ACTION CENTER

Entertainment options are exploding in Lake Nona, the innovative master-planned community in southeast Orlando perhaps best known for its Medical City, a high-tech cluster of hospitals, athletic training complexes and research facilities.

Tavistock Development Company is tackling some immense projects to bring more experiences to the burgeoning health-centered community of 17 square miles.

“It's about trying to be as current and as forward thinking as possible to continue the next great American community,” says Ralph Ireland, vice president of development operations.

Tavistock makes Lake Nona residents a priority while also seeking to position the community as a regional destination. 

Either way, unique experiences are in focus for the 4 million-square-foot Lake Nona Town Center, which is blossoming at the southwest corner of State Road 417 and Lake Nona Boulevard.

The Town Center's $300 million, 1.2 million-square-foot second phase is under construction. Plans include a brewery, a bowling alley, a comedy club, an upscale cinema and plenty of shopping and dining options — all within walking distance for many residents. 

At full build-out, the Lake Nona Town Center will include more than 80 specialty retailers, anchors, junior anchors and restaurants. “It's already a game changer,” Ireland adds. “We see it as a framework for additional development.”

The Town Center's first phase boasts two Marriott brands under the same roof — a Marriott Residence Inn and a Courtyard by Marriott. It also encompasses the Chroma Modern Bar + Kitchen, Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine, JACQ & JACK Salon, Barbershop and Espresso Bar featuring Lineage Coffee Roasting and The Beacon, an eye-popping, 60-foot structural steel sculpture alongside the Code Wall parking garage. 

Indeed, the attention that developers paid to the garage — often the most basic type of building — may provide hints of what’s to come. The Beacon sculpture is wrapped with high-definition video projections that bring it to life at night.

The Code Wall on the garage's facade is “perforated” with the 0's and 1's of binary code, spelling out Lake Nona’s vision and community key words in addition to choreographed LED lights and glass panels reflecting sunlight. 

The Lake Nona Town Center already is a popular gathering spot for a drink, a bite of food and a fun time with family and friends. “The retail environment is changing quite a bit, and people want an experiential environment,” Ireland says. “It's a very walkable environment — measured to the inch so you don’t feel overwhelmed or underwhelmed by the space.”

Walkability, of course, is healthy for residents and visitors. But it also helps reduce the community’s carbon footprint and mitigates a proliferation of automobiles.

Another hangout option is the Drive Shack, which opened its first U.S. location on the northwest corner of State Road 417 and Lake Nona Boulevard in Lake Nona’s Sports & Performance District. 

It's a three-story, 57,000-square-foot driving range with 90 outdoor driving bays. It also houses restaurants, bars, meeting rooms and an expansive free-play arcade lounge. Drive Shack is part of a golf entertainment company, Drive Shack Holdings LLC, founded by partners Newcastle Investment Corp. and TaylorMade Golf Company Inc. 

In the heart of Lake Nona’s entertainment, dining and shopping district, the Town Center Hotel will boast a sleek exterior, a grand motor court entrance, a sophisticated lobby and a ballroom, plus a rooftop pool and lounge with private event capabilities. 

It will also offer frequent connections to nearby Orlando International Airport, through which some 72 million visitors pass every year. 

Not far from the Town Center, Lake Nona residents have two new community parks built by Tavistock Development Company: McCoy City Park and Heroes City Park. 

Water sports will be available for all ages at Nona Adventure Park, to be located next to Heroes City Park in the Laureate Park neighborhood. Nona Adventure Park will feature the first solar-powered water ski and wakeboard cable park in the world. 

Located just south of the Orlando VA Medical Center, Nona Adventure Park also will include an inflatable aqua park, a 60-foot climbing tower with a ropes course and climbing walls, a pro shop featuring equipment rentals and sales, and an upscale café. 

Lake Nona will soon be home to the next generation of fitness facilities.

So much more than a gym, the Lake Nona Wellness Center will be a combined sports performance institute, medically integrated fitness facility and community wellness destination. 

The innovative wellness, performance and medically integrated fitness facility is being created in partnership with Signet and its subsidiary, Integrated Wellness Partners.

The 110,000-square-foot center, to be in the Town Center's second phase, will be fully outfitted with first-class equipment as well as a sprint track, an indoor climbing wall, and indoor and outdoor pools — among other amenities.

The center will offer health and wellbeing programs tailored to every fitness level, providing customized programs for residents, families and elite athletes.  

Featuring a personalized approach, the center will offer each member a data-driven fitness program and profile updated in real time. This will be a unique wellness experience, and one of the most comprehensive in the region.