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The best thing about summer in Georgia is finding ways for the entire family to have fun and cool down, during the relentless southern heat. Margaritaville at Lake Lanier Islands Resort has fun, unique things to do on the lake, with plenty of water slides and entertainment to keep the kids and adults entertained all day long.
After living in Georgia for nearly two decades, it surprises me how little Lanier Islands resort and the Margaritaville water park is talked about. I didn’t even know it existed until I had week long corporate conference there a few years ago.
Margaritaville is now one of our kids favorite summertime destinations. In this guide, we will share everything you need to know before visiting the Margaritaville water park at Lanier Islands Resort.
Lake Lanier is one of the best lakes near Atlanta, Georgia. Margaritiville at Lanier Islands is only of the many attractions why Lake Lanier draws the crowds in the summertime.
The 6 Best Things To Do At Margaritaville at Lanier Islands
Obstacle Course at Margaritaville Waterpark
The lifeguards allow about 20 people on the obstacle course at a time. The session ends after about 10 minutes when they blow their whistle and tell everyone to swim ashore.
From a safety perspective, everyone is required to wear life jackets. They come in all different sizes.
There are lifeguards watching both on the beach and on the course.
The water is very deep and the course is exhausting. My kids had no trouble, but I am over six feet tall and am the size of an NFL linebacker. I was winded, but made it around without falling. Not going to lie, it took me almost all of the 10 minutes to complete it.
My six year old needed help pulling himself out of the water on a few of the obstacles. If not, he needed to swim back to some of the easy access floats. They have special floats with a step to assist you onto the float.
At 40 years old, I would only do this attraction once. The other times my kids went, I watched my little one like a hawk from the beach. My 9 year old had no issues and was one of the fastest to work around the course.
Water Slides At Margaritaville at Lanier Islands
The waterslides come in all shapes and sizes. Some have tubes or rafts, others you are the only flotation device.
My kids loved all of the slides.
We spent the most time at the Intimidator. Even my six year old loved it.
The other water slide they loved was the tube slides. They like riding singles and doubles tubes. They did each slide a dozen times.
Wave Pool
It’s funny, I remember going to wave pools all the time as a kid. At 9 and 6 years old, this was their first time in a wave pool.
This pool is rather shallow. At the deepest section, it was probably about 4 feet deep.
There are multiple lifeguards, but when we were in the pool, it was really crowded. The day we went there, Atlanta was going through a heat wave and this pool was refreshing cool. Everyone wanted in.
Their is a large video screen playing music, about half of which was none other than Jimmy Buffett
Paradise Beach on Lake Lanier
Personally, this was my favorite spot at Margaritaville. Paradise beach is a little cove on Lake Lanier, with a rather nice sandy beach. There were plenty of seats available in the sun.
All the seats are first come, first serve. The regulars know to get in first and drop your stuff under the palapa’s to secure a shady spot. Other folks knew to bring an umbrella.
Even in the blazing sun, the lake was cool enough to chill down. I pulled a chair into the lake and watched the kids trying to catch fish with their hands. Of course they didn’t, yet they recruited about 10 other kids to try as well.
Family Fun Zone
A few years back, we would have spent all of our time here. We skipped this, but walked past and there were plenty of sprinklers and fountains for the little children to play in.
Landshark Landing
On a separate work trip to Lanier Islands, my coworkers and I enjoyed live music and cocktails after a conference on the beach. This is definitely more of the adult zone to Margaritaville at Lanier Islands. It’s a fun place to spend a day or evening.
There is a weekend beach fee of $20, and goes up if there is a special event. During the week, it’s usually free.
Places to Stay Near Margaritaville
Lanier Islands Resort Lodge is the very closest place to stay and usually the offer packages for stay over, plus passes to the waterpark and some even include a golf cart rental or a sunset cruise. I stayed at the lodge for a week and it was nice, but not high end. There is a restaurant and bar onsite and a pool to relax by. This is also one of the best golf resorts near Atlanta.
Camp Margaritaville RV Park has killer views and very close to the water park. The RV park is fully equipped with water and sewer. It even offers internet and cable.
Getting To Margaritaville on Lake Lanier
Margaritaville at Lanier Islands Resort is located at 7650 Lanier Islands Pkwy, Buford, GA 30518. It is about 45 miles north east of downtown Atlanta. It is easily accessible from by following I-85 to I-985, then its only 5 miles from exit 8 on I-985. Usually it takes less than 1 hour.
There is an entrance fee to Lanier Islands Resort. Usually the gate fee is $20, unless there is a special event.