When I mentioned to a friend that I was looking for a family vacation destination that wasn’t too far away, she suggested Margaritaville Resort in Biloxi, Mississippi. My first thought was, isn’t that a casino? Turns out that only a couple of the many Margaritaville locations are casinos, and Margaritaville Biloxi is not one of them. In fact, it is one of the most family-friendly destinations you can visit – for kids and adults of all ages.
In addition to the 10 things you don’t want to miss, make sure you scroll to the bottom to see some of my tips, tidbits, and takeaways from our stay at Margaritaville Resort in Biloxi. There are some important things you may want to know before planning your trip.
Accommodations were provided. As always, all opinions and reviews are my own. Please see my disclosure for details.
Margaritaville Biloxi: 10 Things You Don’t Want to Miss
Escape Family Entertainment Center
The Escape Family Entertainment Center is where we spent most of our time (thanks to the rain). With 55,000 square feet of games, you will find hours of fun and entertainment for the whole family.
We purchased the Eat & Play Family Combo for $100, which gave us 4 $25 Game Cards and a $50 Food Voucher valid at any of the Margaritaville Biloxi Resort restaurants (secret tip: you are able to combine the food vouchers if you purchase more than 1 family combo). If you are able to visit during the week (which is much better because it’s not as busy), make sure to take advantage of the 1/2 price play day on Wednesdays.
We didn’t even get to half of the games in the Entertainment Center. We skipped out on many of the virtual reality games because they tend to cause motion sickness in our family. But we did watch others enjoy these and they seemed really cool. I loved that many of the games were life-sized. There was a grabber machine that was literally big enough to grab a kid.
My kids migrated to the games and activities that were of interest to them and these were some of our family favorites:
1. Boutique Bowling
The boutique bowling was my favorite part of the entire weekend. Probably because it was something that the entire family could do together. I also loved that it took about an hour for a game, so it wasn’t over super quick like most of the games.
Our family loves a good competition. My oldest tried to blast the pins. I think he was secretly trying to show us his strength. (secret tip: don’t roll the ball too hard. Accuracy will get you further than speed 😉 ). My little one taught us this lesson. He would roll the ball and it seemed to take forever for it to finally reach the pins. But it would be dead on center and he’d knock about 7-8 pins down each time.
2. 48 Foot Volcano Rock Wall
My oldest son climbed the rock wall about 5 times. No kidding. The first time, he told the attendant that he wanted to do the medium course. She harnessed him up and he scaled the wall like Spider-Man in about 60 seconds. She laughed and told him that was way too easy for him and that she was putting him on the hard course. He made that one look easy also.
After watching my oldest make it look so easy, I decided to try it for myself. Ummm, it’s not near as easy as it looks. I think I used every muscle in my body to make it half-way up the wall before deciding I was ready to come down. In my defense, I did do the medium course. Next time I think I’ll start with easy.
Even my 5 year old was able to climb the rock wall (the only requirement is a minimum of 35 pounds). He was fearless and climbed that wall better than momma.
3. Sky Trail Ropes Course
There are 2 rope courses – one for littles (ages 2-7) and one for the older kids (and adult kids). I love that there are so many games and activities that include the little ones. They usually get left out of all the fun because they are too small. But not at Margaritaville! They made sure to include lots of fun for all ages and sizes.
4. Walking Dead & Halo
My boys also loved the Walking Dead and Halo video games. Go figure. It’s a darn good thing they didn’t have Fortnite or I wouldn’t have been able to get my boys to do anything else.
They talked me in to playing Halo with them. All 4 of us were able to join the same game and be on the same team. Guess who came out the winner? Yep, yours truly was the last one standing. Beginner’s luck I guess. I was so excited that I left our game card right there on the game console and apparently it was swiped up by someone else before we realized it was missing (read my tips below to see how that ended).
Water Playground
5. 450 Foot Lazy River
This was my chill zone. I floated my way around the 450 foot lazy river several times. As long as you are used to kids laughing and playing, and maybe a little water splashed in your face, the lazy river will quickly become your happy place. You can even float up to the pool bar and take your drink along for the ride as you listen to tunes of Jimmy Buffett playing through the speakers.
6. Winding Water Slides
My youngest son had never experienced a water slide before. He’s never met the height/weight requirements. He was so excited that he finally found a water slide that he could go on – all by himself (he’s 5 years old and weighs 40 pounds)! Again, kudos to Margaritaville for including the little ones. The one on the left is a little faster (especially if you use a tube), so I recommend the right slide for the smaller children. Although, my 5 year old did both and he preferred the faster one.
7. Flip Flop Ropes Course
It was so cute to watch all the little kids cross the flip flops. Most of them would belly dive from one to the next and rise up with the most surprised look on their face that they actually made it. Of course the oldest was way too cool for this. But the middle and youngest had the best time crossing those flip flops. I don’t think I’ve ever heard so many giggles.
