Bass Pro Shops acquires Cheeca Lodge, pickleball courts add appeal

Bass Pro Shops acquired Cheeca Lodge & Spa through its nature-based resorts division, putting one of Islamorada’s best-known fishing-and-leisure properties under an owner that has built its hospitality arm around outdoor travel. The deal, announced June 24, came with a clear message from Johnny Morris: keep the resort’s authentic character and heritage intact while improving it for future guests.

For pickleball travelers, the immediate news is not a shiny new court build. Cheeca already lists six lighted sport courts, including pickleball, on 27 acres with 1,200 feet of private white-sand beach, three tropical pools, a spa, a Jack Nicklaus-designed par-three golf course, and a 525-foot fishing pier it calls the longest in the Florida Keys. The property also says it has more than 15,000 square feet of event space, which matters because the strongest retreat and group-trip packages in this market now bundle court time with dining, meeting space, and non-court activities that fill out a weekend.

That makes the Bass Pro move more interesting than a simple ownership change. Big Cedar Lodge, Bass Pro’s hospitality arm, said Cheeca would be guided by the same philosophy of preserving the resort’s character and the natural beauty of the Florida Keys. In practice, that points toward a resort strategy built around the whole property, not just the pickleball lines painted on it. The court product could get folded into broader stay-and-play programming tied to fishing, golf, spa time, family travel, and waterfront leisure, which is exactly the mix that sells in the Keys.

Cheeca’s history gives the deal even more context. The resort says Islamorada began drawing attention after Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad opened access to the Keys, helping turn the area into a fishing destination. It also traces the Cheeca name to owner Charlie Tweitchell’s nickname, “Chee,” combined with her husband Carl’s name. That heritage is part of what Bass Pro is buying, along with a property that Keys Weekly said has 254 rooms and that Northwood Investors had sought to value as high as $300 million in an earlier Bloomberg report. The purchase price was not disclosed.

For pickleball travelers, the key detail is that Cheeca already looks like the kind of resort where courts are one stop in a full travel package. Bass Pro now owns a Keys property with beach, pier, golf, spa, and six lighted sport courts, and that is exactly the sort of mix that can turn a casual court stay into a destination worth booking.