Golden Tiki Bar – Haunted Bar in Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas isn’t just home to slot machines and showgirls anymore. The city now boasts one of America’s most authentically haunted tiki bars, where spirits of both varieties flow freely.

The Golden Tiki Bar opened its doors in 2015, but the paranormal activity suggests something much older. Employees and patrons report unexplained encounters that happen with startling regularity.

This isn’t your typical Vegas tourist trap claiming to be haunted for marketing purposes. The supernatural occurrences here have genuinely unsettled even the most skeptical visitors and staff members.

Located just off the Strip on Spring Mountain Road, this tropical paradise hides dark secrets. The building itself has a troubled history that predates the tiki bar’s arrival.

Historical Background

The Golden Tiki Bar officially opened on March 18, 2015, created by owner Branden Powers. However, the space itself existed long before the current establishment moved in.

The property originally housed various businesses throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Multiple commercial ventures failed at this exact location over a thirty-year period.

Local records indicate that a violent altercation occurred on the property in 1987. A man named Robert Chen was fatally stabbed during a robbery at the previous business.

The land beneath the building holds even darker secrets from Las Vegas’s early days. Construction workers in the 1970s reportedly unearthed unmarked graves while preparing the foundation.

When Powers purchased the space, he filled it with authentic artifacts from Polynesian cultures. Many of these objects came from closed tiki bars, estate sales, and private collections.

Some items originated from the now-defunct Kahiki Supper Club in Columbus, Ohio. The Kahiki closed in 2000, and several of its most iconic pieces found new life at the Golden Tiki.

Powers also acquired mysterious artifacts from a shuttered San Francisco tiki bar called Tonga Room. Nobody documented the provenance of all these items, and some carry unknown histories.

Paranormal Activity Summary

Staff members consistently report hearing disembodied voices speaking in unknown languages throughout the bar. These conversations seem to come from empty corners and unoccupied back rooms.

Glasses slide across the bar without any physical contact or explanation. Bartenders have witnessed full cocktails moving several inches while they looked directly at them.

Electronic devices malfunction with unusual frequency at the Golden Tiki Bar. Phones drain completely within minutes, and cameras capture strange orbs and shadow figures.

The temperature drops dramatically in specific areas without any ventilation changes. These cold spots appear suddenly and move through the space like invisible presences.

Employees report feeling watched constantly, especially when closing the bar late at night. The sensation of unseen eyes following their movements creates persistent unease among staff.

Objects disappear and reappear in impossible locations throughout the establishment. Bottle openers vanish from behind the bar, only to show up in locked storage rooms.

The most disturbing activity involves physical contact with invisible entities. Multiple staff members report being touched, pushed, or having their hair pulled by unseen hands.

Shadow figures dart between the tiki statues and bamboo decorations when peripheral vision catches them. Direct observation reveals nothing, but the shadows return moments later in different locations.

Ghost Stories & Reports

The spirit known as “The Bartender” appears most frequently in the main serving area. This apparition wears clothing from the 1980s and seems confused about the bar’s current appearance.

Multiple witnesses describe seeing this male figure reaching for bottles that no longer exist. He appears solid for brief moments before fading into transparency and disappearing completely.

Bartender Jessica Martinez reported a terrifying encounter with this spirit in June 2017. She turned around to find a man standing directly behind her, close enough to touch.

When Jessica screamed, the figure smiled sadly and vanished in front of three witnesses. Security cameras captured the moment, showing Jessica’s reaction but no visible person behind her.

Another recurring entity is called “The Woman in White” by regular patrons. She appears near the back hallway that leads to the restrooms and storage areas.

This female spirit wears what witnesses describe as a flowing white dress or gown. Her face remains obscured, hidden behind long dark hair that falls forward.

Patron David Reeves encountered the Woman in White on September 12, 2018. He walked toward the restroom and saw her standing motionless at the hallway’s end.

David reported feeling overwhelming sadness radiating from her presence before she disappeared. He later learned that several other customers had seen her in that exact spot.

A third spirit manifests as a young child’s voice singing softly in Polynesian. Staff member Marcus Thompson first heard this singing while cleaning alone after closing in March 2019.

The voice seemed to circle around Marcus, moving between the dining areas impossibly fast. When he called out, the singing stopped immediately and didn’t resume that night.

The child’s spirit has been heard by at least fifteen different employees since then. Most describe the voice as beautiful but deeply unsettling in the empty bar.

Several patrons report seeing a tall figure wearing what appears to be tribal clothing. This entity stands near the collection of authentic Polynesian masks and doesn’t move or react.

The tribal figure appeared in a photograph taken by tourist Amanda Chen in October 2020. Nobody was standing in that location when she snapped the picture of her friends.

When Amanda reviewed her photos later, the tall figure stood clearly visible behind her group. The image shows incredible detail, including facial features and ceremonial markings on the figure’s arms.

Most Haunted Spot

The storage room behind the main bar area generates the most consistent paranormal activity. Staff members refuse to enter this space alone, especially during late-night shifts.

This windowless room contains extra supplies and several of the older artifacts from the bar’s collection. The temperature inside remains fifteen degrees colder than the rest of the building.

Manager Tom Bradford reported being locked inside this room in February 2018. The door handle turned without assistance, and the lock engaged despite having no automatic mechanism.

Tom shouted for help while the lights flickered violently around him for several minutes. He described hearing breathing close to his ear and feeling something brush against his neck.

When coworkers finally opened the door from outside, Tom rushed out visibly shaken. He refuses to discuss the complete details of what happened during those trapped minutes.

