Experience the dynamic blend of culinary innovation, cultural gems and premier sports events defining spring 2024 on Florida’s Paradise Coast. From exclusive arts and culture offerings to eagerly awaited hotel openings, uncover the latest developments and milestones further enhancing the allure of Florida’s Paradise Coast.
Culinary Experiences
- Nolita – The Ritz-Carlton, Naples, unveiled its latest culinary experience, Nolita, which joins recent additions: Sofra, Moka and the Lobby Bar. Drawing inspiration from its namesake neighbourhood in New York, Nolita features artisan pastas made in-house, as well as hand-tossed pizzas and a menu of familiar Italian classics influenced by family recipes. By day, Nolita offers an expanded breakfast buffet, transitioning to a menu of timeless Italian fare for lunch. By night, the lively bar complements a dinner menu of classic dishes such as veal parmigiana, vongole and spaghetti with meatballs. Boozy ice creams and timeless desserts complete the menu including Limoncello Strawberry Cheesecake and Tiramisu.
- Unidos Latin Kitchen and Bar – Inspired by trendsetting Latin and Central American cities and capitals like Buenos Aires, Rio de Janeiro and Lima, Unidos is a new culinary getaway in the heart of Naples. The modern Nuevo Latino concept opened in January 2024. The menu at Unidos excites the senses with its rich Argentinian wines and asados combined with the seafood-rich dishes of Peru, Ecuador, the prolific mountains of Colombia and the diversity of Mexico.
- LoLa 41 – Having gained notoriety in Palm Beach and Nantucket, the March 2024 opening of LoLa 41 in Naples was met with buzz and excitement. The restaurant specialises in cuisines from the 41st parallel, bringing an East-meets-West fusion of global flavours complemented by a vibrant ambiance to the downtown dining scene around the corner from Fifth Avenue South.
- Bicyclette Cookshop – The restaurant’s executive chef and partner, Kayla Pfeiffer, recently won the Chopped championship on the Food Network’s season finale. At Bicyclette Cookshop, expect familiar dishes with surprising flavours like Caviar bumps paired with a pack of crunchy Bugles or a cocktail topped with Pop Rocks. The cuisine, which toes the line between traditional and eccentric, is best described as “New American.”
Hotel Happenings
- The Perry Hotel Naples – Opening in 2024, The Perry Hotel Naples will offer 160 rooms with a modern industrial design with local touches complemented by world-class amenities, including distinctive food and beverage venues, ground-level and rooftop pools and a seventh-floor, open-air rooftop bar and 75-seat restaurant with unmatched panoramic seventh-story views. The hotel will face the Cocohatchee River with direct channel access to the Gulf of Mexico and Wiggins State Park and a riverwalk through its nature conservation area to a waterfront pier and eight-slip marina for watersports and excursions.
- Compass by Margaritaville – Now booking stays, the new upscale boutique hotel is bringing the iconic Margaritaville state of mind to Naples. Guests will have the choice of 120 fully equipped rooms and enjoy amenities including “Sunrise at Compass” complimentary breakfast buffet, a Welcome Cabana with daily light snacks and refreshments, 5 o’Clock Somewhere Bar & Grill, and The Backyard – a destination unto itself with a pool, live entertainment, backyard games, palm tree tables, fire tables and multiple social gathering areas.
- The Great Wolf Lodge – Naples expects to celebrate the grand opening of the iconic Great Wolf Lodge on 25 September 2024. The Naples location will be the 21st lodge to join the Great Wolf Lodge water park resort family. The property will include a 90,000-square-foot indoor water park, a 60,000-square-foot Great Wolf Adventure Park and 500 rooms along with restaurants and retail outlets for families to enjoy throughout their stay. The complex will be located on the eastern edge of Collier County next to the Paradise Coast Sports Complex.
Arts & Culture
- Andy Warhol Portfolios Exhibition – Artis—Naples, home of The Baker Museum, presents Andy Warhol Portfolios: A Life in Pop | Works from the Bank of America Collection. The exhibition, which opened on 6 April, includes rare complete portfolios and individual prints by Warhol, starting with iconic works from the mid-1960s to the series of monoprints titled Vesuvius that he created in 1985. The prints included in this exhibition demonstrate many aspects of Warhol’s art, including his brilliance as a colorist, which can be seen in the early Flowers and Sunset series. As the foremost fine art museum in Southwest Florida, The Baker Museum comprises more than 4,000 objects, the museum’s broad holdings of 20th- and 21st-century art reflect particular strengths in modern art of the United States and Mexico.
- Revs Institute – Auto Trader, an automotive online marketplace, recently recognised Revs Institute as the best auto museum in the state and No. 5 in the world, after analysing Google review scores and annual global Google searches for more than 180 auto museums across the globe. Revs Institute is not only one of the greatest car museums and sources of automobile knowledge in the world; it is a working educational institution dedicated to the study, preservation, conservation and restoration of historically significant automobiles. The Revs Institute houses more than 100 cars built between 1896 and 1995, one of the largest specialised automotive libraries in the world and recently acquired the Van Bever Photography Archive.
Adventure & Attractions
- United Soccer League – Florida’s Paradise Coast will welcome its first professional soccer team. The United Soccer League (USL) will bring the world’s biggest sport to Naples, attracting domestic and international audiences to the destination. USL League One franchise will begin play in 2025 at the state-of-the-art venue, the Paradise Coast Sports Complex. The team’s name, crest and colours will be a collaboration between USL Naples and the local community, devised through strategic listening sessions and community-focused events throughout 2024.
- Alamo Drafthouse Cinema – A movie lover’s oasis meets a golfer’s paradise, HappyLand Movie Miniature Golf will be located in the lobby of the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and will combine a bar and lounge with a world-class mini golf course for all-in-one fun. Inspired by film favourites, each of the nine holes incorporates a different Hollywood creature into the putting challenge. HappyLand will also feature a full bar with 24 beers on tap and a golf-themed signature cocktail list. The new Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Naples will be located in the mixed-use destination, Mercato. Guests can start working on their short game at HappyLand when Alamo Drafthouse Cinema opens in spring 2024.
- Everglades National Park Adventures – A second pontoon boat doubles the capacity of the highly popular Ten Thousand Islands Boat Tour offered by Everglades National Park Adventures. Two additional boats are currently under construction, and when finished in late 2024 or early 2025, the increased fleet will maximise the number of people who can enjoy Everglades National Park through its daily tours.
For more information on Florida’s Paradise Coast, visit www.paradisecoast.com.