Here's a look at new Orlando/Central Florida eateries, drinking spots, hotels, conference areas, private rooms, and other spaces to open for events this summer. The new and renovated Orlando/Central Florida venues are available for corporate parties, weddings, fund-raisers, outdoor functions, business dinners, teambuilding activities, conferences, meetings, and more.
The 35,000-square-foot Ace Cafe Orlando, a “motor-centric” dining, entertainment, and retail complex, opened downtown on May 19. This is the first North American location for the London-based brand. The main building has a full-service restaurant, four bars, a coffee lounge, stages, retail shop, art gallery, and more. The two-story venue seats 520 people or can hold 1,025 for a reception. The adjacent outdoor space can seat 250 people or hold as many as 1,000 for a reception. In the fall, two additional spaces will open on the three-acre property: an 8,000-square-foot live music venue and bar that will seat 220 people, and a beer garden with a stage. When complete, the entire venue will be available for buyout for as many as 7,000 people.
Universal Orlando Resort’s third theme park, Volcano Bay, opened in May. The 30-acre water park has a variety of experiences ranging from the serene to the daring, including a winding river, twisting multi-rider raft rides, body slides that drop from the top of a faux volcano, and a wave pool. The park is available for private events, but specific options are still being finalized.
Orlando City Soccer Club in May opened a restaurant and bar in downtown Orlando. Lion’s Pride is a two-story venue that has seating for as many as 250 people or can accommodate 300 for a reception. There is also a private dining room that seats 10. Throughout the space—even in the bathrooms—55 televisions show Orlando City games or other men’s and women’s matches from around the world. The menu offers a variety of soups, sandwiches, salads, steak, and pasta, and there are full bars on both levels. Special menus can be created for private events. The restaurant opens at 11:30 a.m. every day, and closing time varies depending on whether there is a game.
iFly Orlando moved into its new facility near Pointe Orlando in early May. The nearly 11,000-square-foot venue has two wind tunnels that have fans generating winds up to 175 miles an hour, so guests can experience what it feels like to go skydiving. Those not flying can sit around the clear tunnel to watch. There are two meeting rooms that each can accommodate 30 people or can be combined for a larger group of 60. The venue also is available for buyout for as many as 1,700 people.
Disney’s newest attraction opened late May in Animal Kingdom. Pandora—The World of Avatar immerses guests in a mystical world based on the movie Avatar. The new “land” in the park includes bioluminescent rainforests, floating mountains, and two main rides: Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey, a family-friendly boat ride. The main dining facility is Satu’li Canteen, a colorful, fast-casual restaurant where guests create custom meals by choosing a base—such as red and sweet potato hash, or romaine and kale salad—and then add a protein such as chicken, fish, or chili-spiced fried tofu and sauces. Details regarding options for private events are not yet available.
The Florida Aquarium in Tampa opened a new event venue in May. The Mosaic Center is a 7,500-square-foot space with floor-to-ceiling windows that provide views of Harbor Island, Garrison Channel, and the Channelside District. There are two ballrooms that seat 110 and 120 people, respectively, or they can be combined for larger events. The rooftop deck seats 300 people or can hold 360 for a reception. Large groups of as many as 4,000 people can buy out the Mosaic Center and the Aquarium, which has exhibits with more than 20,000 plants and animals. Catering is provided by Aramark.
Reel Fish Coastal Kitchen & Bar opened in February in Winter Park. The casual, white-washed restaurant serves a variety of fresh Florida fish such as grouper, triggerfish, and hogfish, along with “fish camp” classics such as shrimp and cheesy grits, and low country boils. There is seating for 92 people in the main dining room and 30 at the raw bar, which can be enclosed with drapes for private events. The bar and lounge area also can be used for semiprivate events for about 30 people. It opens to the covered patio that has seating for 20. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Friday, and for brunch and dinner on weekends.
The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort completed a $5 million renovation of its meeting space in April. The entire facility, encompassing 329,000 square feet, was updated with new technology, carpet, and paint. The renovations are part of the 2,267 guest room-resort’s multi-year $140 million redesign project. Accommodations in the Swan were updated in 2015 and the rooms and lobby in the Dolphin will be completed in the fall.
The Polite Pig opened April 10 at Disney Springs. This restaurant is a new fast-casual concept from husband-and-wife chefs Julie and James Petrakis, who also operate the Ravenous Pig and Cask & Larder, and James’ brother Brian, a James Beard Foundation Award-nominated chef. The 5,000-square-foot restaurant seats 200 people and is open daily from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. The menu is focused on dishes made with sustainable and local ingredients, including house-smoked chicken brisket, wild salmon, and BBQ cauliflower with yogurt and pepitas, a type of pumpkin seed. In the bar, wine, beer, and cocktails are served from taps and there’s a bourbon bar that offers more than 60 varieties.
A new all-suites hotel opened in February near the Orlando Convention Center and theme parks. The Homewood Suites by Hilton Orlando Theme Parks has 133 studio, one-, and two-bedroom accommodations that each have full kitchens and separate living and sleeping areas. The hotel also has a meeting room that can seat 60 people theater-style.
