Thunderbird Beach was something of an anomaly in Baton Rouge.
Some called it Baton Rouge’s French Riviera, some called it “Fun-derbird Beach,” and some called it the Capital Region’s long-lost Atlantis. But everyone who experienced the popular makeshift beach agrees it rendered fun times and fond memories.
Signs warned that no dogs or bottles were allowed on the beach at the time this photo was taken in 1971. (Photo courtesy V.J. Paola)
There is even a Facebook page dedicated to the place: “Who Remembers Thunderbird Beach?” Members post antics from beach days past and reminisce about trips down a seven-story-tall metal slide, live concerts by local bands and hours-long picnics on the shore.
Situated along the Amite River, the beach doubled as an amusement park, offering train rides, paddle boats, a Tilt-A-Whirl and a large game room with pinball machines and foosball tables. Visitors could rent shoreside cabins and cabanas with barbecue pits, making it the nearest thing to a beachside paradise for Capital Region residents.
A child plays at Thunderbird Beach in the early 1980s. (Photo courtesy Brandy Helms)
Thunderbird Beach even had a mascot, Billy the Chimpanzee, who was loved despite having “quite the attitude,” says Sharrian Jarreau, who in 1967 married into the family that owned the beach.
Thunderbird Beach, which opened sometime in the early ’60s, was demolished in 1993 to make way for what is now Paradise Lakes subdivision. But Baton Rouge residents haven’t lost sight of what the lively area once offered.
Former Baton Rouge residents Marion Beyl and Kay Lowry at Thunderbird Beach in 1976. (Photo courtesy Marion Beyl)
Marion Beyl
ambassador for Plexus health products
Beyl’s fondest memory of Thunderbird Beach is the simplicity of laying down a big beach towel and lying in the sun for hours.
“For me, Thunderbird Beach was a hallmark of teenage freedom. It was a rite of passage, being able to drive out there and spend the day with your friends,” Beyl says. “That place was well-loved, and it was sad to see it go.”
Sharrian Jarreau
former co-owner of Thunderbird Beach
Jarreau’s fondest memory isn’t the slide, the paddle boats or the picnics. It isn’t the Tilt-A-Whirl that she once rode for three hours straight. Her fondest memory is watching her children grow up at Thunderbird Beach and feeling like she was always on vacation.
“It was the atmosphere that stuck with you,” Jarreau says. “We woke up to the jukebox playing across the way, the sound of people coming in and kids laughing—sounds that defined the start of a good day. … I believe Thunderbird Beach paved the way for today’s amusement parks, like Blue Bayou and Dixie Landin’ and other huge water parks.”
Bruce Facundus III
IT operations tech at CenturyLink and son of former Thunderbird Beach owners
Some of Facundus’ fondest memories are simply those of the lively employees who worked at Thunderbird Beach. Others include the waterslide, live bands and the one day a year the beach was open exclusively for the blind.
“The jukebox was always playing from morning ’til night, and people [were] always dancing. Families were able to rent log cabins for a night or weekend. … Looking back on it now, I was the luckiest kid in the world. Those were the good ole days,” Facundus says.
Steve Drago
heavy equipment mechanic at Honeywell Baton Rouge
His fondest memory: Live music and several trips down the Thunderbird slide always made for a good day at the beach, and the “No Hippies Allowed” sign never failed to generate a laugh.
“As a kid, I always looked forward to going out there,” Drago says. “It was the only ‘beach’ around. The things that we experienced as kids are things you just can’t get today.”
