Tradewinds Pub in Reedley offers a theme park experience with international and traditional pub cuisine. Photo by Estela Anahi Jaramillo

Indiana Jones meets the Jungle Cruise as customers travel back in time and enter a 1940s adventure-themed pub.

Tradewinds Pub in Reedley offers a theme park-like experience with international and traditional pub cuisine. Heather Ground was always interested in getting into the restaurant industry along with her husband, sister and brother-in-law. They purchased the 2,400-square-foot space at 1041 G St. in May 2023 and opened their doors last December.

The group also owns and operates Hidden Hollow, a wedding venue outside of Reedley.

Located in downtown Reedley, the Tradewinds Pub has the feel of Disney’s Main Street. The previous space housed two different pubs, so the renovation was relatively easy since the previous owners had already upgraded the infrastructure.

Ground and her family members are Disney fans and love anything that pays homage to our inner child, which was a big factor in deciding what their restaurant should look like.

“Sometimes you have a dream and there are many ways to make it happen, so why not create a place where you can experience it for yourself?” Ground said. “Sometimes it’s not practical to go on a trip, and sometimes you don’t have time and just want a mental break or an escape. What if it was like that?”

The Tradewinds Pub also has its own mythology, involving a fictional British character named AL Gerrig who goes on expeditions around the globe. Whenever Gerrig “comes back to town,” he brings a new recipe to try, in addition to the usual pub fare.

As an Instagrammable location, Tradewinds has also gained a significant following on social media, counting nearly 6,000 Instagram followers.

Menu items listed on their website thetradewindspub.com include a Thai lettuce wrap, “Bang Bang” shrimp tacos, a Polynesian pub burger, a New York strip steak and BBQ citrus salmon.

The atmosphere is enhanced by music, monkeys hanging from vines and jungle sounds that transport guests to a different location every 45 minutes.

Ground and her family have collected antique collectibles from around the world in vintage shops and on eBay to recreate the feel of the 1940s.

Ground has found a special treasure: an old movie projector that is hardwired and waiting to be used. The owners are in the process of syncing all the TVs together, and once that’s complete, a commercial telling the backstory of the restaurant will be shown once an hour.

“When you stay in one place for a long time, nature invades. We had to make friends with the local animals because they come and it short-circuits the power grid, which turns on the generator that supplies electricity to the whole place,” said Ground.

Ground said they filmed the commercial with a local media company at the Reedley Opera House, known for its old-fashioned feel. Every aspect of the restaurant is designed to give customers an authentic experience that will make them question whether they are really in Reedley.

“We were interested in getting into a restaurant and are currently in the process of opening a cocktail lounge on the first floor a few doors down at the Hotel Burgess,” Ground said.

Since they had so many ideas to get their customers away from Reedley, they needed another space to implement them, so they took the opportunity and moved them there.

Odds Bodkin hopes to open its doors to the public in the fall. The name is an old expression used when you don’t want to “take the Lord’s name in vain.” The theme of this place is a curiosity shop, complete with “oddities.”

“We didn’t want people to think it was too mystical. I didn’t want to have things like heads in jars. Sometimes curio shops are very strange and fun to look at. But maybe you don’t want to drink while staring at something strange, and sometimes people don’t know what it is,” Ground said.

In addition to weekend brunch, Tradewinds Pub also features live music from bands, karaoke and DJs. Ground said they hope to add trivia nights to their weekly schedule as well. She noted that people have come from all over California to experience the pub’s atmosphere, which makes them feel like they’re doing something right.

After a lot of feedback, they recently expanded their brunch from Sunday to Saturday and Sunday. Ground has completed the restaurant’s website, where customers can now see the week’s events, menus and anything interesting about the pub’s history.

Other plans include building an outdoor patio at the rear of the pub to create more space for visitors and bring foot traffic to downtown Reedley after regular opening hours.

“We’re just enjoying the ride and hope to be here for a long time,” Ground said. “We like that we’re part of our own community and we really want our community to have a good time.”