Sports Illustrated Resort set to break ground in Tuscaloosa

After years of rumors and planning, construction is set to officially begin on the Sports Illustrated Resort in Tuscaloosa.

Local officials will gather at the site on Rice Mine Road on Wednesday, May 27 for a groundbreaking ceremony.

The milestone event will feature ceremonial shovels, project leaders and a first look at what’s ahead for the highly-anticipated project.

Keep reading to learn more about the project ahead of the groundbreaking.

SI Resort in Tuscaloosa

Tuscaloosa approved a final proposal last year. The latest proposal features a six-story resort, down from nine stories, but it would still include:

• Hotel rooms
• Timeshare units
• Privately owned condos
• Food + drink outlets
• Retail buildings
• Central services building
• Parking
• Outdoor areas

Tuscaloosa was chosen by Sports Illustrated for its first college-town resort back in 2023.

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.

“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

According to the SI, the proposal is also 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.