What's New in Florida in 2012? Play Ball

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The new Miami Marlins stadium has a retractable roof and a number of state-of-the-art features. The team expects summer rains and heat will keep the roof closed for up to...

Photo Credit: Courtesy Miami Marlins

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'Edison and Ford were the Steve Jobs of their day,' said museum CEO Chris Pendleton. The restoration of the 1927 research lab took six years.

Photo Credit: Courtesy Edison & Ford Winter Estates

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The Young at Art Museum's curators set out to engage children about art and show them how things like painting, digital art and sculpture enrich the community.

Photo Credit: Courtesy Young at Art Museum

Baseball stadiums big and bigger will open in Miami, Fort Myers and Pensacola. An Edison research lab is revived in Fort Myers.

Ballparks, 3-D rides, innovative museums and a restored 1920s-era research lab will be among the major new attractions in Florida in the coming year.
 
The Sunshine State will offer a new Club Med spa in Port St. Lucie for human pampering and an animal care center where visitors to Tampa can see behind-the-scenes veterinary care at Busch Gardens, one of the state's top zoos and theme parks.

The 82 million people who visited Florida in 2010 can return in 2012 to massive new sports landmarks, restored beaches and a South Florida children's art museum that will set the standard nationwide.

"There continues to be so much incredible investment," said Will Seccombe, the state's chief tourism marketing officer. "There's new infrastructure, hotels, resorts to major attractions like huge new rides and the Marlins baseball park. The Florida tourism industry learned a lot of lessons over the years: One of the reasons we've been so successful is that we are continuing investing, upgrading and enhancing the tourism product."

The number of visitors to the state was up five percent last year, he said.

One of the biggest investments will be spotted by most everyone flying into Miami International Airport: the $515 million, 37,000-seat Miami Marlins baseball stadium.

The stadium will open for business April 4 in the season opener against the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals.

No more rain delays or unbearable summer heat – this new facility has a retractable roof and air conditioning. Temperatures will be kept at a cool 75 degrees. The team expects summer rains and heat will keep the roof closed for up to 90 percent of the 81 home games.

"When you visit a place for the first time, you go to the most important landmarks. We think this will become an important landmark," said team president David Samson. "It's such a glorious building everyone will see as they fly in from the airport. It will be hard to miss."

The stadium is on 17 acres of the 42-acre Orange Bowl site in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood, less than two miles from downtown. The team expects to draw up to 500,000 out-of-towners in the opening season, something that was difficult in the past, because visitors from other parts of the state feared weather disruptions, Samson said.

"We never used to be able to draw from Orlando, Naples and the Keys," he said. "This is a full relocation. We're not just in the parking lot of where we used to be."

It will mark the first time the Marlins play in a baseball-only stadium. The newly branded Miami Marlins have an updated logo, uniform and new players (such as All-Star shortstop Jose Reyes and pitcher Mark Buerhle).

The new stadium has two aquariums and a 360-degree promenade level. It's also the first LEED-certified retractable roof stadium in the country, which means it has environmentally-friendly features such as more water-efficient restroom facilities.

"We think it's one of the best in the country," he said. "That will be for the fans to decide."

Other new sports facilities include a $54 million water-view park and stadium which will be home to the Blue Wahoos, a new minor-league team in Pensacola. In Fort Myers, the $77.9 million JetBlue Park will be the latest spring training facility for the Boston Red Sox, featuring a replica of Fenway Park's Green Monster.

Broward County will see a major new children's art museum, when the relocated Young at Art Museum opens in Davie with twice as much floor space and four new exhibit areas.

The $26 million museum was a years-long project that incorporated ideas from artists from places such as the Museum of Modern Art.

The museum's concept is to incorporate art into all aspects of children's curriculum. Curators set out to engage children about art and show them how things like painting, digital art and sculpture enrich the community. It features a section on nature, a spot for younger kids and another for teens interested in computers and recording music.

"It's a model for the museum field," said CEO and founder Mindy Shargo. "We will be so unique. Art is critically important to the growth of the child, so we don't dumb-down to kids: We teach history, we teach culture."

About 20 percent of the museum's current visitors hail from out of town, Shargo said. Opening day is May 5.

History and science buffs can get their fill at the Edison-Ford Winter Estates in Fort Myers, which in 2012 will complete a six-year, $13 million restoration project with the opening of a completely restored 1927 research lab.

The historic home site – one of the top 10 most-visited in the country – was the winter resting spot for Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. Thirteen historic buildings are spread over 20 acres and feature hundreds of inventions and artifacts.

"Edison and Ford were the Steve Jobs of their day," said museum CEO Chris Pendleton. "The lab has never been restored to the way it was in Edison's day – till now. It just sat there since the 1920s."

The estate curators explain that during World War I, the price of rubber rose dramatically. Edison hoped to find a domestic source of rubber from a latex-producing plant. He, Ford and Harvey Firestone formed the Edison Botanic Research Corporation in 1927, and the lab was built in 1928 to support rubber research and development.

