Dubbed a hidden gem in Florida, Lake Nona is a “smart” city within a city that acts as a living lab for new technologies across wellness, transportation and hospitality, encompassing 17-square miles as Orlando’s fastest growing neighborhood. A hub for innovation in Central Florida, Lake Nona is home to the nation’s most technologically advanced hotel, Michelin-recommended dining, a thriving startup ecosystem, the nation’s largest and longest-running autonomous shuttle network, one of the most comprehensive health clubs spanning 130,000 square feet and diverse housing options from affordable to luxury.
HOTELS
With a striking façade of curved glass inspired by a wavelength of energy, Lake Nona Wave Hotel is one of the most tech-savvy hotels in the nation, home to over 500+ pieces of vibrant colorful art, a Michelin-recommended restaurant, dedicated category of rooms proven to enhance sleep and more. The newly opened Aloft Lake Nona features 205 urban-inspired guestrooms and 15 suites, a sports-themed restaurant and the 10,000-square-foot Althea Lake Nona Events Center. With the rise of sports tourism, the hotel is the closest to the largest tennis facility in the world, the United States Tennis Association (USTA) National Campus, near the bustling Lake Nona Town Center.
REAL ESTATE
Lake Nona offers a broad collection of home options, from contemporary apartments to townhouses, brightly colored bungalows, cottages, single-family homes and luxury estates. Including is its new single-family home community, Laureate Park, starting in the $400s for custom-built homes and townhomes. Noted as one of the top private golf and country clubs in the world, Lake Nona Golf & Country Club is a sanctuary of luxury real estate and amenities nestled along the shores of Lake Nona. The 600-acre community features a Tom Fazio-designed championship golf course, clubhouse, lodge, Bath & Racquet Club, year-round children’s programming and 24-hour security. Lake Nona has niche communities for every season of life, including the Gatherings, geared toward 55+ active adults to senior living at Somerby.
INNOVATION
Orlando was recently named one of the best cities to create a startup because of its thriving ecosystem, including Lake Nona’s “living lab” environment that has attracted visionary companies and startups from across the globe. Lake Nona’s leAD Sports Accelerator program nurtures sports and wellness tech startups from ideation to creation by funding the growth of early-stage sports and health tech startups globally, attracting high-caliber investors, partners and mentors with a wide range of expertise in sports and health.
AN ATHLETE HAVEN
While Orlando is known as a theme park haven, Lake Nona has been attracting athletes who deem access to a rolodex of doctors patenting first-of-its kind techniques, advanced collection of sports and performance facilities, mind training therapies as the most coveted amenity. Health performance technology, like the above, seems out of reach for anyone not training for the Olympics. However Lake Nona is making it accessible for its residents, travelers, office employees and aspiring athletes. From cognitive strength training by NESTRE, the first NEuro-STREngth company to leverage the science of neuroplasticity (the brain’s ability to change) to strengthen the mind used by elite performers, NFL athletes, coaches and Olympians, to the highly sought-after longevity clinic, Fountain Life is a destination for preventative health. Athlete-centric amenities also include the USTA National Campus, the largest tennis facility in the nation that features 100 courts and is home to thousands of training players and hundreds of tournaments each year. Alongside the Lake Nona Performance Club that redefines the fitness center experience, amenities include access to experts in health care and exercise, an aquatic center, an indoor track, the largest rock-climbing gym in the region and the Chopra Mind-Body Zone & Spa – a first-of-its-kind partnership with Deepak Chopra.
THINGS TO DO
Lake Nona is a playground for the senses with a variety of weekly community activities and destinations for dining, art and shopping. Lake Nona’s Sculpture Garden is a 50,000-square-foot outdoor tropical enclave brimming with lush landscaping and a definitive collection of world-renowned sculptures that creates an outdoor art gallery exhibiting one of the world’s largest private art collections. Boxi Park is Central Florida’s first outdoor entertainment venue constructed from repurposed shipping containers spanning 30,000 square feet with a performance stage, beach volleyball and ongoing community events. There are more than 10 restaurants and dining destinations around the town center of Lake Nona from the boldly seductive flavors of the Americas at BACÁN to the newly opened contemporary Japanese concept with European elements at Nami.
