Take a trip to Margaritaville – Jimmy Buffett giveaway

for tailgating…roll in a yard of sand, a kid’s inflatable pool filled with Landshark & Frozen margaritas,a tiki tent (party tent covered in grass), a portable hammock and done your best beach attire (less is best!), a portable grill cookin up juicy cheesburgers with the ipod screaming tunes of Jimmy Buffet!

Hawaiian shirt, flip-flops, ball cap, lawn chair, beach umbrella, Landshark Lager in hand – need I say more? Island state of mind.

Get together a group of 10 or more life loving friends. Fix some spicy jerk chicken, dirty rice, special cole slaw. Throw in some Bojanges biscuits. Mix up plenty of my special secret margarita mix with plenty of crushed ice and sliced fres limes. Only shorts, shirttale out and no shoes – flip-flops only. Turn on the portable sound machine with music from Buffett or Barefoot Man and turn the volume up! Everybody must join in those songs we know by heart. Come help me celebrate my 60th birthday (April 19) and be thankful for all the many blessings we have in life. Pick a designated driver or hire a ride…….Relax and have fun!

It has been a long winter, I’ve really had cabin fever. Now that the weather is here, with just a few friends (we are indeed the people our parents warned us about), we head to that one particular harbor near the coast of Carolina. Just need to pour some booze from the blender, order a cheeseburger in paradise (don’t forget that pickle) and everyday becomes a party at the tiki bar!

Put on a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, flip flops and Margaritaville hat. Get an ice cold Landshark or Margaritaville Margarita and put on a Jimmy Buffett video and you will be in a state of mind somewhere southwest of disorder!

Fins Up!

Turn the Nascar Charlotte area
into a Buffett Island State of
Mind by attending a Live concert
at Verizon in your tropical shirt,flip flops and colorful leis doning a Margarita in both
hands….Helps to have the proper
transportation which would be a
pick up truck, back filled with
blue, blue water and perhaps an
inflatable shark or two swimming
around until you can join it in
style at the Tailgate party to
die for. Tunes from Jimmy and
all the Coral Reefers will be filling the night air like waves
upon some dreamy, tropical beach.

First and foremost I make sure to not misspell Buffett!
After that I strap the 4 foot shark fin to the top of the truck and fill the bed with the party supplies. My wife grabs the 15-seater van and picks up the 12 family members (ages 21 to 72) and their gear and meets me near the pavilion. We meet another 8 or so friends (and many more new ones) in the parking lot. We set up the grill, 3 tents, 4 tables, umteen chairs, coolers full of Landshark Lager, uncork a few bottles of wine and start cooking: cheeseburgers, chicken, brats, shrimp trays, salads, beans, 7-layer dips, salsa, guacamole, chips, veggies, desserts and a pepper shaker (couldn’t find it’s mate). While the sauce-boss is cooking for his supper the old and new friends are in a heated battle on the cornhole boards. All the while the rhythmic sounds of the tropics are playing on the stereo. As if drawn by some unseen force everything is packed away by 7:00 and the gravitational pull of the lawn guides us to the gates and the reason we came: a night of escape and comraderie with a few thousand new friends. There is no other experience like it.

Well you must start with a palm tree and a margarita, don your very best hula skirt and aloha shirt. A simple lawn chair will do for seating and of course your ipod loaded with plenty of Buffett music, add some Landshark and you’ve got yourself a party, oh and don’t forget the chesseburgers!!!

Little Rock is not exactly what you would call a “tropical paradise.” Nevertheless, every year a bunch of Parrotheads, including myself, get together for what we call a “Buffett Breakdown.” We’ve had it a different locations, it’s not the site that matters but rather the company, because, after all, Margaritaville isn’t a place, it’s a state of mind. It always involves plenty of Buffett tunes, Land Shark Lager, gaudy Hawaiian shirts and lots of reminiscing about all the Buffett concerts we have seen in the past. Throw in a couple of tiki torches and you’ve got a party to remember!

Here in Kings Mountain, NC, we get into our Margaritaville state of mind by first turning on the Jimmy Buffett CDs. Put on our floral button down shirts (mine is closed, his is open) our shorts and flip-flops. We also don our leis…get out the beach ball and blender. The grill is fired up…the margarita glasses are salted (or crap where is that shaker of salt?) The shrimp are bubbling….and we sit back and sing those songs we know by heart. There is no finer way to enjoy a Carolina day than with Buffett, a blender, and some booze! Fins up Ya’ll!