This is where they tested some 17,000 plants from 2,200 species. Research there proved that a common weed produced latex. "Edison's 1,090th patent received was connected to his rubber research, for the process of extracting rubber from plants," according to the estate web site.

The $900,000 exhibit will open on Edison's birthday, Feb. 11.

"That's what we're about," Pendleton said, "the celebration of invention."

New in 2012: Across the State

By Frances Robles

Lee County

JetBlue Park at Fenway South: the $77.9 million, 11,000-seat spring training home of the Boston Red Sox.
Daniels Parkway, approximately two miles east of Interstate 75.
239-334-4700
redsox.com

The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum on Sanibel Island has a cowry shell exhibit that includes specimen shells, interactive videos and artifacts.
3075 Sanibel-Captiva Road, Sanibel Island
239-395-2233
shellmuseum.org

The Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium in Fort Myers has added an Exotic Room with species such as a green iguana, spiny-tailed iguana, boa constrictor and pythons.
3450 Ortiz Ave., Fort Myers
239-275-3435
calusanature.org

The Edison & Ford Winter Estates will open the renovated Edison Botanic Research Laboratory and, on the second Saturday of each month, offer garden talks in the Estates Garden Shoppe.
239-334-7419
edisonfordwinterestates.org

Tampa Bay

Dinosaur World in Plant City will open a 22,000-square-foot building to house a Prehistoric Museum, gift shop and playground.
5145 Harvey Tew Road, Plant City
813-717-9865
dinosaurworld.com

Busch Gardens will welcome guests to closely observe and take part in nutrition from treatments to X-rays and surgeries when the Tampa park opens its 16,000-square-foot Animal Care Center in late January. Also this winter, the park will debut its biggest ice show to date on Feb. 2. Iceploration stars world-class skaters, amazing aerial performances, master puppetry and live animal stars.
10165 N McKinley Drive, Tampa
1-888-800-5447
seaworldparks.com/en/buschgardens-tampa
seaworldparks.com/en/buschgardens-tampa/Animals/Animal-Care

The Florida Museum of Photographic Arts will be moving in March to the second and third floors of Rivergate Tower's Cube, the soaring, six-story atrium recognized as one of the most impressive interior spaces in Tampa.
400 North Ashley Drive, Tampa
813-221-2222
FMoPA.org

Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino has begun a $75 million, 32,000-square-foot expansion to its casino to be completed in early 2012. The finished result will have a total of 5,000 slot machines and 105 table games, a new restaurant, five-story parking and renovated pool.
5223 North Orient Road, Tampa
1-866-502-PLAY (7529)
seminolehardrocktampa.com

Port St. Lucie

Club Med will open a new spa by L'OCCITANE at Club Med Sandpiper Bay in Port St. Lucie. The 5,000-square-foot spa is the only L'OCCITANE-branded spa in the U.S. and marks the completion of a $28 million renovation project for the resort.
4500 SE Pine Valley St., Port St. Lucie
772-398-5100
sandpiperbay.clubmed.us

Pensacola

A 30-acre, $50 million multi-use Maritime Park will open in April on Pensacola's bayfront to be used for concerts, festivals and baseball games. The Blue Wahoos will kick off the inaugural season on April 5 at the Maritime Park.
850-934-8444
bluewahoos.com

The National Flight Academy opens June 1 adjacent to the National Naval Aviation Museum. The academy offers a two-day tourist excursion or five-day overnight camp for students interested in hands-on missions and virtual reality simulators to learn science, technology, engineering and math.
One Fetterman Way, NAS Pensacola
850-458-7836 or toll free  877-552-3632
nationalflightacademy.com

Bradenton

This summer the 1.25-mile Bradenton Riverwalk (between Ninth Street W and Sixth Street E) will be a pedestrian- and bike-friendly destination for the community to enjoy events, performances, recreation and quiet reflection.
downtownbradenton.com/Projects/Riverwalk.aspx

Panama City

The recently opened 2,900-acre Conservation Park protects natural resources and provides trails for cyclists and nature enthusiasts.
Parking located off 100 Conservation Drive
pcbgov.com/maps.htm

The restored Sea Dragon amusement ride is back this spring at Miracle Strip park.
400 Pier Park Drive, Panama City Beach
850-230-5200
miracle-strip.com

Orlando Area

Universal Orlando Resort will open a new 3D attraction at Universal Studios based on the animated feature Despicable Me. The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman attraction at Universal's Islands of Adventure will be enhanced with a reanimated, high-definition experience. Universal CityWalk will add Hollywood Drive-In Golf, movie-themed miniature golf courses, in early 2012.
6000 Universal Blvd., Orlando
407-363-8000
universalorlando.com

