Set in the quaint village of Storms River, this is a diner with so many twists that I’m not really sure I can even convey how unique it is. The Marilyn’s 60s Diner is really an anomaly: this isn’t where you’d expect to find it at all.
Established by an Elvis fanatic 6 years ago, the diner has since changed hands to new owners Chris and Irma de Villiers. The love and passion poured into the quirky little spot show themselves in every corner here with posters, album covers, statuettes and other bits of memorabilia scattered about. Oh yes, and of course, the stereotypical pink cadillac parked in the middle of it all.
Originally this building was a show car garage, and when it was converted into the diner, the original owner opted to retain a lot of those elements. There’s still the lingering smell of grease here, a little like my grandfather’s garage used to have, except somehow this is a little less daunting than stepping foot in there!
The diner’s menu is classic American. Burgers take centre stage here, but stacks of pancakes and ice-cream sundaes make themselves known as they drift across the restaurant to patrons. Portions are big, prices are fair and everything was absolutely delicious. Even the menu is a wealth of historical Elvis and Marilyn knowledge with little FYIs sown in between the food options!
Each year, the Marilyn’s 60s Diner also hosts an Elvis Festival and people travel from all across the country to take part. It must actually be so much fun to be a spectator for this! There are photos on the walls surrounding the cars of previous year’s competitions and it really looks like there are some fierce contenders that head for this event.
The bright pink tree stump outside the diner is basically a little podium to do your best Marilyn impression (I don’t know if this is true, I just decided). Sadly for me, I got a little shy once I was up there and just got me having a laugh…
My visit to The Fernery forms part of the 7 Wonders of our World Campaign. As with all my posts, I retain full editorial control.
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