It’s Now 5 O’Clock Somewhere in Biloxi’s Margaritaville

Jimmy Buffett Returns to Gulf Coast With Bar, Restaurant and Casino on The Back Bay

Jimmy Buffett has made another Pascagoula Run.

Except this time, he stopped in Biloxi.

The Gulf Coast native has opened the Margaritaville Casino and Restaurant Biloxi – grand opening is Tuesday, May 22 – proving that yes, you can go home again (wonder of cousin Baxter will be there for the opening?).

It’s on the eastern tip of Biloxi’s Back Bay and it features gaming tables, restaurants, bars (of course), and an entertainment venue seating 700-900 people with local, regional and national bands. Music will be a big part of Margaritaville with bands playing evenings inside the restaurant and at the marina.

The decor has palm trees, fishing boats and an erupting volcano – this sounds similar to the one in Vegas, in which a mermaid slides down a “volcano” into a pitcher of “margaritas” – and a 30-foot glass wall that provides a view of the Biloxi Bay Bridge that spans the Back Bay.

There is also a Feeding Frenzy buffet that is quite reasonably priced ($5,99 for breakfast, $8,99 for lunch and $10.99 for dinner, except Saturdays when it goes up to $13.90). It serves until 2 a.m.

Outside, mulit-level dining decks look out over a marina – The Margaritaville Marina, a good place to toss out the anchor – with food and a bar.  There’s also dancing at the marina bar, which is not too hard to envision if this Margartiavaille serves up The Perfect Margarita as they do in Vegas.  A few of those and it’s easy to wind up southeast of disorder.

“Biloxi has been on my songline for a long, long time,” Buffett said. “I made my professional singing debut here back in the late 60’s, when I used to drive my Ford Falcon ‘down around Biloxi’ from the school in Hattiesburg, to play weekends at Trader Jons.

“Before that, I spent many a weekend, as a child of the Gulf Coast, with my family at the Sun ‘n Sand. I have been fortunate to do many things in my career, but coming full circle to Biloxi with Margaritaville, surely is one of the highlights.

“It is not only fun, to be coming home and bringing our brand of fun to the Mississippi Gulf Coast.”  “It is also very gratifying to be able to provide nearly 1,000 new jobs for Mississippians these days. I would just like to personally thank everyone who has had a hand in this adventure, so, let’s let the fin begin.”

Well fins up to that, Jimmy, especially the part about the jobs.