Restaurants at Margaritaville Biloxi
8. Doe’s Eat Place
This was by far one of the best restaurants I’ve ever eaten at. In my entire life. Seriously y’all, it was so good! The menu is a la carte and a bit pricey, but the food is definitely worth it. I had the wedge salad, a filet and twice baked potato. My only regret is not ordering the bread pudding. The kids split the crab cakes and NY strip and they all agreed that the crab cakes were the best they’ve ever had.
If you are there on a Sunday thru Thursday, I would highly recommend that you take advantage of their 4 course dinner special for $35. It is a steal of a deal for such yummy food!
9. LandShark Bar & Grill
We ate here twice and the service and food were superb both times. They have the best burgers and fish tacos around! It’s located inside of the Escape Entertainment Center so it is super convenient to grab a quick meal in between games. The first time we sat outside on the deck and the second time we sat inside. (secret tip: avoid Margaritaville Cafe – food and service left a lot to be desired).
10. Margaritaville Coffee Shop
Skip the coffee provided in the room and head to the 10th floor for a gourmet coffee from Margaritaville Coffee Shop. I’m a little bit of a coffee snob and their coffee totally lived up to my expectations. They also have lots of yummy treats to satisfy that sweet tooth.
Other Attractions You May Want To Check Out
Mermaids
Yes, you may randomly find a mermaid in the pool. We spotted one while we were there and all the little girls were flocked around her. However, my boys wanted no part of pictures with the pretty mermaid. If you have little girls, you will definitely want to add this to your must-dos.
Ship Island
Take a 1 hour ferry ride to Mississippi’s best beach and spend the day dolphin watching, snorkeling, swimming or hiking. The ferry leaves directly from Margaritaville Biloxi. We didn’t make the time to do Ship Island on this trip because we’ve done it before. We’ve never been to Margaritaville Biloxi before so we wanted to take advantage of all of our time there.
Tips, Tidbits & Takeaways
You Never Have to Leave the Resort
My favorite part of the entire experience was never having to leave the resort. No buckling and unbuckling kids in car seats. Or figuring out where to go eat. No spending unnecessary money in souvenir shops and coming home with a dreaded hermit crab that dies a week later (can I get an amen!). And no screaming fits because everyone wants to go somewhere different.
The Elevators
Be prepared to wait for the elevators – especially if you visit on a busy weekend. In a 23 story, 371 guest room hotel, I’m wondering who in the world thought 4 elevators would be enough?! We waited at least 10 minutes for each elevator ride. Then stopped on what seemed like every floor once we got on. At checkout time on Sunday, there was actually a line of people down the hallway for the elevator. We decided to take the stairs down 10 flights and still beat everyone down.
In preparing for this, I would recommend making sure you have everything you need for the day before leaving your room. Also, try to pick times that aren’t as busy when coming and going. We would leave our room about 30 minutes before the pool opened in the morning to beat the elevator crowds.
Housekeeping
Housekeeping never serviced our room on the Saturday we were there. We were away from the room the entire day. Around 4 pm, we returned to the room to get ready for dinner and housekeeping had never come in. We saw them on our floor when we were leaving out that morning so we knew they were there. After calling the front desk, we were told they would send someone up. We went down for dinner and returned about 3 hours later and housekeeping still hadn’t come by. We called once again and someone finally came up. At that point all we wanted was some clean towels to take showers.
Customer Service
Other than the housekeeping incident, the customer service was great! Everyone was very friendly and attentive. You could spot a hotel employee anywhere you looked at anytime, so there was always assistance available if needed.
Rooms & Amenities
With 5 room types & 2 suite types, you are sure to find one that fits your needs and family size. We stayed in a Standard Queen Room with a Balcony and a view of the Gulf. There was a mini fridge, coffee pot, iron, and blow dryer in the room, but no microwave (I always want to know these things). Their bathroom amenities were spa-like, which was a nice treat for this momma to all boys.
Register your Game Card
Remember when I said I lost accidentally left our game card and it was swiped up by someone else? Luckily my husband was smart enough to register our cards. When we realized I had left the card and it had been taken, he went to the counter and they were able to void the old one and issue a new card with all of our credits. The person that found our card had a little fun before we realized, but the employee graciously issued back all of our credits. (secret tip: the credits on your cards never expire once you register them – we have credits left over that we will be able to use next time we go).
Specials & Events
Be sure to check out the resort specials before you book. They have many great discounts and special rates. For instance, if you are military, fire, police or paramedic, you can get a 20% Hero’s Discount resort wide. This includes rooms, dining, beverages, and retail outlets!
You will also want to check out the event calendar before booking your stay. There is always something fun going on at Margaritaville Biloxi!
If you’d like to see a video of all of our family fun, head over to my Instagram Story for lots of excitement!
Ready to enjoy good food and drinks, lots of music and entertainment, and all the fun that your heart desires? Your adventure in paradise is awaiting. Go ahead and book your stay at Margaritaville Resort. Your family will thank you (and you’ll thank me 😉 )!
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