-poster illustration of Key West conch houses, a thatched overwater bar, and shrimp boats at sunset.
Not yet gathering

Florida Keys

Key West & The Keys

Overwater decks, working waterfronts, and the Rum Runner's birthplace.

11 tiki & tropical bars

See what we've scouted →

Travel-poster illustration of a tall dune-coast lighthouse, a boardwalk over sugar-white dunes, a shrimp boat, and an Old Florida seafood shack on stilts at sunset.
Not yet gathering

Emerald Coast

Pensacola / Panama City

Quartz-white dunes, a historic lighthouse, and the slowest stretch of the Gulf coast.

0 tiki & tropical bars

See what we've scouted →

Each one opens as soon as there’s an Organizer ready to run it. Join free and tell us which one is yours.

One membership. Free.

Monthly get-togethers at the best tiki and tropical bars across Florida. Bring your crew or come on your own: we'll bring the good company.

Monthly · At the bar

Mixers

One night a month at a great tiki bar. Come solo or bring your crew: your Organizer runs the night and makes the introductions, so no one drinks alone.

Monthly · On the sand

Driftwood Socials

Golden hour on the sand, exotica on the speaker, zero agenda: no ticket required. Attendees are responsible for following local beach ordinances.

Monthly · By the ember glow

Ember Nights

Once a month, we slow it all the way down at a great cigar lounge: low light, leather chairs, and long conversation. No cigar required; come for the room and the company.

Join Free