Whether it’s a new state-of-the-art golf course, an adrenaline-filled rollercoaster ride, the perfect home-away-from-home, or a foodie’s dream, the Sunshine State delivers. Take a look at just a small selection of the many exciting new things in store for 2021:
JACKSONVILLE
Scheduled to open in Spring 2021, the new Margaritaville Beach Hotel in Jacksonville Beachwill open its doors. The hotel will feature 202 guestrooms, a fitness centre, indoor and outdoor meeting and venue spaces, a beachside pool, and a two-storey restaurant. In downtown Jacksonville, Downtown Hyatt Place is slated to open a 128-room hotel in April 2021. The new property will feature a lobby lounge, meeting and dining space, pool, rooftop patio, and even space.
For those travelling by RV, 50 km west of Jacksonville, in Glen St. Mary, the new Island Oaks RV Resort is currently scheduled to open in May 2021, which could change based on COVID restrictions. When it does open though, phase one will offer a combination of 385 pull-through and back-in sites, waterways, a swimming lake, an outdoor recreation area, daily activities, and a fishing lake with a dock for non-motorized boasts, paddleboards and kayaks. For updated information, click here.
FLORIDA’S HISTORIC COAST
The historic AAA-Five Diamond Ponte Vedra Inn & Club will be showcasing its chic, new oceanfront accommodations, designed with couples, families and groups in mind. The new Ocean House and Peyton House are comprised of 41 luxurious beachfront rooms and suites, located just steps from the famed Ocean Course and The Racquet Club, and perched on a 2.5 km stretch of Atlantic coastline. Each room will offer sweeping views of the ocean and ample space to relax and luxuriate, with generous private terraces or patios that lead directly to the beach.
MARTIN COUNTY
In 2021, the Martin County Golf Course will complete its transformation into the state-of-the-art Sailfish Sands Golf Course. This walkable, regulation, nine-hole reversible course will accommodate every level of player and will also feature a 13-acre driving range with low level lights for evening play and interactive LED targets.
Also in Martin County, the Florida Oceanographic Society on Hutchinson Island, is set expand in 2021 with the opening of the brand new Ocean EcoCenter, which will feature interactive exhibits, play-based learning activities, and educational programming all designed to further enable visitors to understand and protect Florida’s coastal eco-systems.
FORT LAUDERDALE
Meeting planners take note, the $1 billion expansion of the Greater Fort Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center is underway and phase one is scheduled to open in October 2021. The venue will be even bigger and better with a total of 1.2 million sq.ft. of meeting space, including a 65,000 sq.ft. waterfront ballroom, a new, expansive waterfront plaza, new dining concepts, enhanced water taxi access, and an 800-room headquarters hotel.
The city will also welcome a slew of new restaurants in 2021, including: The Abbey, part restaurant/part entertainment venue set inside a transformed church; the highly anticipated Cuba Libra Restaurant & Rum Bar on Las Olas Blvd.; and The Old Sistrunk Distillery, which will feature a tasting room, cigar bar, wine lounge, and meeting and event space.
MIAMI
The new SkyViews Miami is the city’s latest attraction. Towering 55 metres above Bayside Marketplace, this enclosed, climate-controlled gondola ride will offer unparalleled views of Biscayne Bay, Bayfront Park, and the iconic Downtown Miami skyline. There are 42 gondolas, including one VIP gondola that features leather bucket seats, a custom LED lightshow, and a glass-bottom floor. The attraction is open year-round and offers 15-minute rides, or special event rides that can last up to 45 minutes.
TAMPA
Take on Tigris, the tallest launch coast in Florida, and see how old meets new in 2021 with the new Iron Gwazi ride at Busch Gardens Tampa Bay – the tallest, steepest, and fastest hybrid rollercoaster in North America. The new year will also see the addition of the new Solar Vortex ride at Busch Gardens’ water park, Adventure Island.
SARASOTA COUNTY
In 2021, two popular attractions will become one – Marie Selby Botanical Gardens has adopted Historic Spanish Point, a hidden 30-acre gen on Little Sarasota Bay that is also one of the largest waterfront preserves in the state that showcases native Florida plants. It is also one of the largest intact and actively preserved archaeological sites on the Gulf Coast of Florida.
For more information on what’s new, coming soon, and ready and awaiting your return, or for a little inspiration as you dream about your next trip south, click here.
