waste away on the island

New $250M Margaritaville Resort set to break ground in Galveston

Margaritaville is coming to Galveston island.

Rendering courtesy of Gensler

Attention Galveston Parrot Heads: a Margaritaville Resort is coming to the island.

The new, 334-room resort, will be located at 317 East Beach Dr. and will occupy 300,000 square feet, marking one of the largest developments in eastern Galveston. This new, $250 million project is the brainchild of RREAF Holdings LLC, a private real estate development firm, and Innisfree Hotels, a beachfront hotel and resort operator.

Plans call for myriad amenities, including pickleball courts, a family entertainment center, a lazy river along with an adult pool, and all the requisite, signature food and beverage offerings that have made the destination a favorite of families and Jimmy Buffett devotees and his no-shoes, beach lovin', pirate vibe.

Kids — and big kids — can look forward to a 2.5-acre elevated water park overlooking the beach. Dining and entertainment comes via four restaurants and a ballroom, perfect for weddings, reunions, parties, and coastal conventions. As this is a beachside resort, an easy trip to the sand and water is key.

Representatives of RREAF Holdings also confirm to CultureMap that the resort will offer for-sale beachside cottages — sure to draw vacation home buyers, rental investors, and more — as reported by Houston Business Journal.

Margaritaville Galveston rendering Boasting some 300,000 square feet, the new Margaritaville will be one of the biggest developments in East Galveston.Rendering courtesy of Galveston

“The Galveston market has exponential growth opportunities stimulated by its economy and the evolution of people moving to Texas in the past two years,” said Kip Sowden, CEO of RREAF Holdings, in an announcement. “We are honored to work with such distinguished companies as Innisfree Hotels and Margaritaville. With best-in-class management and highly amenitized options for our customers, we are offering a premier experience in a well-positioned hospitality asset for a fruitful future.”

With a new Galveston outpost, Margaritaville fans and loyalists (Parrot Heads) can now choose from the lakeside location in Conroe or the beachside island retreat.

A new Margaritaville also means expanded options for Galveston tourists and visitors among Tilman Fertitta’s San Luis Resort, the newly renovated Hotel Galvez, the just-opened new Hotel Lucine, and other hospitality.

Current plans call for the project to break ground in early 2024 as RREAF Holdings has now secured the necessary City of Galveston approvals, per press materials.

Already dotting beaches and coasts along the U.S., Mexico, and even the Dominican Republic, Margaritaville is aggressively expanding with beach resort (such as South Padre Island in Texas), and all-inclusive resorts in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Honduras.

Could Buffett — a self-dubbed "Pirate" who refused to adult and made beaches, boats, sandals, beers and margs, and day drinking — he coined the phrase "It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere," after all — envisioned a hotel and resort empire inspired by his songs?

Jimmy Buffett dogs Ken Hoffman Buffett (with his beloved dogs just days before he passed away) spent some quality time with our columnist. Jimmy Buffett/Facebook

Perhaps. Regardless, it's easy to imagine that the pirate — who passed away just last year and spent some quality time with CultureMap columnist Ken Hoffman — is raising a glass somewhere.

REVIVING THE ALAMO

Texas landmark the Alamo reclaims historic cannon from private ownership

Photo by Gower Brown/ Unsplash

A 90-pound cannon used in the Battle of the Alamo is returning to its San Antonio home.

It turns out the Alamo's original 1836 cannons are good for more than just defense — they also make a sturdy birdbath. After serving as a garden ornament for Samuel Maverick’s descendants, an authentic piece of San Antonio history is finally returning home to the revered mission.

According to an Alamo announcement, the swivel cannon weighs 90 pounds and is approximately three feet long. The relic was originally found in 1852 when Maverick built a home near the northwest corner of the battle’s site.

The lawyer and land baron was saved from death when he was urged by William Barret Travis to ride to the Texas Declaration of Independence convention in Washington-on-the-Brazos to send reinforcements. Returning to the Alamo’s grounds, he found a cache of cannons buried where the Hotel Gibbs sits today.

From there, the cannon wound up at the Maverick family’s Sunshine Ranch on the Northwest Side, where it was eventually incorporated into the garden DIY project. In 1955, the cannon was removed from the ranch, and the current location remained a mystery until the Alamo received a call from a Maverick relative in Corpus Christi.

Alamo cannon This Alamo artifact gives an idea of what the cannon will look like once restoration is complete.Photo courtesy of the Alamo.

“The relative graciously donated the cannon to the Alamo,” wrote a rep from the mission. “Alamo Senior Researcher and Historian Kolby Lanham and Head Conservator Pam Jary Rosser drove down the very next day to take this piece of history home to the Alamo.”

Although the artillery is mostly intact, it is missing its trunnions (the pivot-point protrusions on the sides of the barrel) and cascabel (the knob and neck assembly at the rear of historic muzzle-loading cannons). The parts were removed by the Mexican army to make the cannon inoperable.

Once preservation is complete, this cannon and the Alamo Collection’s other battle cannons will make their way to the upcoming Visitor Center and Museum, where they will be joined by rocker Phil Collins' collection of Alamo artifacts. The Alamo is in the midst of a $550 million preservation project, which includes conserving the Alamo Church, Long Barrack, and the mission’s original footprint. The museum is on track to debut in late 2027.

history museums artifacts texas history the alamo