A particular tiki statue in this storage room seems to be the focal point. The three-foot wooden carving came from an estate sale, with no documentation about its origins.

Multiple employees report that this statue’s facial expression appears to change subtly over time. Photographs taken weeks apart show different positions of the carved mouth and eyes.

Can You Visit?

Yes, the Golden Tiki Bar welcomes guests daily without advance reservations required. The establishment operates as a fully functioning bar and restaurant accessible to anyone over twenty-one.

There is no entry fee to experience this haunted location yourself. You only pay for food and beverages ordered during your visit to the bar.

The Golden Tiki Bar does not offer official paranormal tours of the premises. However, staff members sometimes share their ghost stories with interested patrons at the bar.

Photography is allowed and actively encouraged throughout the space. Management welcomes guests to share their potentially paranormal photos on social media platforms.

The bar opens at 5 PM Monday through Friday and 2 PM on weekends. Closing time varies but typically falls between midnight and 2 AM, depending on the day.

Best Time to Visit

The final hour before closing produces the most frequent paranormal encounters. Staff preparing to shut down for the night report the highest concentration of unexplained activity.

Weeknight visits between 10 PM and midnight offer the best atmosphere for ghost hunting. The bar maintains enough patrons for safety but isn’t so crowded that investigation becomes impossible.

October brings increased supernatural activity according to staff observations over multiple years. The weeks surrounding Halloween seem to intensify whatever entities inhabit the Golden Tiki.

Full moon periods correlate with spikes in reported paranormal experiences. Employees track these patterns and prepare themselves mentally for especially active shifts during these lunar phases.

First-Hand Accounts & Eyewitness Reports

Server Rachel Kim documented her experience in a viral Facebook post from July 2019. She photographed a full handprint appearing on a freshly cleaned mirror in the women’s restroom.

The handprint materialized while Rachel watched, forming slowly as if pressed by invisible fingers. She captured three sequential photos showing the print’s progressive formation over approximately thirty seconds.

Paranormal investigator Michael Torres visited the Golden Tiki in November 2020 with specialized equipment. His EMF detector registered extreme fluctuations near the storage room and back hallway.

Torres recorded EVP sessions that captured clear responses to his questions. One recording features a male voice saying “leave” when Torres asked if spirits wanted them there.

Regular customer Timothy Walsh keeps a journal documenting every paranormal experience during his weekly visits. His log spans three years and contains over forty separate unexplained incidents.

Timothy’s most dramatic entry describes a tiki mug flying off his table in December 2021. The ceramic vessel traveled six feet horizontally before smashing against the opposite wall.

Security footage confirmed Timothy’s account, showing the mug launching from the table with significant force. No physical explanation exists for the trajectory or velocity captured on camera.

Paranormal Investigations & Findings

The Ghost Adventures crew investigated the Golden Tiki Bar for a 2022 episode. Lead investigator Zak Bagans reported feeling physically ill in the storage room area.

During their investigation, cameras captured a shadow figure moving across the main bar area. The footage shows the shadow passing behind several tiki statues before disappearing near the entrance.

A local Las Vegas paranormal team called “Desert Spirits Research” conducted multiple investigations between 2018 and 2021. They documented consistent Class A EVP recordings throughout the building.

Desert Spirits Research founder Patricia Mendez classified the Golden Tiki as “actively haunted.” Her team identified at least four distinct spiritual entities based on voice analysis and manifestation patterns.

Thermal imaging revealed unexplained cold spots that moved intelligently through the space. These temperature anomalies seemed to respond directly to investigators’ questions and requests.

Audio recordings captured what sounds like Polynesian chanting during a 3 AM investigation session. None of the investigators spoke these languages, and the source remains unexplained.

Local Legends & Myths

Local legend claims that one of the authentic tiki statues contains actual human remains. Supposedly, ancient Polynesian burial practices sometimes incorporated bones into ceremonial carvings for spiritual protection.

Staff members whisper about this particular statue, though nobody admits knowing which one might be affected. The uncertainty adds an extra layer of unease to working among dozens of carved figures.

Another persistent myth suggests that the bar was built over an underground tunnel system. These tunnels allegedly connected various mob-owned casinos during Las Vegas’s organized crime era in the 1950s and 1960s.

According to this legend, several murders occurred in these tunnels that were never officially solved. The victims’ restless spirits supposedly rise through the earth into current buildings above.

Cursed or Haunted Objects

A wooden mask hanging near the bar’s entrance generates consistent paranormal attention from investigators. This particular mask came from the estate of a collector who died under mysterious circumstances.

Staff members report that the mask’s position changes slightly between opening and closing shifts. Nobody moves it intentionally, yet it consistently faces different directions each morning.

Three employees have quit specifically because of experiences involving this mask. One former bartender claimed the mask’s eyes followed her movements throughout her entire shift.

A vintage tiki mug displayed on a high shelf fell and struck patron Gregory Mills in August 2020. The mug sat securely on the shelf, nowhere near the edge, before launching directly at Gregory.

Gregory suffered a minor cut requiring three stitches from the ceramic mug’s impact. He reported seeing the mug lift upward before flying toward him, defying gravitational physics.

The establishment also houses a guestbook where patrons can document their paranormal experiences. This book itself seems to attract supernatural attention, disappearing for weeks before reappearing in unexpected locations.

Pages in the guestbook sometimes feature additional entries written in unknown handwriting. These mysterious additions appear overnight when the book sits locked in the office.