VISIT FLORIDA Official Media Newsroom

What's New in Florida - Spring 2009

NEWS RELEASE TOPIC:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 9, 2009

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Feb. 10, 2009) – As a new season brings fun and excitement to the Sunshine State this spring, pack for an adventure! Ditch the snow boots, put on some flip-flops and get ready to enjoy a wave of new festivals and events, elegant exhibits and exciting attractions. Also, be sure to check out Florida’s impressive venue renovations and openings. To find more happenings in Florida this spring, go to www.VISITFLORIDA.com.

(Listings are arranged by city from north to south)

Festivals & Events

PENSACOLA – In June, the world’s third largest tall ship, Juan Sebastián de Elcano, will sail into the Pensacola Bay to commemorate the 450th Anniversary of the discovery of Pensacola. The ship will dock at the downtown Port of Pensacola, where visitors will have the opportunity to meet the crew at public and private events. (850) 432-1450. www.celebratepensacola.com.

ORLANDO – Festival of Orchestras will debut performances by The Boston Pops March 8 and The National Philharmonic of Russia April 4, among its current line-up. (407) 539-0245. www.festivaloforchestras.com.

ORLANDO – In March, children become pirates and princesses as they embark on a quest through the Magic Kingdom for chocolate doubloons and royal beads. Families can enjoy Disney’s new Enchanted Adventures Parade and experience the Magic, Music and Mayhem fireworks spectacular. (407) 939-2469. www.disneyworld.com.

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER – Witness space history at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex May 2 as more than 25 Hall of Fame astronauts, including Buzz Aldrin and John Young, gather to induct three of America’s finest Space Shuttle commanders into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. (321) 452-2121. www.kennedyspacecenter.com.

SARASOTA – Artists rely on various signs and symbols to impart their work with greater meaning. The study of these signs and symbols within a work of art is known as iconography. On select dates in March and April, The John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art’s Signs & Symbols: Iconography in Art History six-part series will examine how this symbolic language transforms over various times and places in the Western artistic tradition, from Classical to Contemporary. (941) 359-5700. www.ringling.org.

CLEWISTON (Near Lake Okeechobee) – The Big “O” Birding Extravaganza is a new event that evolved from the former Big O Birding Festival. The event will take place April 3 – 6 on the shores of Lake Okeechobee, Florida’s second largest lake and a mecca for bird watching. The area is home to more than 300 species of birds and known for its migratory bird sightings. (863) 612-4783. www.bigobirdingfestival.com.

Exhibits

JACKSONVILLE – The Cummer Museum of Art & Gardens will exhibit Georgia O’Keefe and Her Times: American Modernism from the Lane Collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston Feb. 4 – April 12. The Lane Collection is considered one of the greatest collections of American modernism. Masterpieces by Georgia O’Keefe, Charles Sheeler, Arthur G. Dove, Stuart Davis and Mardsden Hartley will be on display. (904) 356-6857. www.cummer.org.

ORLANDO – This Spring, the Maitland Art Center will unveil new exhibits, including The Seminoles, The Reeves Collection, March 13 – April 26 and Florida Craftsmen, May 15 – July 13. (407) 539-2181. www.maitlandartcenter.org.

ORLANDO – The Orlando Museum of Art has several new exhibits, including: American Portraits and Landscapes, 19th and Early 20th Century American Art, Therman Statom: Stories of the New World and Jerry Pinkney: Aesop’s Fables and Other Tails. (407) 896-4231. www.omart.org.

ORLANDO – Peek into the imagination of Sesame Street’s creator in Jim Henson’s Fantastic World, a Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition at the Orange County Regional History Center. The exhibit features more than 100 artworks, photographs, documents, puppets, movie props, and videos. Step inside “Sesame Street,” “Fraggle Rock,” “The Muppet Show,” and other whimsical worlds, and explore the “visual thinking” process of a visionary storyteller. (407) 836-8500. www.thehistorycenter.org.

LAKELAND – The Polk Museum of Art will exhibit Unbelievable Transformations: Moving Sculptures by Gregory Barsamian March 14 – June 7. The artist uses elaborate metal structures that support a series of sculptures and a flashing strobe light to trick the eye into seeing movement. (863) 668-7743. www.polkmuseumofart.org.

