When will sky bar, giant Ferris wheel open at Margaritaville Biloxi? Here’s the latest.
A giant Ferris wheel and the bar in the sky could be the hottest new attractions in Biloxi by next summer, when an amusement park is on track to open at Margaritaville Resort & Family Entertainment Center.
“The structure is complete,” said Tessy Lambert, chief marketing officer for Lodging & Leisure Investments that operates Margaritaville.
The crane will be removed next week that was used to assemble the platform on which the amusement park will be built, she said. They hope to finish the other construction by March and have the amusement park open in time for summer vacation.
“The wheel will be here,” she said of the more than 20 story-high Sky View Ferris wheel that will give riders a look out over the water to the barrier islands off the coast of Biloxi.
“The sky bar will be here,” she said, after she met with the designer of the ride and chose the color.
“We’re going to name the attraction soon,” she said.
The Aerobar, built by European company Aeorophile, fits the Margaritaville theme and entices loyal Parrotheads who follow all things Jimmy Buffett to order a margarita and climb aboard.
Riders sit strapped in, facing each other in a circle with the bartender in the middle. The ride slowly rotates as it climbs 115 feet in the air — 137 feet with the two-story platform and parking garage underneath. It takes 2 minutes to go up and down and 5 minutes on the top, according to the company website.
Several other rides are planned, and Lambert said food will be available inside the park.
A ramp already was built that will allow visitors easy access from the 55,000-square-foot indoor Escape Family Entertainment Center to the new amusement park when it opens.
The platform on which the amusement park sits creates a parking garage to provide plenty of extra parking spaces.
Construction of the amusement park was delayed while financing was secured and during the coronavirus pandemic.
The first phase of construction for Lodging & Leisure was to transform the former Casino Magic that closed after Hurricane Katrina into Margaritaville Resort Biloxi. It opened in 2016 with 371 guest rooms, restaurants, bars and Escape, which has an indoor climbing wall, zip line roller coaster, simulated golf, video games and other attractions.
The amusement park is in phase 2, and Lambert said another hotel tower on the west side of the amusement park is still planned for phase 3 of construction.
The company also operates Hotel Legends and White House Hotel in Biloxi, Centennial Plaza in Gulfport and other resorts.
This story was originally published October 11, 2021 at 5:50 AM.
