Photos: After years of controversy, downtown's Margaritaville debuts

Parrotheads of the world, like tourists hungry for a recognizable brand, now have their own slice of paradise near the southern fringes of downtown Atlanta’s preeminent greenspace.

With years of controversy and pushback from historic preservationists behind it, Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Atlanta restaurant opened this month with two stories of seating overlooking the city’s main tourism district. It’s the retail anchor of the 22-story, dual-branded Margaritaville and Club Wyndham resort tower, which is set to debut sometime this summer, officials told Urbanize Atlanta last year.

Another (parrot) feather in the cap of the Centennial Olympic Park area’s tourist destinations, downtown’s Margaritaville features live music, food inspired by islands in general, and an airplane suspended from the ceiling. Options for wasting away again include the Tiki Bar, License To Chill Bar, and 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar. Project officials have previously said the restaurant portion spans more than 14,000 square feet.

Margaritaville neighbors the SkyView Atlanta Ferris wheel, with marquee tourist attractions including Georgia Aquarium, CNN Center, World of Coca-Cola, and the College Football Hall of Fame within a few minutes’ walk.

Before the Wyndham Destinations and Margaritaville Vacation Club project could break ground in 2020, historic preservationists, a handful of city leaders, and thousands of Atlanta petitioners rallied against construction to save a small, century-old structure at 152 Nassau Street, where country music’s first hit song is widely believed to have been cut in a former recording studio.

A legal saga to save “the birthplace of country music” began in 2017, lasted two years, and eventually became national news (Rolling Stone covered it in 2019). Ultimately, however, the two-story structure and a neighboring surface parking lot were removed in 2020, clearing the site for the high-rise concept developers have said will be filled with timeshare units. 

As spotlighted on these pages last year, the Jimmy Buffett-inspired options, not surprisingly, lean more Key West and Cheeseburger in Paradise, while the Club Wyndham suites will be more contemporary and restrained.

The building was designed by Columbia, South Carolina-based Garvin Design Group to “literally [mirror] the energy of the city,” with its glass façade aimed at nearby landmarks. It's also meant to inspire the feeling of being on vacation—helped by the 19th-floor owners’ amenity level with outdoor yoga, a fitness center, stainless steel pool, vegetated green wall, and pool bar.

At last check, a grand opening for the 200-suite building is expected to take place sometime this summer. The resort will offer a range of room sizes, from studios to three-bedroom presidential suites. Reps have said that details regarding options for owning, renting, or simply staying at the property—and estimated prices for doing so—will be released closer to the opening.

For now, cruise up to the gallery for a look at how the building’s first open component has changed a downtown block.

• Recent downtown news, discussion (Urbanize Atlanta)