LAKE WALES (Near Lakeland) – Florida-born watercolor artist Robert Leedy’s life has spanned living on four different continents. The Bok Tower Gardens’ Vignettes in Paint will exhibit his art March 28 – May 28. His work includes “plein air” in Maine landscapes, Southern vernacular architecture, Paris milieu and abstract painting combining volumes of sundry color with broad brush strokes. (863) 676-1408. www.boktowergardens.org.

Attractions

CLERMONT (Near Orlando) – Revolution, The Off-Road Experience is a new attraction company that brings local adventures to tourists. On 200 acres of wilderness, visitors can ride ATVs, dune buggies and a four-wheel drive SUV; receive water-skiing lessons from an international coach; and learn how to reel in the big catch at the local lake. (352) 400-1322. www.revolutionoffroad.com.

ORLANDO – Universal Studios will open a new roller coaster, “Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit,” this spring. The high-tech, multi-sensory experience will include audio and special effects with on-and-off-board LED-screen videos for riders to create a unique experience by choosing which song they will hear while on the roller coaster and compiling it into a take-home music video when the ride is over. (407) 363-8000. www.universalorlando.com.

ORLANDO – SeaWorld is nearly finished with “Manta,” a new roller coaster attraction that transitions riders from air to sea. Guests will experience underwater animal habitats, soar face-down in a horizontal position to nearly 60 mph, and come within inches of the ocean. Visitors who choose not to ride can instead experience the attraction itself, which provides floor-to-ceiling window views of more than 300 rays, including shark rays, spotted eagle rays and leopard rays. (407) 351-3600. www.SeaWorld.com.

ORLANDO – “Florida’s First Theme Park,” Cypress Gardens Adventure Park reopens in March with an expanded water park area and new cultural components. (863) 324-2111. www.cypressgardens.com.

MIAMI – Miami Seaquarium opens its new dolphin interaction facility called Dolphin Harbor. The new facility, home to ten Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins and the park’s dolphin interaction programs, features a 12,000-square-foot, 700,000-gallon dolphin pool surrounded by an 8,000-square-foot facility. Dolphin Harbor offers guests two different dolphin interaction programs -- Dolphin Odyssey and Dolphin Encounter – where guests can feed, touch, learn about and even swim with these magnificent animals. (305) 361-5705. www.miamiseaquarium.com.

Openings & Renovations

PENSACOLA – The historic Saenger Theatre is nearing the end of its multi-million dollar renovation and will open Feb. 17 with the production of “Hairspray.” Built in 1925, the Spanish Baroque theatre is one of only four Saenger Theatres still operating in the South and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (850) 595-3880. www.pensacolasaenger.com.

JACKSONVILLE – The Renaissance Resort at World Golf Village recently completed a $10 million renovation including remodeled guest rooms and suites, redesigned public spaces, a brand new restaurant and technology upgrades. The renovation won “Best Renovation of the Year” for a franchised property by the Marriott International Association. (888) 740-7020. www.worldgolfrenaissance.com.

JACKSONVILLE – The Hotel Indigo – Jacksonville/Deerwood Park recently opened in Tapestry Park on the Southside of Jacksonville. The boutique hotel features a waterfront café, as well as 2,100 square feet of meeting space that overlooks a lake. Hotel Indigo offers a relaxing and inviting environment in its public spaces for busy business travelers. This is the first Hotel Indigo to open in Northeast Florida. (877) 846-3446. www.hotelindigo.com.

PANAMA CITY BEACH – BY THE SEA RESORTS is renovating two of its three gulf-front hotels, Legacy and Beachbreak. The hotels are refurbishing more than 1,800 pieces of functionally sound furniture – instead of throwing them away – in an effort to save money and help the environment. (888) 627-0625. www.bythesearesorts.com.

DAYTONA – The Daytona Beach area’s entertainment, convention and sports complex, Ocean Center, will open its doors after a two-year, $76 million expansion and renovation project that resulted in the complex doubling in size to more than 500,000 square feet. (386) 254-4500. www.oceancenter.com.

DAYTONA – The Daytona Beach Kennel Club is now open for business. The new greyhound racing facility boasts satellite coverage of horse racing and poker rooms accommodating 500 players. (386) 252-6484. www.daytonagreyhound.com.

