by This article was first published by the Sun Herald. Read more here.
Jimmy Buffett’s last words to his sister Lucy Buffett were “Have fun,” and the empire he built continues to build on that message and brand a year after his passing, with the announcement of a Margaritaville resort coming to The Wharf in Orange Beach, Alabama.
Buffett, born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, died in September 2023. In addition to his legacy as a singer, songwriter and best-selling author, he owned casinos, resorts, restaurants, entertainment venues, a campground, a retirement community and a cruise line.
The groundbreaking ceremony for this new Margaritaville Orange Beach will take place in the fall.
The first phase is expected to open in spring 2027, with the entire resort expected to be completed by 2029. The Orange Beach resort “will combine the laid-back island lifestyle of Margaritaville with the vibrant entertainment, shopping and dining offered at The Wharf,” the company’s website states.
This new resort, located along the banks of the Intracoastal Waterway, will feature Margaritaville’s signature bars, restaurants and entertainment, some of which are also located at Margaritaville Resort Biloxi.
In addition to hotel rooms, the Orange Beach resort will offer single-family cottages and luxury waterfront condos.
“Guests will be able to board the ferry to The Wharf to enjoy a concert at the amphitheater, shop, dine, ride the Ferris wheel or watch the nightly laser light show along Main Street,” according to a press release from The Wharf.
Like the Margaritaville Resort Biloxi, the Orange Beach resort will have a lazy river, swimming pool and other water features.
Margaritaville Opens in Tennessee
Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, is a popular vacation spot for families from the Mississippi coast and New Orleans, near Dollywood and the Smoky Mountains. A new Margaritaville resort opening there will be both family-friendly and luxurious.
It promises custom bedding, modern coastal decor, multiple pools with slides and splash pads, a lazy river and a free breakfast buffet.
The company owns 40 lodging properties and 20 more are under construction to perpetuate Buffett’s laid-back lifestyle.
Margaritaville also expanded the tropical vacation vibe by opening the first ski resort at Lake Tahoe in California and building the Margaritaville Hotel Pocono Mountains, featuring a wilderness garden, luxury RV sites and cabins, pickleball courts, a kids’ club, a dog park and a snow tubing hill.
