Jimmy Buffett’s latest Margaritaville opens in Atlantic City on Friday, just in time for Memorial Day weekend.

The $35 million project, inspired by the lyrics and lifestyle of Buffett’s ode to beach bums, will include a Margaritaville restaurant, Five o’Clock Somewhere bar, themed gaming area, two retail stores and a coffee shop, all on the property’s land side of the Boardwalk. On the other side of the Boardwalk, the LandShark Bar & Grill will be situated on 200 feet of beach frontage at the site of the old Steeplechase Pier. It will be the only year-round, full-service bar and restaurant on the beach.

Over on the casino side, visitors won’t be able to miss the 14,000-square-foot Margaritaville restaurant. The eatery, with room for nearly 450 diners, will feature a giant blender at the entrance as well as a stage for nightly entertainment, a tiki bar and a seasonal exterior deck. The tropical décor will also include “sand on the ground, floors painted to look like water and replicas of seagulls flying around,” Tamara Baldanza, director of new business for Margaritaville, says.

In a nod to Atlantic City history, she adds, “surfing artifacts also will be sprinkled throughout the restaurant. Whenever we come into a community or a city, we like to incorporate the local culture.” Just around the corner from the restaurant will be the Margaritaville-themed gaming area offering 160 slot machines. The Five o’Clock Somewhere bar will be adjacent to the brand’s themed table games and will feature “flair bartenders” such as those in the Tom Cruise movie “Cocktail,” he says. “It’s a beautiful center bar on the casino floor,” he adds. “It’s going to be a really fun place.” Which is what Margaritaville is all about. “We’re excited about being part of the Atlantic City community,” Baldanza says. “We are honored to be moving into the neighborhood.”

The Chicago Tribute reports that Jimmy Buffett was in Chicago on Tuesday night taking in the 7:30 showing of the musical “Big Fish.”

One of the producers of the musical “Big Fish” is none other than Mr. Fins himself, singer Jimmy Buffett. And he’s catching the show tonight (Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.) at the Oriental Theatre in the Loop, where it’s having its pre-Broadway premiere production.

Buffet will be sitting in the audience with fellow producer Frank Marshall, the Hollywood producer, according to a show representative, and then head backstage after the curtain.

The “Big Fish” pre-Broadway engagement continues in Chicago through May 5th.

A tropical escape will now be as close as the Jersey Shore when the Margaritaville complex opens its doors May 24, 2013 at Resorts Casino Hotel in Atlantic City. The new addition features a Margaritaville restaurant, LandShark Bar & Grill, Margaritaville themed casino, Five O’clock Somewhere bar, retail store, and coffee shop. Inspired by the lyrics and lifestyle of Jimmy Buffett, Margaritaville will transport guests to the island destination of their memories or dreams. Visitors strolling along the legendary Atlantic City Boardwalk will literally walk through the laid-back, island-inspired, fun Margaritaville experience with the restaurant and casino on the landside of the Boardwalk and LandShark Bar & Grill directly on the beach.

The Margaritaville Restaurant is just over 14,000 sq. ft. and is expected to seat 448 guests. It will feature a stage for nightly live entertainment, a tiki bar and Buffett-inspired accent pieces throughout including a giant blender at the restaurant’s entrance. A seasonal exterior deck on the Boardwalk will allow guests to enjoy alfresco dining or a drink topped off with a gentle ocean breeze. Local residents and visitors looking for a cool, casual place to have a good time as well as devoted Parrot Heads “looking for their lost shaker of salt,” will all find what they are looking for and much more. Directly next door, the Margaritaville Retail Store gives visitors the opportunity to extend their visit by taking the music, fashion, and flavors of Margaritaville home.

Ideally sited on 200 feet of prime beach frontage at the site of the Old Steeplechase Pier, LandShark Bar & Grill will bring its guests to the edge of the Atlantic Ocean. The 8,000 sq. ft. Bar & Grill will seat approximately 370 guests and will be the only year-round full-service bar and restaurant on the sand side of the Boardwalk. Inspired by the great “beach joints” that once dotted the Atlantic Coast, LandShark Bar & Grill will feature retractable walls to provide spectacular views of the ocean and place guests in the center of the action on the beach and Boardwalk. Inside, guests will find daily entertainment in a setting of surfing artifacts to honor the great Atlantic City surfing tradition. Further connecting its guests to the fun on the sand, Resorts Casino Hotel will provide beach chair and umbrella service on the beach adjacent to LandShark Bar & Grill.