ORLANDO – The Burnham Institute for Medical Research, one of the nation’s top medical research facilities, opens at Lake Nona this spring. The Institute, along with the University of Central Florida’s College of Medicine, will serve as anchors for a medical city complex at Lake Nona and provide new resources for medical meetings and conferences held in Orlando. (407) 745-2000. www.burnham.org.

PORT CHARLOTTE – Major league baseball returns to the area when the Grapefruit League opens Feb. 29 and runs through April 1. The American League Champions, Tampa Bay Rays, will play in the Charlotte Sports Park which just completed $27 million in renovations, including all new seating, a 360-degree concourse and a new 40,000 square-foot clubhouse. Professional minor league baseball will be played at the renovated stadium when the Charlotte Stone Crabs take the field in April. (941) 206-4487. www.stonecrabsbaseball.com.

PUNTA GORDA – Muscle Car City museum recently opened and is ready to show off its collection of more than 200 high performance GM cars and Chevys, along with a 1950s diner and memorabilia store. (941) 575-5959.

FORT LAUDERDALE – The $205 million W Fort Lauderdale is scheduled to open in March. The 482-room hotel will be located on a 4.5-acre site offering dramatic views of both the Atlantic Ocean and Intracoastal Waterway. Amenities at the 23-story, dual-tower property will include W Hotel’s Whatever/Whenever services, a signature Stephen Starr gourmet restaurant, a state-of-the-art SWEAT fitness center, the renowned Bliss Spa, 24-hour concierge and room service, W signature pillow menu, and a one-of-a-kind oceanfront infinity-edge pool. In addition, the W Fort Lauderdale will boast more than 19,000 square feet of meeting space including Sensory Set Up. (954) 462-1633. www.whotels.com/fortlauderdale.

FORT LAUDERDALE – Real estate mogul, Donald Trump has a condo hotel development planned on Fort Lauderdale beach. Construction has begun on Trump International Hotel & Tower Fort Lauderdale, a 24-story building designed by world-renowned architect Michael Graves. From the exterior, the property’s curvilinear lines and art-deco accents recall a circa 1925-cruise liner. Inside, 301 luxuriously appointed one and two-bedroom suites feature Italian-marble flooring and fine furnishings. Other Trump-worthy amenities will include a spa, tropical pool with waterfalls, and a fine dining restaurant. (866) 878- 6701. www.trumpfortlauderdale.com.

FORT LAUDERDALE – The Sheraton Yankee Trader Hotel is undergoing a dramatic multi-million dollar transformation and will be re-flagged as The Westin Beach Resort, Fort Lauderdale. The new Heavenly Spa by Westin will offer a rejuvenating experience. The property boasts more than 32,000 square feet of flexible meeting space, including a 10,000-square-foot ballroom for groups of up to 900 people, and the Sunrise Terrace with more than 6,300 square feet of space and inspiring Atlantic views. (800) 823-2240. www.westin.com/fortlauderdalebeach.

FISHER ISLAND (Near Miami) – The Fisher Island Club recently renovated its par-35, nine-hole golf course. The $3.9 million renovation included not only adding difficulty and lush landscaping to the course, but also changing out the Greens. The new course is completely laid out of Sea Isle 2000 Paspalum grass, which thrives on salt water and can even be irrigated using ocean water. Complementing the beautiful course is a two-tiered driving range with a putting green, practice sand bunkers and a teaching area. (305) 535-6076. www.fisherislandclub.com.

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For additional information, contact Henny Groenendijk at (416) 485- 2573 ext. 231 or hgroenendijk@thermrgroup.ca
VISIT FLORIDA is the official tourism marketing corporation for the state of Florida. 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 has more than 3,500 tourism industry Partners and four major strategic alliances with American Express Travel Related services, AirTran Airways, Dollar Rent A Car and The Hertz Corporation. To learn more about VISIT FLORIDA, visit www.VISITFLORIDA.org

VISIT FLORIDA is the official tourism marketing corporation for the state of Florida. 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 has more than 3,400 tourism industry Partners and four major strategic alliances with American Express Travel Related services, AirTran Airways, Dollar Rent A Car and The Hertz Corporation. To learn more about VISIT FLORIDA, visit www.VISITFLORIDA.org.