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Showtown Bar and Restaurant – Gibsonton, Florida
by admin ·
The Showtown Bar and Restaurant is in iconic part of carney history. It is also one of the most interesting places to visit in central Florida.
Decayed and corroded, it is filled with potential to grab tourists. Unfortunately, it has fallen into ill repair. That doesn’t keep me from getting some interesting pictures of the Showtown Bar.
The first four pictures are of a mural on the South side of the restaurant. It is of a man looking for carney work. The sea and waves are crashing in on him, his dog is chained up in the surf, and his tattered blow up doll is falling apart. A sea monster is in the water, and it just gives the type of creepy appearance that only a freakshow could provide.
The sixth and seventh picture are of the Showtown beauty contest. Note that the winner is an ugly sea hag, and the loser is a gorgeous blonde. Ironic, for sure.
The eleventh photo is of the front of the bar, which was a drive through liquor store. That’s something you don’t see every day.
The 14th picture is one of many corroded murals. This one was of a neighboring fish market being overrun by the sea. I am not sure if they artist (Browning) was trying to be ironic or if he was trying to show the demise of the competition.
The final picture is of Carney Heaven. Seems like a nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there.
Tags: bars, carneytown, central florida, gibsonton, showtown bar, usa
October 17th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
Is this place still open? Was it a carny joint? Owned by a carny? This art is very much like the weird stuff painted on the facades of carnival dark rides. Weird but interesting.
October 17th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
It is still open. It is on US 41 in Gibsonton, FL. I went in the restaurant section. The service was horrible. The story that I am told is that it has been around forever, and it was a haven for carnies who are off the tour. If I find out more, I will write more details.
March 4th, 2011 at 4:50 pm
[...] started to do one going from daytime to nighttime, like at Showtown, but I would have had to do it twice to get the effect. I would have done a complete old-time [...]