VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – A biker bar in Port Orange was once the local hangout for an infamous serial killer.
That spot — dubbed the “Last Resort Bar” — is situated along South Ridgewood Avenue, and it gained renown in the 1990s after Florida serial killer Aileen Wuornos was arrested while drinking a beer there.
Wuornos made headlines after she was convicted of seven murders in the state, making her one of the most notorious female serial killers in U.S. history.
However, on Jan. 9, 1991, undercover detectives located Wuornos at the Last Resort Bar and took her into custody, an arrest affidavit shows.
According to Wesley Brewer, who works at the Last Resort, Wuornos was a regular customer there, and she sometimes even stayed the night.
“Every once in a while, not every night,” Brewer explained. “It would be two or three nights a week.”
He added that Wuornos still has mail sent to the bar — well after she was sentenced to death and executed via lethal injection in 2002 — though it’s mainly magazines and subscriptions.
While Brewer wasn’t at the bar at the time of Wuornos’ arrest, the bar’s founder — Al Bullings — was.
He said that there were undercover police drinking with Wuornos the night she was arrested, and there have been plenty of other stories that stemmed from the arrest.
“About two years ago, there was a policewoman; she was parked down the street a little bit for backup, and when she retired, she came and stayed all day long,” Brewer told News 6. “She got drunk and said, ‘I was here the night they arrested her but never came in!’”
Nowadays, guests and regulars still visit the bar clamoring for a drink, though the business has plenty of merchandise strewn about the store, including t-shirts and hot sauce.
And there’s an abundance of evidence to show Wuornos’ impact.
Guests who exit through the side-rear door will find a morbid vigil dedicated to Wuornos, including information on her aliases, birth name and the men whom she killed.
Meanwhile, the bricks along the bar’s exterior side wall are all painted with messages — many regarding the serial killer herself.
Inside the bar, there are plenty of newspaper clippings that detail Wuornos’ story following her arrest.
The bar and Bullings were even featured during the filming of the 2003 film “Monster,” which featured a retelling of the life of Wuornos (played in the film by actress Charlize Theron).
Just down the street, another infamous location connected to Wuornos still stands.
Prior to her arrest, Wuornos reportedly stayed in Room 9 at a motel called “The Fairview Inn,” located at 5964 S. Ridgewood Ave.
However, the motel has since been bought and redubbed the “Scoot Inn.”
Despite the change, Wuornos’ room (since renumbered to Room 7) is still there, and brave guests can choose to stay the night — assuming that the room isn’t already being used.
News 6 tried to get a peek inside, but a guest was already staying there, and the manager explained he wasn’t sure when it would be available for viewing again.
While The Last Resort bar sees a lot of its business during Bike Week and Biketoberfest, it remains open to customers year-round from 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. throughout the week.
For more information about the bar, you can visit its Facebook here.
Get today’s headlines in minutes with Your Florida Daily: