Bama Central

Tuscaloosa Will Be Home to Sports Illustrated’s First College Town Resort

Maiden facility in college towns network will be situated across the Black Warrior River from the University of Alabama.

Christopher Walsh

Tuscaloosa Will Be Home to Sports Illustrated’s First College Town Resort
Tuscaloosa Will Be Home to Sports Illustrated’s First College Town Resort /
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Think Tuscaloosa is already the ultimate experience in college sports, especially when one of the University of Alabama teams is in action? Even so, the bar is about to get raised again, this time by one of the biggest names in sports media. 

Wednesday morning, Sports Illustrated launched its new line of college town resorts by announcing that the first will be built in Tuscaloosa, home to the Alabama Crimson Tide. The facility on the northern side of the Black Warrior River at Rice Mine Loop, is slated to open in "late 2025."

Per the release by Sports Illustrated Resorts, Travel + Leisure Co. and Sports Hospitality Ventures, LLC, the venue will include a full-service hotel, condominiums, vacation ownership club, signature SI Fit Health/Wellness Center, restaurants and entertainment. 

“Sports Illustrated Resorts are about hospitality, lifestyle, leisure and entertainment where we celebrate not only the legacy of Sports Illustrated, but the path it is on now, by immersing our guests in sports culture and providing the best entertainment, cuisine, fitness, health and wellness to our guests,” Christopher Schroeder, CEO of Sports Hospitality Ventures, LLC, said in a statement. “People are seeking differentiated experiences that allow them to be more active and participatory, and Sports Illustrated Resorts are delivering the ultimate experiences for guests through the hospitality destinations we are creating.”

Sports Hospitality Ventures, under license from Authentic Brands Group, launched Sports Illustrated Resorts in 2022. Kituwah LLC, the business entity of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, became a key partner and made a capital commitment of $320 million to expand the Sports Illustrated Resorts brand. 

The first Sports Illustrated Resorts property opened in 2022 in Cap Cana, Dominican Republic, and was subsequently used as a shooting location for the 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue. It's amenities include golf, sport fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, horseback riding, water sports, zip lining, biking and hiking. Another site is set to open in Orlando in 2024. 

The pool area at Marina & Villas Cap Cana, Dominican Republic.  / Courtesy of Sports Illustrated Resorts

The destinations are being grouped into three categories: beach and resort, experiences, and "OnCampus." Vacation club members will be able to take advantage of offerings from all three groups. Additional college town destinations are expected to be announced in the future.

Although independently owned, BamaCentral is affiliated with FanNation, which is part of the Sports Illustrated Media Group.

SEE ALSO: Sports Illustrated Resorts

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Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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