Margaritaville Resort Orange Beach Details Fins Up! Water Park With Lazy River, Slides

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. — The Margaritaville Resort Orange Beach taking shape at The Wharf will feature a Fins Up! Water Park with a 900-foot lazy river, a 40-foot waterslide tower and a swim-up bar, according to details released by the developers as construction continues on the more than $350 million project along the Intracoastal Waterway.

The water park and the first phase of waterfront amenities are expected to welcome guests in late 2027, with the full resort scheduled for completion in 2029. Residences, including condominiums priced from the mid-$500,000s, are already on the market.

A $350 million resort on more than 80 acres

The multi-phase Margaritaville resort represents more than $350 million in private investment spread across more than 80 acres on the Alabama Intracoastal Waterway in Orange Beach. Developers and city leaders officially broke ground on the project on May 14, 2025, and construction has been underway since.

The resort is built around the Margaritaville brand, the lifestyle and hospitality company that grew out of the music and island-inspired persona of the late singer-songwriter Jimmy Buffett. Buffett, who was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and grew up in Mobile, had deep roots along the north-central Gulf Coast, and the brand’s arrival in Orange Beach brings that laid-back, beach-town identity to the region where he was raised.

Buffett, who died in 2023, turned his 1977 hit “Margaritaville” into far more than a song. What began as a single restaurant and store in Key West, Florida, grew over the decades into a hospitality brand with restaurants, hotels, resorts and residential communities across the country and beyond. The Orange Beach resort arrives in a part of the country where Buffett’s music has always had an especially loyal following.

The centerpiece of the project’s recreation area is the Fins Up! Water Park, a multi-acre amenity deck designed to blend high-energy family activities with relaxed waterfront lounging. The name borrows from “fins up,” the familiar phrase and hand gesture shared among Buffett fans, who have long called themselves Parrotheads.

Inside the Fins Up! Water Park

According to the project details, the water park and surrounding amenity deck will include a wide range of attractions for guests of all ages:

• 900-foot lazy river: A winding, turquoise lazy river will carry guests on a slow float through the tropical landscaping of the resort grounds.
• 40-foot waterslide tower: High-speed slides will offer quick drops and thrills for adventurous swimmers.
• Oasis pools and swim-up bar: Multiple pools will be spread across the deck, including an adults-only Serenity Pool with its own swim-up bar.
• Kids’ splash zone and wade pool: A dedicated play area and wading pool for young children will feature a custom mini fishing boat named the “Little Work of Art,” along with an indoor kids’ zone.
• Cabanas and recreation: Private shaded cabanas, walking paths, pickleball courts and poolside entertainment will surround the water features.

The indoor kids’ zone may prove especially useful on the Gulf Coast, where afternoon thunderstorms and intense summer heat can interrupt pool time. Having an indoor option on site gives families a place to keep children entertained when the weather does not cooperate, without leaving the resort.

The mix is designed to appeal to families with young children, teenagers looking for something more exciting, and adults seeking a quieter place to relax. Separating the adult Serenity Pool from the splash zone and slides follows a layout common at large resort pool complexes, where different areas cater to different moods and age groups.

Day passes for locals and visitors

One detail likely to interest Baldwin County residents is that the water park will not be limited to overnight guests. Depending on seasonal capacity and how busy the resort is, day passes to Fins Up! Water Park will be offered to non-resort guests and locals.

Because availability will depend on resort volume, day passes may be easier to come by during slower periods than during the peak summer beach season, when Orange Beach and neighboring Gulf Shores draw their largest crowds. Pricing and booking details for day passes have not yet been announced.

