Remembering the Kapok Tree Inn: The Enchantment of Old Florida

The Kapok Tree Inn wasn’t just a restaurant—locals and tourists saw it as a real escape, a place with its own kind of magic right in Clearwater, Florida.

For decades, people came for the grand, Roman-inspired setting, built in the 1950s around a massive Kapok tree that had stood since the late 1800s. Inside, you’d find twelve different dining rooms, each one lavishly detailed, where the food was simple but elegant. The Kapok offered something you couldn’t get anywhere else.

Long before Florida’s theme parks and chain restaurants took over, the Kapok Tree Inn set the standard for local opulence. Historian Bill DeYoung remembers it as “the fanciest place in town. Unlike anything else.” And he’s right—the place drew visitors from across the country and beyond, all eager to see the spectacle for themselves.

Richard Baumgartner dreamed up the entire thing. In the 1950s, he built a restaurant that sprawled across 79,000 square feet, wrapping it around that original Kapok tree. People often compared it to a Roman holiday dropped right into the Florida tropics. The crowds were legendary. Some days, over 17,000 people showed up to eat—a number so wild that current owner Evan Rubenson still shakes his head in disbelief.

Why did people love it so much? The Kapok was pure escapism. Back then, before everyone was glued to screens, you needed places that made you feel like you’d stepped out of your everyday life. The Kapok delivered, room after room. Those 12 dining areas and grand ballrooms were filled with intricate woodwork, ornate plaster, and original columns—details that, remarkably, have survived nearly untouched since the ’50s. The last dinners were served in May 1991, but the spirit never really left.

Today, about a third of the original property lives on as Kapok Special Events, run by Evan Rubenson. He’s serious about keeping the old place authentic—he says it’s like restoring a classic car, making sure every column and decoration stays true to its roots. For a lot of people, the Kapok’s not just history—it’s personal. Jasmen Marley, the Director of Sales and Events, is a second-generation employee. Her dad washed dishes here in the ’70s, and later, he and her mom celebrated the Inn’s final night together in 1991. Now, Jasmen helps other families create their own stories in the same rooms.

That’s the real legacy. The Kapok isn’t just about nostalgia—it’s a stage for weddings, reunions, and the big moments that families remember for decades. People keep coming back, generation after generation, drawn to the place that once defined what “special” felt like in Florida. And as long as those memories matter, the Kapok’s magic endures.