Si Resort 4 E1725635985656 — The proposed resort would including a nine-story hotel. (City of Tuscaloosa)

It’s been almost a year since Sports Illustrated selected Tuscaloosa as the host for its first college town resort. Now, we are getting a first look at some of the details of the resort including new renderings.

During a Riverfront Advisory Commission meeting on Sept. 5, the Sports Illustrated project and development team presented a two-phase proposal for the resort.

Keep reading to find out more including the projected timeline for completion of the resort.

Sports Illustrated Resort

Screenshot 2024 09 06 At 10.41.42 Am — A skyview rendering of the proposed resort. (City of Tuscaloosa)

As originally expected, the sports-themed resort will be located on the north side of the Black Warrior River. The proposed site for the resort is 105 Rice Mine Road, located just off McFarland Boulevard.

The nine-story resort proposal includes:

137 hotel rooms
250 timeshare units
150 privately owned condos
Food + drink outlets
3 retail buildings
Central services building
Parking
Outdoor areas

Phase 1 would include everything in the picture above while a second phase of the project would include four additional condo and timeshare buildings.

The project is hoping to begin construction next year with completion of both phases done by 2027.

Why Tuscaloosa?

“The University of Alabama has a rich athletic history across all sports. There is no city more passionate and supportive of their university athletics quite like Tuscaloosa. So when it came time to choose where we wanted to launch Sports Illustrated Resorts, the choice was obvious. We believe we could not have picked a better city, university and community for our flagship resort.”
~ Austin Bolton, University + community partnerships for SI resorts

The Crimson Tide has been on the cover of the Sports Illustrated magazine more than any other college, making Tuscaloosa the clear choice for the company’s first college-town resort.

But this decision goes beyond the connection to the Crimson Tide between the sidelines.

According to the SI, the proposal is directly in line with the city’s future riverwalk plans and allows the city to expand economically on both sides of the river. The resort would also help connect Randall Family Park to Cypress Inn.