South Florida families looking to strengthen their pack will have a new, fun, adventure-filled getaway in 2024, as Great Wolf Resorts, North America’s largest family of indoor water park resorts, broke ground on its newest resort in Naples, Fla.
Great Wolf Lodge South Florida will become the brand’s 21st resort in North America, featuring 500 family-friendly suites and an expansive 100,000-square-foot indoor water park. The resort will sit on 20 acres on the eastern edge of Collier County, near the I-75 and Collier Blvd interchange and next to the Paradise Coast Sports Complex, making for a convenient, fun-filled getaway for families across South Florida and a significant economic engine for the region.
With a rough construction timeline of 18-24 months, Great Wolf Lodge South Florida is expected to celebrate its grand opening in spring/summer of 2024.
source: https://greatwolf.com
Read more about the family fun coming to Naples on https://www.greatwolf.com/naples
Great Wolf has nineteen resorts in the U.S. and Canada with two more coming – Naples, and Baltimore area. The Naples resort will be built on 20 acres near the Paradise Coast Sports Complex in Collier County.
The appearance will be similar to other Great Wolf lodges with 500 rooms. A 62,000 sq ft Great Wolf Adventure Park will be a feature of the resort.
Lots more news about the Naples groundbreaking for the 100,000 sq ft water park can be found here.
If you are interested in finding a home in the Naples area email or call David@DavidFlorida.com or 239-285-1086.
Harriet Howard Heithaus – Naples Daily News | June 30, 2021
There’s no sneezing in this garden. All the pollen is confined to images on canvas or photo paper, depictions of fascination with Naples Botanical Garden.
“Looking West At The Garden,” by Tanya Trinkaus Glass
But like the gardens outside of its Kapnick Hall location, it will probably stimulate some smiles.
“Artists in Bloom” brings local artists’ eyes to the garden’s grounds, from its River of Grass to its water lilies and the smallest of its buds. You could possibly even see a garden resident here or there, a bee making its happy way among the blooms or a bird in flight.
Organized in partnership with the United Arts Council of Collier County, the show holds 32 widely different interpretations of the garden, all from 28 local artists.
“It serves as a reminder of how art and nature are intrinsically linked, and gently prompts the viewer to experience the Garden in a new way,” says publicity about the exhibition.
To Erin Wolfe Bell, the garden’s director of exhibitions and special programs, it’s also testament to the spectrum of perspective among local artists.
“Bismarkian Sway,” by Susan Nardine Pratt
“There’s such a wide variety of styles and subject matter — charcoals, photographs, paint, watercolor, oils,” she said. “Some are the size of a piece of paper and some are five feet across.”
The styles range from semi-abstract, as in Tanya Trinkaus Glass’ “Looking West at the Garden,” to Susan Nardine Pratt’s detailed, magical palm dance in “Bismarkian Sway.”
While the idea was Bell’s, they relied on the UAC for the process.
“They are kind of experts in this kind of project. We formed the idea. We had the space. They helped us with us with logistics of getting the call to artists out and finding a guest juror.”
Applicants were limited to members of the Naples Botanical Garden or the UAC. Still, the organization had to cull from more than 100 entries, for which local artist Lauren Amalia Redding served as juror.
The garden allows artists to paint on the grounds, and among the most popular times is during the early members-only hour from 8 to 9 a.m. But this isn’t all plein-air work, Bell said: “Some of the artists came here to work. Some just came, went back to their studios and created. Some of them took photographs that they worked from.”
The garden has traditionally featured local artists for its summer exhibitions in Kapnick Hall, and this year, it is showing some special love for local visitors as well. There’s a deep discount from its $20 adults, $10 children admission to $12 for adults and $3 for ages 4-17 from Collier, Lee and Hendry counties.
And for those who can’t come, Naples Botanical Garden now has an Earthcam link that allows people to look in on its Brazilian Garden 24 hours a day. Some of the more interesting views may be under full moonlight when the animals that aren’t out during the day feel free to wander around.
The camera will also treat viewers to the process of heavy equipment packing up one of the giant rootlike sculptures from Steve Tobin’s “Nature Underground.” Its stay at the garden ends Sept. 6.
‘Artists in Bloom’
What: Local art inspired by the garden from artist members of Naples Botanical Garden or United Arts Council
When: Friday, July 2-Sept. 6; garden hours are 9 a.m.-2 p.m. daily with one hour, 8-9 a.m., for members only; registered and paid dogs are welcome with their owners 9-11 a.m. Tuesdays and Sundays
Where: 4820 Bayshore Drive, Naples, FL 34112
Admission: Discount June 1 – Sept. 30 for residents of Collier, Lee, and Charlotte counties — $12 for adults, $3 ages 4 – 17, 3 and younger free; regular price $20 adults, $10 ages 4-17; there are also free admissions for Bank of America cardholders on first weekends and for veterans and their families during the summer; see the garden website for details under Plan Your Visit
To buy: Online at naplesgarden.org under Plan Your Visit
Information: 239-643-7275
Something else: The garden has a dining spot, the Fogg Cafe, and the Berger gift shop.
From the Naples Daily News
Collier County saw record tourism last year.
The county had more than 1.9 million visitors in 2019 — an increase of 5.8% over the year — and the highest number on record.
With more visitors came more room bookings and more spending.
Spending increased 8.1% to more than $2.3 billion, while room nights rose 6.4% to more than 2.5 million over the year. Both numbers set all-time records.
