Visitors to the Poconos will soon waste away in Margaritaville, possibly by Amtrak.
U.S. Rep Matt Cartwright announced Monday that a first of its kind Margaritaville Resort Village is coming to Northeast Pennsylvania. Cartwright made the announcement at Kalahari in Pocono Manor, next to where the resort is set to be built. The resort could feature an Amtrak station, which is part of the plan to connect Scranton and New York City by rail.
“It’s a $1.3 billion investment in the Northeastern Pennsylvania economy that will bring more jobs, more tourists and more dollars to the region," Cartwright said.
Margaritaville is a Global lifestyle brand inspired by Jimmy Buffet.
At Margaritaville Resort Village Pocono Mountains, guests will be able to stay at the Margaritaville Hotel, Camp Margaritaville RV Resort or Tiny Homes Bungalows. They will be able to eat at unique restaurants, including Cheeseburger in Paradise, swim and enjoy live entertainment year round.
The hotel portion of Margaritaville will honor the Pocono Manor. The 117-year-old resort burned down in November 2019.
Margaritaville also donated land on the site to build an Amtrak station.
“This transformation of Pocono Manor into a Margaritaville Resort Village propels us toward a goal of bringing more people to the Poconos for both work and play," Cartwright said. "Imagine what a landscape where people are able to get here by train from New York, New Jersey and even Scranton would be like."
Amtrak estimates connecting New York City to Scranton, with stops along the way, would have an annual $87 million impact, said Cartwright. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act was passed into law in 2021 and includes billions for Amtrak and other rail entities. Cartwright said the results of a ridership study will be back this year.
Local leaders from Scranton to Stroudsburg were at the press conference. Cartwright was joined on stage by Chris Barrett, the president and CEO of the Pocono Mountain Visitors Bureau.
Barrett said that 30 million guests visit the Poconos each year.
“If you look back at decades of history, you can see how the Poconos has always reinvented itself, and made itself relevant to the millions of guests who visit us every year," he said. "This attraction is going to put us on the map in a major way.”
The project is expected to bring jobs to the area. Although the number of positions expected was not available Monday.
Construction on the Margaritaville Pocono Resort is set to begin in 2023 and open in mid-2024.
