ORANGE BEACH — Art Favre, owner of The Wharf in Orange Beach, had a connection with Jimmy Buffett that went "way back" to when they both lived on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and their mothers were friends.

Now, a 70-acre property located across the Intracoastal Waterway from The Wharf is under construction for the upcoming Margaritaville Resort in Orange Beach, which Favre said he thinks will be something Buffett "would've been proud of." He said this location will create a "visual context" for the lifestyle portrayed in Buffett's music.

"When you're here, you're going to understand what Jimmy was thinking about when he wrote a lot of his songs," Favre said. "… A lot of his songs and the lyrics of it were inspired by his time that he spent on the Alabama Gulf Coast."

As previously reported by GCM, construction of the first phase for Margaritaville, which was marked with a groundbreaking ceremony May 14, has an expected completion date of spring 2027 with the full resort expected to be complete by 2029.

"This is an exciting moment in time, the beginning of something very, very special for Orange Beach, Alabama and the whole Alabama Gulf Coast," said Favre. "I promise you that when this project is finished there will be nothing on the northern Gulf Coast that can beat this. It's going to be one-of-a-kind."

He said this site, known as The Wharf Landing, will "become an amazing extension" of The Wharf. Favre said the location will provide "something for everybody," including locals and people from "all over the country."

Lee Sentell, director of the tourism department for Alabama, also spoke at the event on the developments in Baldwin County, which he called "an amazing county," and how he has watched the area's growth since he started his job in 2003.

"There may be 67 counties in Alabama, but no place has the vision, has the guts and — sometimes, I think — the money that Baldwin County does," Sentell said. "… It's been fun to watch what is happening in Baldwin County."

As previously reported by GCM, Margaritaville Resort will have three districts, including Village, Amenity and Waterfront. Construction of the latter two is expected to wrap in 2027 with construction of the residential Village District set to being right after those are completed.

The Village district is set to contain 300-350 units with sales opening sometime in 2025 for the single-family resort cottages, luxury waterfront condominiums and hotel-style resort units. The Waterfront district will have a lazy river, pools, kid play structures and a swim-up bar. The Amenity district will have retail stores for Margaritaville merch and more, a group meeting space and transient boat parking. Guests will be able to ferry to and from The Wharf.

"It's not going to compete with The Wharf. It's just going to help accent all the positives of The Wharf," Favre was previously quoted saying. "It's going to create a lot more opportunities for people to come stay longer, relax, enjoy themselves and really take in the great sights, sounds and beauty of the northern Gulf Coast."

This story was updated May 20, 2025.