Beyond the LandShark Bar & Grill and restaurant, Margaritaville will occupy over 17,400 square feet within the Resorts Casino Hotel complex. In addition to the restaurants there will be a 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar with eye-catching flair bartenders and cool concoctions, Margaritaville’s first-ever coffee shop, and a casino area that will include 12 Margaritaville-themed table games and 160 slot machines will become new additions to the property.

“It is certainly no surprise to me that a huge flock of Parrotheads reside on the Jersey Shore,” said Jimmy Buffett, “I am very grateful for the years of support from some of our most die-hard fans in the country. Atlantic City is a historic beach town and I am very happy to be a part of helping it find its place again as a beach vacation destination. I’ll see you on the Shore.”

Jimmy Buffett is back in the musical game. Margaritaville.com announced today that he’s producing Big Fish, the musical adaptation of the 2003 film.

Big Fish is a rollicking fantasy set in the American South. Directed by 5-time Tony Award winner Susan Stroman (The Producers), the story centers on the charismatic Edward Bloom (whose impossible stories of his epic adventures frustrate his son Will). As Edward’s final chapter approaches, Will embarks on his own journey to find out who his father really is, revealing the man behind the myth, the truth from the tall tales.

Big Fish’s World Premiere Pre-Broadway Engagement is in Chicago at the Oriental Theatre from April 2nd to May 5th, then it lands in New York City on Broadway starting September 5th! Tickets and more information can be found at BigFishTheMusical.com.

This won’t be Buffett’s first foray into musicals. He adapted Herman Wouk’s novel “Don’t Stop the Carnival” for a musical in the late 90′s, but it only ran briefly in Miami and Atlantis Paradise Island in the Bahamas.

Jimmy Buffett was in St. Thomas on Friday to unveil plans for the first Margaritaville Vacation Club.

Buffett is partnering with Wyndham to open the 262-unit resort, located at the former Renaissance Grand Beach Resort in Smith Bay on St. Thomas.

The hotel property has been abandoned for years, and Wyndham plans to invest $90 million to transform it into the flagship Margaritaville Vacation Club by Wyndham property.

Friday’s reception took place at Penga, the Point Pleasant Resort restaurant that overlooks the site of the new Margaritaville resort.

Kicking off his flip-flops, Buffett picked up his guitar and sang three songs – “Boat Drinks,” which he said was inspired by a trip to St. Thomas; “Volcano”; and, of course, “Margaritaville” – to the small crowd as the sun began to set over Water Bay.

Buffett came to St. Thomas on his first sailboat in 1972, a boat he bought with the money he made from his first album. He lived on his boat at the old Sheraton Marina off and on for about a year, playing gigs in the area and making friends.

When the opportunity to bring his Margaritaville brand to the Virgin Islands arose, Buffet said, he jumped at the chance, seeing it as a perfect fit.

Buffett said the brand is about a lifestyle, and a way to connect with his fans – also known as “parrot heads.”

“We sell escapism,” he said. “They’ve been escaping through our music for so long, this is a real place on the beach, Margaritaville. It’s about appealing to the people who’ve been fans for so long.”

Buffett said he plans to buy the first four timeshare units at the resort so his musicians and crew can rotate through. Music will be a big part of the resort, with live acts playing regularly – maybe even Buffett himself.

Buffett currently lives on St. Barths and pilots his own seaplane, which he said would be very easy to land in Water Bay.

“You never know when I’m going to show up,” Buffett said, referring to the future resort.

Construction on the resort will begin in July. The first phase – which includes the main administration buildings, restaurant, common areas and the units by the pool – will take about 18 months to complete.

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New Margaritaville properties are sprouting up everywhere! Two weeks ago came the announcement of a Margaritaville resort in St. Thomas. The day before that, a Margaritaville restaurant opened in Cincinnati. Another restaurant looks to be in the works in the Pigeon Forge area, and now a Margaritaville Casino and restaurant in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Officials with the River Spirit Casino in Tulsa announced plans to build a 500-room hotel tower Monday, which they claim would bring Tulsa around 800 new permanent jobs and its construction nearly 2,000 more.

The casino’s expansion will feature a 22-story Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Casino and Restaurant, complete with its own spa, convention and meeting center and a handful of restaurants.

The facility will also hold some 750 electronic gaming devices and 20 table games within its projected 45,000 square feet of new gaming space, according to the casino.

Officials say the groundbreaking will begin in the fall, with plans to open the $250 million-facility by early 2015.

A press conference will be held at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday at the River Spirit Event Center to officially announce the project.