Margaritaville Casino

[Antrell Williams]

Wow that's really close to BPS.

[dimebag1980]

The hotel appears to be pretty much topped out now, and they have windows put in on floors 3-5. It looks really good from both the Shreveport side and the Bossier side. I was going to go down to the river on the north side of mouth of Cross Bayou/Red River, but as I was walking down there I noticed that the bridge over the bayou is full of homeless encampments. Due to my previous run-ins with homeless people downtown, I wasn't going to chance it so I went back to my car quietly.

Also, the road construction on the Bossier side, in and around the Boardwalk, is coming along quite nicely. Sheveport isn't really used to traffic roundabouts, but there is one that they just completed and there is another one that they haven't built yet. They have added turn lanes, widening E.Texas Street as you come into Bossier across the bridge to add a turn lane.

Taken 5 days ago:

[dimebag1980]

I was correct. The news this evening confirmed that a topping-off ceremony will be held on Wednesday. And the hotel is 20 stories, not 18 as previously stated. I knew they passed 18 stories a while back. That makes it only 2 stories short of Sam's Town and 6 stories short of Horseshoe.

[dimebag1980]

Current construction photo, taken just now from their construction cam. Movin' along! Man, I can't wait until next Summer. I don't care how many millions of people are in line to get into this place, I'm going to be one of them!!

[bigboyz05]

Cool! I can't wait for this to be completed! Will look great in the skyline!

[dimebag1980]

Here are some new photos posted on Facebook today by someone who works for Margaritaville Bossier City:

 

Aerial shots of the casino/hotel/entertainment complex

 

 

 

 

 

As you can see from the photos above, they continued the Louisiana Boardwalk seawall to what will be an entrance to the casino and restaurant area. They are going to make the transition from the Boardwalk to Margaritaville seamless... after all, it's now considered part of the Louisiana Boardwalk. And as the Boardwalk's regional manager said, there aren't many shopping centers that have a big name like Margaritaville associated with them. This should be a big help to the Boardwalk. One thing I'm excited about is that the restaurant is going to have a large volcano inside it.

 

In the next photo, you can see that they are beginning to put palm trees in place on the pool deck:

[Antrell Williams]

Can't wait to visit one day.

[richyb83]

Thanks for the updates...nice addition to an impressive riverfront!

[dimebag1980]

The view of Shreveport-Bossier from the top floor of the Margaritaville hotel.

 

[dimebag1980]

I just watched a piece about this project on the NBC 6 website. The reporter took an inside tour of the property. They say they are on schedule to open in mid-June, which I might remind you is just a couple of months away; however it's very apparent that they still have a very long way to go. But at this point, all you can do is trust in them. Roy Anderson Corp is no stranger to building large-scale projects like this, as they have worked on other casino/resort properties here and in Mississippi over the year. I hadn't driven by there in a while, so I drove by yesterday and the amount of work they still have left to do was apparent from the Bass Pro parking lot as well.

 

They showed the inside of the restaurant, where they have already suspended a plane from the ceiling and the volcano is enormous. Supposedly it's the largest volcano they've ever built in a Margaritaville property. It appears to be about 2 stories tall. And the plane thing, while pretty much a staple inside Margaritaville restaurants, made me laugh a bit because this property butts right up to the Bass Pro property, and Bass Pro also has a plane suspended from its ceiling. It kind of makes it seem like a continuation from one property to the other, which is good because otherwise they contrast probably more than they compare. While both have water-related things, Bass Pro is very "Louisiana swamp" rustic and Margaritaville is very South Florida/Caribbean tropical.

 

I'm really looking forward to this. As far as tourist attractions, I would have to say that, hands down, this is the biggest tourist attraction to ever be built here. It' more than just a casino, hotel and restaurant. The whole property combined is truly a destination, because Parrot Heads love to travel around and visit all the Margaritaville properties that they can. And I can't blame them, because Margaritaville really is freaking awesome.

[Antrell Williams]

Good post. I'll have to stop by whenever I happen to be in Shreveport again.

[dimebag1980]

So far, a very nice entertainment lineup for Margaritaville in the coming months:

 

    Jul 3 - Jimmy Buffett

    Jul 4 - Lee Greenwood

  Jul 13 - Bill Engvall

  Jul 26 - The Marshall Tucker Band

Aug 30 - Jerry Jeff Walker

Aug 24 - LeAnn Rimes

Sep 14 - Rick Springfield

Sep 27 - Travis Tritt

  Oct 5 - Eddie Money

[bigboyz05]

Shreveport/Bossier has more high rises than Little Rock right?

[Antrell Williams]

I would assume Little Rock.

[dimebag1980]

Little Rock has more, and taller, highrises.

[Antrell Williams]

Little Rock has more, and taller, highrises.

West Little Rock looks quite nice with all the elevation changes and buildings.

[dimebag1980]

West Little Rock looks quite nice with all the elevation changes and buildings.

 

Agreed. I actually quite like Little Rock. If I had to choose another smaller-midsize city similar to Shreveport to live in, it would quite likely be Little Rock. And Little Rock-North Little Rock remind me of Shreveport-Bossier in the way that they are two cities separated by a river, and one city being larger than the other. But I've long seen Little Rock as being more progressive than Shreveport. The only thing is, I work in oil and gas, so if I ever have to move away, which is always possible, it will most likely be to somewhere like Oklahoma City, Houston, Midland, or Tulsa. And three of those cities I wouldn't mind living in (hint: Midland isn't one of them). Of all those cities, I prefer Oklahoma City. I go up there pretty regularly for work as it is, and I absolutely love that city; plus, some of my favorite billionaire businessmen, including my former boss, live there.

[Antrell Williams]

Agreed. I actually quite like Little Rock. If I had to choose another smaller-midsize city similar to Shreveport to live in, it would quite likely be Little Rock. And Little Rock-North Little Rock remind me of Shreveport-Bossier in the way that they are two cities separated by a river, and one city being larger than the other. But I've long seen Little Rock as being more progressive than Shreveport. The only thing is, I work in oil and gas, so if I ever have to move away, which is always possible, it will most likely be to somewhere like Oklahoma City, Houston, Midland, or Tulsa. And three of those cities I wouldn't mind living in (hint: Midland isn't one of them). Of all those cities, I prefer Oklahoma City. I go up there pretty regularly for work as it is, and I absolutely love that city; plus, some of my favorite billionaire businessmen, including my former boss, live there.

I really like Little Rock, very fine city in a great location aesthetically.

[dimebag1980]

Starting this Saturday, the hypnosis comedy show, Hypnaughty, starts its run in its new home base. After successful runs over many years in Las Vegas, Biloxi, Mobile and New Orleans, the show is now making its home at Margaritaville Bossier City. I've been to different hypnosis comedy shows over the years, back when we had a Funny Bone Comedy Club in the area, and they can be really funny.