Bass Pro Shops rings up Cheeca Lodge resort in Florida Keys 

Bass Pro Shops hooked Islamorada’s 27-acre Cheeca Lodge & Spa, adding the luxury fishing and sporting resort to its multi-billion-dollar portfolio. 

The outdoor retailer, led by Johnny Morris, acquired the property at 81801 Overseas Highway in the Upper Keys from Northwood Investors for an undisclosed amount, according to a news release. 

The sale was completed under the advisement of JLL. 

Northwood Investors, led by John Kukral, asked $300 million for the property earlier this year, The Real Deal previously reported. 

Northwood Hospitality will continue to operate the 254-room resort, which its parent company acquired in 2011. Since then, Northwood Investors has made a series of splashy upgrades, adding 43 oceanfront suites, 11 luxury casitas and a 10,000-square-foot conference center. In 2020, the firm expanded the property with the acquisition of the neighboring Casitas and Morada Bay properties.  

Cheeca Lodge, founded in 1946 by an heir to the A&P grocery fortune, also includes three restaurants, a store, a spa, a kids camp, six tennis courts and a 525-foot fishing pier. It’s one of the most famous fishing resorts in the country, bringing anglers, celebrities and presidents to the Florida Keys. Visitors have included President George H.W. Bush and President Harry Truman, Ernest Hemingway, Zane Grey, Paul Newman and Ted Williams.

Morris said he has “enormous respect” for Islamorada’s history and is “humbled and honored to have the opportunity to help protect it.” 

Islamorada is the self-proclaimed sport fishing capital of the world. It consists of four islands spanning 18 miles and 3,900 acres across the keys.  

Bass Pro Shops operates nearly 200 locations in the U.S. and Canada, with stores averaging over 120,000 square feet each, according to MMCG invest. It acquired and merged with Cabela’s for $5 billion in 2017. Beyond its big-box retail stores, Bass Pro Shops’ real estate portfolio includes several resorts that host more than 7 million guests per year, according to its website. 

Bass Pro Shops’ other resorts include Big Cedar Lodge and Bass Pro Shops Angler’s Lodge in Missouri, and Big Cypress Lodge in Tennessee. 

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Northwood asking $300M for famed Cheeca Lodge hotel in the Florida Keys