“We saw growth across the board from all of the major markets that we look at,” said Ann Wittine, director of data analysis for Research Data Services, at a Tourist Development Council meeting Monday.
In neighboring Lee County, tourism numbers for 2019 are still being crunched. The statistics are expected to be finalized and released in February.
Wittine zeroed in on increases in visitation from the Northeastern and Midwestern United States, saying they were the most significant.
Those numbers rose:
- 6.8% from the Midwest to 295,673
- 4.5% from the Northeast to 360,832
The report reflects overnight stays at hotels and other vacation rentals.
Wittine pointed to other positives in the annual report. From 2018 to 2019 the county saw:
- A more than 27% increase in visitation from Canada to 47,090
- A more than 5% increase in visitation from Europe to 309,349
While the percentage increase from Canada seems large, Wittine pointed out it’s a much smaller market for Collier County, accounting for less than 2.5% of its total visitation. The growth from that market last year equates to roughly 10,000 additional visitors, which she said is still “certainly a good sign,” as it marks the reversal of a negative trend.
In 2018, the county saw fewer visitors from Canada and Europe than it did in 2017. At the time, analysts with Research Data Services attributed those declines to their weaker economies and a stronger U.S. dollar, as well as a fallout from red tide in Southwest Florida.
Red tide in Collier County wasn’t as severe in 2019 as it was in 2018, so it had little impact on visitation, said Jack Wert, the county’s tourism director, by phone.
“There just seems to be an overall demand for travel right now,” he said, “and we certainly are seeing it in Southwest Florida. All of Florida really is seeing that, but I think we are certainly exceeding even the average numbers for Florida.”
Wert attributed some of the growth to a new marketing campaign launched in the fall with a “vacation well” theme, centered around health and wellness activities and offerings.
In December, the bureau’s marketing agency launched a Chicago Winter Takeover promotion, which is reaching Chicagoans as they’re going about their day and making their cold commutes to work. The campaign includes everything from warming stations blowing out hot air and showing sun-drenched scenes at train platforms to branded coffee sleeves served with cups of hot Joe at local coffee shops that showcase the Paradise Coast.
Occupancy falls
Not every metric in the 2019 Collier County tourism report was positive. Overall, occupancy fell 0.7% over the year to 74.7% in the county.
Wittine attributed the occupancy drop to having more rooms. According to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation, the county’s inventory of rooms has grown by 533, or 5.3%, since December 2018, driven mostly by the opening of new hotels.
“You guys have had more product to sell,” Wittine said.
While occupancy fell in 2019, it didn’t take as big of a hit as it did in 2018, when the national economy showed signs of slowing and the negative publicity surrounding red tide lingered through the end of the year.
Collier County finished 2019 strong, with a busy December.
Here’s what the county saw in the final month of last year, when compared to a year ago:
- A 6% rise in visitor numbers to 181,000
- An 8.4% increase in room nights booked to 221,000
- A 10.6% spike in total spending to more than $244 million
- A 2.9% increase in occupancy to 76.9%
- A 1.4% rise in average daily rate to $256.60
- Cold weather hit the north sooner in 2019 than it did in 2018, which helped drive more visitation in the final months of last year, from other parts of the United States, as well as from Canada, Wert said.
As for Europeans, he said, they don’t seem to be as concerned about exchange rates anymore.
“The Germans certainly seem to want to travel,” Wert said. “We’ve heard that from our tour operators.”
Tour operators in Belgium and Austria are reporting the same kind of strong demand, which bodes well for Southwest Florida and its international airport, he said.
“The direct flights certainly help but there is a lot of connecting service as well that brings that European visitor to the area,” Wert said.
Another positive when it comes to international visitors? Brexit — Britain’s proposed split from the European Union — doesn’t seem to be having much of an impact on British travel these days, as its residents have grown weary of waiting for something to happen and shrugging it off saying, “I’m taking my holiday,” Wert said.
“The future could change that, when they finally figure out what Brexit is all about, but so far it’s just speculation,” he said.
With more meeting space available, including the addition of first-class space at the JW Marriott Marco Island, Collier County saw strength in its groups and meetings business in 2019, while also attracting more leisure — or vacation — travelers.
While happy with the positive tourism report, council member Clark Hill, general manager at Hilton Naples, expressed a few concerns, including the statistic showing the average age of visitors to Collier County is roughly 50.
“At some point, the 50-year-olds aren’t going to be as plentiful as are the millennials,” he said, suggesting a need for the tourism bureau to continue looking for ways to attract younger generations.
Wert agreed.
“The millennials are getting older too,” he pointed out.
Looking ahead, Wert said he expects to see a strong finish to the busy season, which traditionally runs from November to April.
In the most recent survey, nearly 62% of Collier’s lodging managers said their reservations for January through March were up from a year ago, with 11.2% saying they were down — compared to 24.9% saying so a year ago.
“I think we’re in for a good couple of months here,” Wert said.
By the numbers
Here’s a look at visitor numbers in Collier County by market for 2019, compared to 2018.
- Florida — 686,680, +4.1%
- Southeast — 126,193, +5.4%
- Northeast — 360,832, +4.5%
- Midwest — 295,673, +6.8%
- Canada — 47,090, +27.4%
- Europe — 309,349, +5.3%
- Other — 102,783, +12.8%
- Total: 1,928,600, +5.8%
Source: Research Data Services
