Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Remember The Hawaiian Cottage In Cherry Hill?


Once upon a time there was a tropical paradise in the middle of sprawling suburbia.
It boasted the allure of the islands right alongside a major highway.
It beckoned diners to pull right up (in their Buicks, Oldmobiles, Chevys and an occasional Cadillac) to the land of palms and coconuts. And it all happened in New Jersey.
With Cherry Hill, NJ (formerly Delaware Township) beginning to celebrate its 50th anniversary as Cherry Hill, here's a fond look back at one of the alluring landmarks that helped put Cherry Hill on the map.
The Hawaiian Cottage on Route 38 was part Coconut Grove, part Polynesian playground, part banquet hall and part continental restaurant -- a restaurant that even served Italian dishes, including ravioli. Imagine: ravioli under indoor palm trees and alongside a giant pineapple that served as a gift shop.
The Hawaiian Cottage was open from 1938 till 1958 when it was destroyed by fire.
It was never rebuilt.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I remember! My parents used to go there for "special nights" and we'd stay home wondering what exotic items they'd bring home...LOL...like drink parosols, the occasional tiki glass or a lei...I recall seeing the big pineapple driving by in the car and wondering what magical things I'd never get to see...BTW, it burned down sometime in the late 70s..or was it set on fire and was described simply as "burned down? Good ole South Jersey!