Joe Edwards' Magic Mini Golf Opens Friday in the Loop (PHOTOS)

It took quite a bit longer than anticipated, but Joe Edwards' latest nightlife option is ready to open its doors this Friday, October 20.

Opening more than five years after the project was first announced, Magic Mini Golf (6160 Delmar Boulevard, magicminigolf.com) offers that familiar Edwards-style retro whimsy, with shuffleboards, a mini Ferris wheel and 18 custom-designed mini golf holes, all in an 9,500-square-foot indoor space eager to welcome guests come rain or shine.

"I like creating places with sports activities that you don't have to be good at to enjoy," Edwards said in a prepared statement. "Everyone can have fun playing mini golf no matter their skill level.”

This being Joe Edwards, there's also golf memorabilia and a collection of vintage magic posters — as well as a Magic Wedding Chapel. The entire staff is ordained and ready to pronounce you man and wife, or wife and wife, or man and man (all of which seem kind of terrifying for the kind of first or second date associated with mini golf, but hey — it's an option!)

If you need some liquid courage before picking up a putter — or tying the knot — there's a full bar as well as a menu of food items. Offerings include house-made pizzas (including vegan options), grilled cheese with house-made pesto, salsa and house-made guacamole, churros and gooey butter cake.

Beginning Friday, Magic Mini Golf will be open Monday through Wednesday 3 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. and Thursday through Sunday 11 a.m. through 1:30 a.m. The press release promises that the kitchen will stay open "late into the night."

Not sure where to go? Just head to down to the Loop and head east from Skinker until you see a 27-foot beacon beckoning you to the putting green. The eye-catching neon sign, installed in June back when it hoped to be open in July, has already won an award. Personally designed by Edwards and his daughter Hope, it apparently won first place in the "Best Outside Design" category.

Scroll down for more photos of the mini golf course, the wedding stage and other highlights.