Vacations Blog

Swirling Hurricane at Margaritaville

You don’t have to be a Jimmy Buffett fan to be captured by the zaniness of Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville in Myrtle Beach, SC.  Personally, I’ve never been a fan of Jimmy’s pseudo-tropical, off kilter tunes but I forgot all that as I nibbled jerk salmon and conch fritters.  The sprawling, two-story restaurant anchors the popular Broadway on the Beach shopping  district and tops the list for Myrtle Beach  family friendly activities.  Jimmy Buffett fans are called Parrot Heads and the first thing you’ll see are tons of people roaming around in balloon parrot hats. You’d think this was a draw for the kids but you’ll spot more adults wearing them.  The other spectacle that greets you is a swirling hurricane, complete with sound effects and weather forecasts.

Even with reservations, waits can climb to two hours, which can be whiled away at the shops on Broadway at the Beach or at the kitchy  Margartitaville souvenir store.  Filled with tongue-in-cheek references to Buffett’s famous “Margaritaville” song, you can scoop up t-shirts  emblazoned with “Blew my Flip Flop Stepping on a Pop Top,”  signs announcing “Parrothead Parkway” and key chains jingling the elusive shaker of salt.  Touch the mermaid ship mast on the way to your seat and the fun begins.  The menu focuses on tropical dishes like mahi mai, peel and eat shrimp and the jerk salmon but there’s also the cheeeburger in paradise and macaroni and cheese for kids.  But the food isn’t really the point. It’s the party atmosphere that draws the crowds.  Live bands perform pop classic that streams from a stage, reggae videos flash from a screen and a local meteorologist supplies periodic  ”hurricane party warnings.”   The  Margaritaville  highlight unfolds when the video for “Margaritaville”  plays.  Apparently, the song boasts rituals and accompaniments along the same lines as Rocky Horror Picture Show.  Women stand and wave during the “woman to blame” verse and the chorus of “searching for my lost shaker of salt” triggers deafening screams of  salt! salt! salt!  An excursion at Margaritaville is sure to leave you and the kids happily worn out.  Fortunately,  nearby hotels like  the Holiday Inn Express and Dunes Village Resort  ensure that rest is just a short drive away.

A tongue-in-cheek sign on sale

Photos by Rosalind Cummings-Yeates