Oxford Downs
MARKET
Hotels & Resorts
PRODUCTS
Performance Palm
LOCATION
Summerville, FL
Somewhere between the poker tables and the paddock, Oxford Downs found room for a proper tiki bar, and it did not hold back on the roofline. The steep, tiered thatch canopy shading the patio bar rises high enough to be visible from the surrounding pastures, giving guests a shot of island escapism between hands, right next to the hay bales and horse fencing that make it clear this is still very much rural Florida. Bulleit Bourbon signs and beer taps under a genuine thatched roof is an odd pairing on paper, but it works exactly the way a good tiki bar should: unpretentious, a little unexpected, and a lot of fun.
Central Florida sun, humidity, and daily crowds pulling up barstools underneath it all take their toll fast on lesser materials. Endureed’s engineered thatch holds its color and shape through all of it, giving Oxford Downs a bar that looks like a permanent vacation, minus the maintenance headache that would come with the real thing.