Making an escape to Margaritaville is the perfect getaway. To set sail, just hoist the mainsail on the truck, fill the back with sand, unfold the beach chairs, and fill your glasses with margaritas made from a battery-powered blender.

While relaxing in the sun, munch on Key West coconut shrimp and conch fritters.

Also be sure to host beach-side activities for other castaways who may stumble upon your paradise. Pin the fin is an island favorite!

Before you set sail, don’t forget to pack your flip flops, sunscreen, and your best hibiscus print shirt!

The tailgate party starts some six hours before Buffett even takes the stage. It is about the only concert anywhere in which the actual show is a probably a backdrop to the actual event. It’s the pre-party, the mingling with people in grass skirts, hawaiian shirts and straw hats that stir the tropical social minds at these concerts. Try preparing as such

Step 1:
Get there early. The tailgating scene prior to Buffett concerts is simply unbelievable, and the festivities get started very early. To ensure yourself of a good parking spot and a good tailgating experience, get there at least six hours before the concert starts.

Step 2:
Bring the right drinks. Everyone knows that margarita’s are closely associated with Jimmy Buffett. If you don’t drink margarita’s, no problem. Any drink that is associated with the tropical lifestyle is appropriate at a Buffett show, preferably captain morgan and corona beer. You will also need to bring lots of ice and a bottle opener.

Step 3:
Bring a grill and some food. This is an essential. I recommend the hawaiian chicken and cajun shrimp marinade for 2 days prior. All buffett virgins have to walk across the hot coals as initiation when finished

Step 4:
Take walks around the parking lot. If you enjoy “people watching,” there isn’t a better place on Earth than the parking lot at a Buffett show. You will see people dressed up in all kinds of costumes, stand alone pool, man-made beaches, and even some exotic parrots.

Step 5:
Have basic knowledge of the music. You, by no means, have to be a Parrot Head to enjoy a concert. As long as you have basic knowledge of a few of the greatest hits, you will have a great time in the concert.

Step 6: Post-concert tailgate. End the day the same you started!!

The beach is laid back. Take off your watch and get into the moment… put your cell on airplane mode and in the lower pocket of your cargos. Wear the shark tooth necklace you bought in Key West. If you are male leave the shirt off. No imagination ? Put Pandora on Radio Jimmy Buffett. Head to NoDa. Walk around, wander into Cabo Fish and get a margaritta and a fish taco. ( shirt on )
Your buddy lives at Lake Norman ? cool.. head there and take his boat and land it on the sand on one of the inner islands for a swim and a cold beer. Next is Rusty Rudder or Vinny`s outer deck where you can keep the island music flowing in your head. No boat or island ? Sit on the patio at Thomas Street Tavern and scan the Creative Loafing for the Tsunami Wave Riders, Too Much Sylvia, The Carribean Cowboys or The Band of Gold . No luck ?… no worries mate. Just follow your flip flops around the cool Midwood Plaza area and listen to Jimmy B. Stop at Zada Janes or wander over to the old book store on the corner or the Carribean Cafe across the street. It`s not easy in a city to be in Key West mode. Relax, clear your mind and think island waves lapping on the sand while you stroll and take in the sights.

To take yourself to that One Particular Harbor, you just need some nice cool Boat Drinks while you’re nibblin on sponge cake watching that sun bake. And once you realize Life Is Just a Tire Swing, you can thank your Lucky Stars, get your Fins up and Take Another Road to Margaritaville.

… and that’s a Money Back Guarantee.

Did I mention we even have a gas powered blender! those two things put us on the jumbo tron that year. (sorry about the spelling in my previous post)

Can’t afford to get away to paradise so I’ll have to go to Margaritaville, not a place but a state of mind and it is like no other. I love that tourquise water and just the thoughts take me there. I close my eyes and I can see the water and fell the white sand between my toes. A cold Landshark a few limes and a bottle of Patron may be as close to Paradise I can get but tomorrw night, I can get a little closer !! A Buffett concert is like a vacation, you leave rejuved and in that state of Margaritaville. You somehow feel younger and more full of life. Jimmy does it better every year, how does he do it!! Can’t wait to try some Spiked Tea and Lemonade. In NC you are IN the tea nation of the world so it is quite the test.