The Margaritaville brand will try for a third time to establish itself in Biloxi, Mississippi. The family friendly Margaritaville Resort Biloxi will open in late spring—without a casino–in the former Casino Magic Hotel, said Cono Caranna of Barrington Development. He noted the resort will create 600 new jobs.
In 2007 entertainer Jimmy Buffett and Harrah’s planned a $700 million casino resort, which fell victim to the recession. In 2012 a smaller Margaritaville Casino opened but filed for bankruptcy two years later.
The latest development will offer 373 guest rooms, including 83 suites. A 50,000 square foot family playground will feature the Cloud Coaster, the first indoor zip-line roller coaster, plus a four-story volcano rock-climbing wall that rises to into the Margaritaville Restaurant, plus ropes courses for adults and children, golf simulators, boutique bowling and hundreds of arcade games. A pool, 450-foot lazy river and two water slides also will be offered.
Other dining options will include the James Beard Award-winning Doe’s Eat Place, Sweet Shack Ice Cream Shop, LandShark Bar & Grill and 5 o’clock Somewhere Bar and the Lost Key Bar. The facility also will include a fitness center, meeting space, retail and three private party rooms.
Will the casino open again? It’s a possibility. Longtime Gulf Coast gaming exec Joe Joe Farruggio is the property’s COO.
