Are you a nostalgia fan? Does your heart start beating when you see a 1950’s Plymouth Fury on the street? Or how about an authentic movie car? If your answers are yes, then welcome to an amazing place/museum/entertainment center called Dezerland.

Named after the Miami based developer, Michael Dezer, who turned eighty this April 1, (no joking) and originally hails from Israel, this extensive auto museum includes Dezer’s own auto collection of more than two thousand cars which he has been accumulating for over fifty years. Originally housed in two locations in South Florida and still in The Hollywood Cars Museum in Las Vegas, Dezer’s car assemblage is by far the most enormous I have ever heard of or seen.

On a vacation this summer in Orlando, Florida, I was invited by my son, daughter-in-law, and kids to take a look at this unusual entertainment venue. Before paying an entrance fee, you are allowed to see an array of unusual vintage cars and if you want to further avail yourself of the center’s advantages an entrance fee is required. The admission is about twenty dollars with other attractions individually priced. For example, there is a bowling alley centrally located with a charge for the alley and shoes. Pay cards are necessary for an arcade with an array of games. I did not get to see the trampoline park, but I hear it’s quite amazing.

Now let’s get back to the cars. My first impression is that these shiny updated autos could not possibly be authentic. How could one man (although he does have a partner, Argentinian mogul Sebastian Mochkowovsky) amass such a breathtaking depository of memorable autos. Take for example, the Batman collection. Yes, authentic vehicles from the Batman movies are situated along other famous cars, such as Herbie, Harry Potter, Ghostbusters, and Dick Tracy just to name a few.

Dezer has grouped them in some appealing assemblages. For example, some cars are compiled by years, some by countries and others by subjects such as, “cars of the stars”. It seemed to me that the collection went on forever and there is always a new door to open with new adventurous vehicles awaiting the viewer.

Before being bought by Dezer, this huge site was the home of two failed malls, Festival Bay, and later Artegon Mall. It was purchased by Dezer in 2018 for $23.7 million according to a Growthspotter report.

A smartphone owner can download an app for this place and in front of most of the cars is a small sign that gives guests information on each car. When you place your phone on the code you will get exact information on the specific car you are interested in finding out about. For example, the app will educate you about the cars if they are actual models that were used in the movies or replicas. Most of the ones I inspected seemed to be authentic except for the bullet holed jalopy from the gangster movie, “Bonnie and Clyde”.

Although the cars are as shiny as if they were brand new, Dezer admits that the facility needs work. What I personally noticed particularly were the floors. Some of the chamber floors were in better condition than others. Some of the floors seemed to be left over from the previous mall owners. For example, the Chrysler car lounge which headquarters the most awesome vehicles, had a neutral-colored square tiled floor that looked like it was left from the previous shopping malls. The main section of the museum that you enter has grey colored floors continuing through many yards of the expanse. Cars are the centerpiece of this magical place even before entering. A model car from the movie, “Cars”, greets you outside before you even go in.

Walking into this massive entertainment center you cannot help but notice a piece of red carpet under the exhibit in the center of the entrance hall. Here you have Santa Claus in the middle with bugs bunny’s car along with others. Underneath these shiny objects are an old red carpet. This is a perfect place for solid red interlocking floor tiles to showcase the beauty of this display.

Flooring Ideas Using Interlocking Floor Tiles

Even though some of the flooring is polished as shiny as the cars it is still dated. No, it is not a nostalgic type of dating but more of a typical neutral look. If I could speak personally to Mr. Dezer, I would recommend interlocking floor tiles to him for his new entertainment center. By brightening up the floors in appropriate matching colors to his cars, Dezer would be enhancing his automobile showcase.

Batman

Batman colors are mostly black with yellow trimmings. Shiny tiles for the Batcave in these two colors matching exactly to the Batman colors would be a knockout look. Custom tiles with the Batman insignia could be placed strategically ever so often on the new floor. These interlocking floor tiles in Batman hues would make a dead looking floor come alive and bring the whole area up to date.

Military Service Vehicles

Army jeeps from various decades and areas fill a very interesting room. I suggest that the floor be tiled with ombre patterned tiles in light browns, taupe’s, and beigy white to replicate the feeling of sandy deserts.

Ghostbusters

The Ghostbusters cars are black of course having to do with the haunt theme, why not set them against a backdrop of white interlocking floor tiles for a really dramatic effect?

Foreign Motorcars

There are certain areas designated for foreign cars from individual countries. Each country room should have tiles that complement that country. Frankly, France should have a French feel to its room. Maybe an area rug motive with a French flag on it would look super, don’t you agree? Let each country have their own theme with specific color tiles.

Celebrity Riders

“Cars of the stars” is an amazing exhibit. I remember strolling down Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles and passing by Gruman’s Chinese Theatre with the imprints of the stars and every once and a while an actual star tile was placed. This theme would be ideal with tiles embedded with star shapes.

The opportunities to update Dezerland Action Park are endless. Mr. Dezer obviously loves his cars and treats them royally. Each one of his possessions is lovingly kept up and shined. His floors should reflect his devotion to his cars and other paraphernalia. As much as he loves his cars, he is willing to sell or rent them for the right price. The abundance of autos is overwhelming, and it is hard to fathom how much all this costs. Yet, the museum is not complete as far as overall decorating. It would be prudent for the owners to hire some creative decorators to add color and excitement to the floors of this incredible institution. The shininess and newness of the antique cars and the other dazzling action-packed activities would be enhanced by some new flooring in certain areas. There are certain rooms that do have new floors, for example, huge squares of black and white patterns are striking.

Walking down the middle of the arena you can visualize how this place was originally set up as a mall. Where there were once stores there are now exhibits. A store is usually filled with items and products to purchase so most people don’t actually look at the floors. With an exhibit and action playground such as Dezerland there are many empty spaces, so the floors are quite visible. Therefore, the tiles need to match up with the theme of the park. The rooms are too numerous to count. Each room is so unique with one often going into another. Many of the cars have interestingly created dummy people which you can tell were painstakingly created. The details in many of the rooms are so delightful that you can feel that you were personally invited to attend. One of the rooms has a table set with a real cloth and dishes welcoming the visitor to sit down and partake of an imaginary meal.

Final Thoughts

Passionate, artistic, and creative people live in a world of their own. Dezer’s prize possessions are so important to him and he treats them with love. When looking at his cars, you can see that he must have many people working for him specifically to keep the cars dust and fingerprint free. The same should go for the floors of this enticing arena. The place has only recently opened. The owners launched this action park right as the COVID-19 pandemic began. This is certainly a credit to their ingenuity and perseverance during very hard times. After nearly three years of preparation, Dezerland Action Park Orlando opened to the public on December 14, 2020. It has remained open despite setbacks and legal problems. Dezer is no quitter just like his previous business associate, Donald Trump. There are some finishing touches such as the floors that need to be tackled and hopefully, they will be because I have not ever witnessed such a beautiful array of cars and other memorabilia, not even atthe New York car show.