Fun Spot Action Park in Orlando opens stage one of its 10-acre park expansion, which includes new tracks and rides.
5551 Del Verde Way, Orlando
407-363-3867
funspotattractions.com

SeaWorld Orlando will have several new attractions. In spring 2012, Freshwater Oasis features swimming and wading adventures and face-to-face encounters with otters and marmosets. In the spring, TurtleTrek will feature two massive habitats, one for freshwater fish and gentle manatees, the other home to some 1,500 saltwater fish and more than a dozen sea turtles.
7007 SeaWorld Drive, Orlando
1-888-800-5447
seaworldparks.com/en/seaworld-orlando/Park-Info

LEGOLAND Florida will open LEGOLAND Water Park in time for summer 2012. The water park will feature a wave pool, Build-A-Raft lazy river, tube slides, body slides and an interactive water-play structure.
One LEGOLAND Way, Winter Haven
877-350-LEGO (5346)
florida.legoland.com

Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World Resort's Fantasyland expansion in Magic Kingdom is underway, with Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid, Be Our Guest Restaurant and Enchanted Tales with Belle attractions scheduled to open in late 2012.

Walt Disney World's Disney's Art of Animation Resort opens in May. It will feature 1,120 value suites designed after Finding Nemo, Cars and The Lion King, and 864 rooms inspired by The Little Mermaid.
1850 Century Drive, Lake Buena Vista
disneyworld.disney.go.com/resorts/art-of-animation-resort/

The Exotics Course at Walt Disney World Speedway will allow the public to test-drive supercars by Ferrari, Lamborghini, Audi and Porsche on its newly renovated track. Opening in mid-January.
855-822-0149
exoticdriving.com/race-track/orlando-walt-disney-world-speedway/

The Florida Keys

Making nightly sails, the Tropical Breeze Casino cruise ship features blackjack and craps tables with buy-ins as low as $5.
Key West Harbour Yacht Club, 6000 Peninsular Ave., Stock Island
305-294-3990
tropicalbreezecasino.com

The Schooner America 2.0 will sail twice daily through April.
305-293-7245
sail-keywest.com

Miami

The $515 million, 37,000-seat Miami Marlins baseball stadium opens April 4 in the season opener with the World Series champion St. Louis Cardinals. It'll have a retractable roof and air conditioning.

On South Beach, the historic Royal Palm Hotel is reincarnated, this time with 179 rooms and 211 studios, many of them with an ocean view. Scheduled to begin welcoming guests in late 2012.
1545 Collins Ave., Miami Beach
786-276-0100
royalpalmmiamibeach.com

The St. Regis Bal Harbour Resort opens in  January. Directly across from the celebrated Bal Harbour Shops, the resort will have 243 guest rooms that include spacious glass-enclosed balconies with floor-to-ceiling panoramic views of the ocean.
9703 Collins Ave., Bal Harbour
305-993-3300
stregisbalharbour.com

Solé On The Ocean, a boutique hotel in Sunny Isles Beach, is retrofitting rooms and working on a new restaurant concept. Early 2012.
17315 Collins Ave., Sunny Isles Beach
786-923-9300  
soleontheocean.com

Originally built in 1940, The Lord Balfour, a "vintage chic" boutique hotel in South Beach's "SoFi" neighborhood, will be making its debut in winter 2012 after a multi-million dollar renovation.
350 Ocean Drive, Miami Beach
1-800-501-0401
lordbalfourmiami.com

The Rusty Pelican, Key Biscayne's iconic waterfront restaurant, is scheduled to reopen in January after a $7 million renovation. Expect a fresh modern American menu that mirrors the restaurant's new look, which will seat more than 400 patrons.
3201 Rickenbacker Causeway, Key Biscayne
305-361-3818
www.therustypelican.com

Miami Seaquarium unveiled its latest interactive attraction to guests, the $400,000 Sea Trek Reef Encounter, which provides an underwater walking journey through the park's Reef Aquarium while wearing a state-of-the-art dive helmet that allows guests to breathe freely as they encounter a variety of unique sea creatures. The park also unveiled Sharky's Sky Trail, a new ropes course adventure.
4400 Rickenbacker Causeway, Key Biscayne
305-361-5705
miamiseaquarium.com

Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport has paired with Broward County Libraries to offer travelers free access to 15,000-plus e-books for smart phones or e-readers, with a scan of a Quick Response code displayed on screens in baggage claim areas. The e-books are a gift and never expire.

Tallahassee

The Museum of Florida History will open a permanent exhibit on March 3 as part of the statewide effort to recognize Florida's Hispanic heritage.
500 South Bronough St., Tallahassee
850-245-6400
museumoffloridahistory.com

Four Points by Sheraton, Tallahassee Downtown, is a LEED-certified hotel property with 164 guestrooms and 7,100 square feet of meeting space that opens in April.
316 Tennessee St., Tallahassee
850-508-6576
starwoodhotels.com/fourpoints/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=3626