In a state better known for its beaches, the World Equestrian Center draws visitors inland to Central Florida’s rolling horse country. The 378-acre, oak-lined campus is the largest equestrian complex in the United States and hosts a biannual hunter/jumper series and Saturday night Grand Prix with a $100,000 purse, both of which draw athletes from around the world. The March 2024 opening of a new 390-room hotel—The Riding Academy, with trophy-style lamps and stirrup-inspired accessories—cements the WEC’s leisure appeal. Other offerings include the Equestrian Hotel (older and even posher, with 248 rooms overlooking the 128,000-square-foot Grand Outdoor Arena), multiple pools, luxury toy and clothing boutiques, and restaurants that range from a French-style patisserie and gastro pub with live music to a chophouse, where a master sommelier guides diners through a chateau-worthy wine list topping 6,000 bottles. Add to that 29 indoor and outdoor competition arenas that host Olympic athletes at top equestrian events, as well as non-horse-related gatherings throughout the year (food and wine festivals and the like), and Florida’s surprisingly pastoral interior begins to feel pretty lively. “We’re exposing people who have never seen or expressed interest in equestrian competition to the sport,” says Ric Owens, lead designer with Roberts Design Group, the company behind the hotels’ interiors.
Buy your copy of the World’s Greatest Places issue here
