Places to Go: Lakewood Ranch; Ave Maria

Things to see: Florida has a long tradition of brand-spanking-new cities built from scratch and connected to fortunes made elsewhere. Some of the most recent of these new cities are near Interstate 75, including Sarasota/Bradenton’s Lakewood Ranch and Sarasota’s Palmer Ranch.

The former, Lakewood Ranch, is known for its golf, Sarasota Polo Club matches and a new urbanist downtown that overlooks Lake Uihlein. The lake is named for the Schlitz beer family who developed the 30,000-acre ranch. On Main Street, Lakewood’s Polo Grill and Bar is a perfect stopping point for folks heading up or down Interstate 75.

Ave Maria, east of Naples, has been called one of the most ambitious real estate developments in Southwest Florida.

Ave Maria, east of Naples, has been called one of the most ambitious real estate developments in Southwest Florida. The vision of Domino’s Pizza magnate Tom Monaghan, it’s one man’s quest to transform 5,000 acres of remote pastures and citrus groves into a town of 25,000 with a university. Just think of how many Ultimate Deep Dish pizzas it took!

Ave Maria is about 10 miles from anywhere, in the heart of low farmland, making its massive brick waterfall entryway hard to miss. Another couple of miles down a newly paved road, a few dozen homes, copper-roofed university buildings, a Tuscan-style town center and an oratory of stunning design come into view.

Ave Maria is home to a Catholic university that opened last year with about 600 students. Like Oxford, England, the town, gown and church are intermingled. Cast in stone, with curves of steel, the 100-foot-high, $24 million basilica of the school is an ideal photo op and is at the center of town.

After checking it out, grab a fresh sandwich and Trappist beer at The Bean of Ava Maria, a Starbucks-style coffee shop with black-and-white photos of popes and monks hanging on its bright walls. Along with a smattering of businesses in the La Piazza town center, the golf course Club at Del Webb is open for play. Check the town’s calendar, as there is a free event or concert most weekends.

Places to Stay: Ave Maria has plans for a hotel, but until then, the Inn on Fifth, a European-style boutique hotel in Naples, looks the part. A bit closer, and due west of Ave Maria, is LaPlaya Beach and Golf Resort.