Ferry, marina and dining connect the resort to The Wharf

Beyond the pools and slides, the resort is designed to tie directly into The Wharf, the established waterfront entertainment district across the Intracoastal Waterway known for its shops, restaurants, marina and outdoor concert venue. Planned connections include:

• Inter-resort ferry: A private ferry will cross the Intracoastal Waterway every 30 minutes, taking guests straight to shopping, dining and concerts at The Wharf without the need to drive or park.
• Transient marina: Boaters arriving by water will be able to use a 43-slip transient marina located steps from the resort’s waterfront hub.
• Seven food and beverage outlets: On-site options will include Frankie & Lola’s Pizza, Nautical Wheeler, the waterfront 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar and the Last Mango Bar & Chill in Marlin Circle.

Several of the venue names nod to Buffett’s catalog and the Margaritaville brand’s playful style. The 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar, for example, takes its name from the phrase popularized by “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” the hit Buffett recorded with country star Alan Jackson.

A transient marina serves boaters who are visiting rather than keeping a vessel there long term. With the Intracoastal Waterway carrying recreational boat traffic between Mobile Bay, Perdido Bay and Florida, the slips give cruisers and local boaters a way to tie up and spend time at the resort.

The ferry is also notable for traffic. Orange Beach’s main roads, especially Alabama Highway 161 and Perdido Beach Boulevard, can become congested during the summer. A frequent water shuttle between the resort and The Wharf could help some visitors get to concerts and restaurants without adding to the roadway crowds.

Residences now on sale

For buyers hoping to own a piece of the resort, sales for Margaritaville residences have opened. The first offering includes the One Particular Harbour condominiums, with prices starting in the mid-$500,000s. The building’s name echoes “One Particular Harbour,” one of Buffett’s best-known songs. Cottage sales are expected to open soon. Interested buyers can contact the resort’s sales team for floor plans, pricing and availability.

Resort residences of this type are commonly marketed both to people seeking a second home on the coast and to owners interested in renting their units when they are not using them. Prospective buyers should review the specific ownership terms, homeowners association rules, rental policies and insurance requirements tied to any coastal property before making a purchase decision, particularly in a region where wind and flood coverage can be a significant cost.

Why the project matters to Orange Beach

Tourism is the backbone of the economy in Orange Beach and the rest of coastal Baldwin County. Each year, millions of visitors come to Alabama’s beaches, supporting jobs in hotels, restaurants, retail shops, charter fishing and attractions. Large resort projects like the Margaritaville development add lodging capacity and new attractions that can draw visitors outside the traditional summer season.

The project’s scale is significant. More than $350 million in private investment across more than 80 acres makes it one of the larger developments on the Alabama Gulf Coast in recent years. Construction work brings jobs in the near term, and once open, the resort’s restaurants, water park, marina and lodging will require ongoing staff.

Orange Beach sits at the eastern end of Alabama’s coastline, between Gulf Shores and the Florida line at Perdido Key. Over the past few decades, the city has grown from a small fishing community into one of the state’s busiest vacation destinations, known for its white-sand beaches, charter fishing fleet, back bays and waterfront dining. Much of that growth has come in the form of high-rise condominiums along the Gulf, and the Margaritaville project adds a large resort-style destination along the Intracoastal Waterway.

By positioning the resort directly across the water from The Wharf and linking the two with a ferry, developers are also building on an entertainment district that already draws large crowds for concerts, festivals and holiday events.

Timeline: what to expect and when

The project is being built in phases. Here is the timeline outlined so far:

• May 14, 2025: Developers and city leaders held the official groundbreaking.
• Now: Construction is underway, and residence sales, including One Particular Harbour condominiums, are open.
• Soon: Cottage sales are expected to open.
• Late 2027: Fins Up! Water Park and Phase 1 waterfront amenities are anticipated to welcome their first guests.
• 2029: The full resort is expected to be complete.

As with any large construction project, dates can shift based on weather, materials, permitting and other factors. Hurricane season, which runs from June 1 through Nov. 30 each year, can also affect construction schedules along the Gulf Coast.

For now, the details offer a clearer picture of what visitors and residents can expect when the resort’s first phase opens. For families planning future beach trips and locals looking for a new place to cool off, the Fins Up! Water Park is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated additions to the Orange Beach waterfront in years.