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In the 1970s, an aspiring country music singer named Jimmy Buffett opted to shift his attention to the Beach Bum Crowd that would ultimately comprise a solid chunk of the massive legion of loyal Parrotheads who’ve found themselves enchanted by the laidback vibes woven into the DNA of his music.
Buffett managed to rack up plenty of hits with songs like “Cheeseburger in Paradise” and “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere,” but I think it’s safe to assume most people primarily associated him with “Margaritaville,” which served as the inspiration for the restaurant, resort, and casino empire the track lends its name to.
In 1985, the first of the outposts that are officially known as “Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville” opened up in (where else?) Key West, and as things currently stand, there are a grand total of 21 locations inside the United States (as well as one across the Canadian border in Niagara Falls)—all of which were patronized by a couple of guys who recently embarked on a 24-day road trip to visit them all.
The journey was chronicled by YouTuber Eddy Burback, who linked back up with his friend Teddy a year after the two of them successfully visited every single Rainforest Cafe in the country.
The duo started in Hollywood before making their way east to kick off an almost month-long adventure that featured everything you’d probably expect to encounter when you embark on a road trip to visit every Margaritaville location in North America: oversized alcohol-related kitsch, fairly generic food ranging from “pretty good” to “inedible, ” a steady stream of gastrointestinal issues, and the occasional intrusive homicidal thought.
While it seemed like the Florida leg of the trip was a particularly invigorating one, Eddy hit a bit of a wall by the time they arrived in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee to patronize the Margaritaville near Dollywood but managed to rally by adopting the WWJD (What Would Jimmy Do?) Mentality and powering through.
Based on the unofficial reviews, it appears the Margaritaville in Tulsa, Oklahoma boasted the best food (although the employees at the one in Atlanta got a special shoutout for their stellar customer service), while the location in Syracuse seemed to leave the most to be desired.
Well done, gentlemen. Well done.