Winter Update: What’s New in Florida
As the temperature cools off for the winter season, there’s no better time to experience the Sunshine State’s hot new events and attractions. This winter season, Florida celebrates exciting events and exhibits, as well as new openings and renovations.
Exhibits & Shows
TAMPA – Coming to the Museum of Science and Industry this February is the premiere of their new spring exhibit, Harry’s Big Adventure: My Bug World, sponsored by Terminix. This exhibit offers guests a chance to get up close and personal with insects from all over the world! www.harrysbigadventure.com
PLANT CITY (Near Lakeland) - Dinosaur World welcomes the arrival of the new baby dinosaur exhibit including the Maiasaur, Torosaur and Igunadon species. The grouping of dinosaurs in their herds is an important aspect of Dinosaur World’s exhibits where visitors will find over 150 of these life size dinosaurs along with interactive exhibits. Activities include the Fossil Dig, where participants can search through sand looking for fossils to take home; and at Boneyard, where guests uncover a life-size skeleton. www.dinosaurworld.com
Activities
ST. AUGUSTINE – The St. Augustine Pirate & Treasure Museum opened Nov. 2010 and is located just a short walk from the Castillo de San Marcos, marking the historic battle grounds for Spanish soldiers’ centuries ago. This interactive, educational attraction features archeological finds, replica pirate ships, and pirate artifacts. www.thepiratemuseum.com
DUCK KEY (Florida Keys) – Learn to ride the waves or paddle the crystal clear waters around Hawks Cay Resort. They recently added Stand-Up Paddleboarding to the list of activities, which lets new and experienced visitors see dolphins, fish, homes and boat shows from a never seen perspective. For information call 305-743-7000; visit www.HawksCay.com
KEY LARG0 – Scuba Divers can now explore more of the dive capital of the world with the Key Largo Scuba Shack. The Scuba Shack now offers dive vessel service in their Burpee dive vessel that accommodates six to ten divers. The vessel allows them to customize a planned charter for morning, afternoon or night dive excursions. (305-735-4313; www.keylargoscubashack.com)
Openings & Renovations
PENSACOLA - The Holiday Inn Resort Pensacola Beach just opened in February 2011. The 206-room property features gulf front rooms, a full-service restaurant, 10,000 square feet of meeting space, a state-of-the-art fitness center, and lazy river pool with cascading waterfalls. Located on the sugar white sands of the Gulf of Mexico, this resort is footsteps away from restaurants with excellent local flavor and many nightspots for all ages. Visit www.ichotelsgroup.com
JACKSONVILLE – Starwood hotels opened the Aloft Jacksonville –Tapestry Park in January 2011, featuring approximately 3,600 square feet of meeting space. The meeting space is located in an attached building and can be separated into three smaller spaces for various events. The new hotel has been designed to meet the criteria of the LEED Green Building Rating System. The hotel is located next to a recently opened III Forks Steakhouse, providing guests an exceptional fine dining experience, steps from their guestroom. Visit www.starwoodhotels.com
ORLANDO - Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, one of Orlando’s premier resorts, has recently completed a $45 million guest room and meeting space renovation.
The resort completed its extensive transformation with a modern restyling of all 750 guestrooms and suites. The new guestrooms boast sleek furnishings, high-tech amenities and spectacular views of the resort’s private 21- acre lake, tropical nature preserve and nightly fireworks from nearby theme parks. The bathrooms feature a large backlit mirror and optimal vanity along with a glass-enclosed shower surrounded by opalescent splash tile with a water-conserving Toto rain shower.
The newly redesigned Regency Club lounge offers fantastic views during the day and breathtaking fireworks by night from the large outdoor balcony in the evening at Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress. The 952-square-foot premium club offers deluxe amenities, serving breakfast, evening hors d’oeuvres and cocktails in a key accessed lounge. In the Regency Club, guests can take advantage of unique extras such as a personal concierge, private business center with computer capabilities, flat screen LCD TV and daily newspaper service.
The resort features a 9 nine hole executive golf course along with an 18 hole resort course and golf academy. Tennis enthusiasts will enjoy the 12 tennis courts and open-air racquetball court. Families will love the pool and lake area, which feature a climbing wall, bike rentals, sailing and the half acre, freeform swimming pool complete with 2 waterslides and rope bridge. Runners will appreciate 3 running routes of varying distances.
The resort is running a 5th night free promotion thru 2011. Visit http://grandcypress.hyatt.com or call 407-239-1234.
MARATHON (Florida Keys) - The Holiday Inn Express & Suites is Marathon Key’s newest lodging addition. It accommodated guests for the first time on Nov. 5th. The hotel has 134 rooms with amenities including a marina with docks for guests, a large outdoor pool facility, a 5,000 square-foot tiki bar and 24-hour fitness and business centers. The resort offers free wireless high-speed internet access. Call 888-465-4329 or visit www.hiexpress.com
As the state’s number one industry, tourism is responsible for welcoming more than 80 million visitors each year who spend more than $60 billion, generating 22 percent of the state’s sales tax revenue and employing nearly 1 million Floridians. For every $1 spent on tourism marketing, VISIT FLORIDA – the state’s official tourism marketing corporation – generates more than $147 in tourism spending and $9 in new sales tax collections, paid by visitors, not residents. VISIT FLORIDA promotes tourism to Florida through sales, advertising, promotions, public relations, new product development and visitor services programs. As a public/private partnership, VISIT FLORIDA serves more than 4,400 tourism industry businesses, including major strategic alliance partnerships with AirTran Airways, American Express Travel Related Services, Disney Destinations, Dollar Rent A Car, The Hertz Corporation, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment and Universal Orlando. Visit www.visitflorida.org