Page 42 - Discover South Mississippi - Spring, 2023

ATTRACTIONS
BILOXI'S PARADISE PIER FUN PARK
story by
Cherie Ward
photo courtesy of
Coastal Mississippi
The highly anticipated Paradise Pier Fun Park in Biloxi opened in March, making it the perfect addition to the Margaritaville Resort and a new Coastal Mississippi family-fun destination.
The centerpiece of the amusement area is the Biloxi Tide Turner, a 20-story high observation wheel with enclosed environment-controlled cars and LED illuminating lights that shine and sparkle in the night sky like diamonds.
A major attraction is an Aero bar, which provides
a view of the Gulf and the barrier islands. Riders sit
in enclosed cars facing each other in a circle with a bartender in the middle. The ride slowly rotates as it takes two minutes to go up and down and five minutes sitting at the top allowing time to admire the view and sip a signature cocktail.
Both the Tide Turner and Aero Bar have cars that are heated and air-conditioned, so the rides can be enjoyed year-round. The newly opened park also features
a roller coaster that reaches over the waterfront of Margaritaville as well as swings, food, games, and other amusement attractions with a total of 15 rides in all.
And just in case, the amusement park was built for hurricane preparedness on a platform that will lift
it above any storm surge and provides convenient parking underneath. As a precaution, all 15 rides can be taken down and moved to a huge storage facility on the Coast if a hurricane is threatening the shorelines of South Mississippi.
Guests at the park will have easy access between the outdoor rides and the 55,000-square-foot Escape arcade, indoor amusements, and restaurants at Margaritaville. The family entertainment center and arcade feature a 48-foot raging Volcano Rock Wall and the Hawaiian Volcano Goddess Pele will knock climbers to the
ground if they step wrong, waking her and her minions.
Margaritaville opened its first round of new park amusements in the summer of 2022 with a rooftop waterpark for hotel guests that features a 450-foot lazy river, slides that twist and turn, gigantic flip-flops you can hop across, and a swim-up bar.
There’s no shortage of fun at the new Paradise Pier and Margaritaville, making it a premier vacation destination for all ages.
42 DISCOVER COASTAL MISSISSIPPI Spring 2023
www.DiscoverCoastalMS.com