When the same team ends up running both big resorts at mile marker 82, what happens to the Islamorada resident who just wants a beach chair, a lecture seat or a dinner table?
The first public commitment from the new partners was $500,000 for the history museum on the Islander's grounds. What each property already offers people who aren't staying the night points the same way. Of the two resorts Bass Pro Shops and Schulte Hospitality Group plan to run together, the Islander is the one that has been building doors for locals.
The Deal, in the Owners' Own Words
Bass Pro Shops bought Cheeca Lodge & Spa through its nature-based resorts division in June 2026. Keys Weekly reported that the property it took over has 254 rooms, a nine-hole par-3 golf course and a 525-foot pier.
Then on Oct. 14, Bass Pro and Schulte Hospitality Group announced a partnership to acquire and operate the Islander Resort on the oceanside at mile marker 82. Neither side disclosed the financial terms. The Islander opened in 1951. Today it covers 24 acres, with 114 bungalows and suites, 25 bayside villas, beachfront, pools and several places to eat.
Three parts of the announcement matter to someone who lives a few miles up or down U.S. 1:
- Operations: Both resorts will run as usual through the transition while plans to "enhance and unite" the two properties are worked out. Keys Weekly quoted the partners as saying "every effort will be made to retain much of the charm and character" of both places.
- Leadership: Joy Michelle Boyd, the Islander's current manager and president of the Florida Keys Resort & Lodging Association chapter, will lead both resorts. She will report to Debbie Bennett, president of Bass Pro's nature-based hospitality division.
- Money: Bass Pro, founder Johnny Morris, Darryl Schulte and other donors pledged $500,000 to the Florida Keys History & Discovery Center at the Islander.
The partners haven't announced a renovation scope, a timeline or any renamed venues. What has been announced is the leadership and that museum gift, and both point to the Islander.
The First Check Went to the Museum
The Florida Keys History & Discovery Center is a 7,500-square-foot museum and learning center at 82100 Overseas Highway. It's run by the nonprofit Florida Keys History and Discovery Foundation. The permanent exhibits trace the Upper Keys from the First People through the Spanish treasure fleets, the wreckers and salvagers, Indian Key, Flagler's railway and the 1935 hurricane. One gallery covers the fishing and maritime history that made Islamorada's name, and three aquariums show the coral reef ecosystem. Upstairs there's a rotating-exhibit space, plus a research library, a theater and a gallery of local art.
That fishing heritage is the reason the partners gave for their gift. Keys Weekly reported that the $500,000 is meant to celebrate the people and places that built Islamorada into a legendary fishing destination.
Here's what a visit costs right now, according to the center's own site:
| Ticket | Price |
|---|---|
| General admission | $15.00 |
| Ages 55 and over | $12.50 |
| Students | $6.00 |
| Military | Free |
The center is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The price list has no resident rate. For locals, the better deal is membership, which covers museum admission and the lecture series.
Two lectures left on the fall schedule
The center's fall series is the most neighborly thing on the property, and two nights remain after this post goes up. Each one starts with a 5 p.m. social hour, followed by a 6 p.m. talk. Members get in free, and nonmembers pay $10.
- Wednesday, Nov. 11: Dr. Roger Smith on "The 14th Colony: The American Revolution's Best Kept Secret."
- Wednesday, Dec. 9: "The Florida Sponge War," about the conflict between Key West and the Gulf towns.
Keys Weekly's preview of the series also covers the October talks on local chefs and South Florida ghost stories.
The Islander Already Sells a Locals' Ticket
The museum is one sign of where the community side of mile marker 82 sits. The Islander's day-pass menu is another. The resort sells three kinds of passes, and one of them is a discounted Resident Day Pass for Monroe County residents.
The resident pass includes everything in the standard day pass:
- Outdoor pools and beach access
- Towel service
- Poolside food and drinks for purchase from Tides Beachside Grill
- Bikes, paddleboards and kayaks at no extra charge, subject to availability
- Wi-Fi and self-parking
The page spells out the condition plainly. You need a valid ID showing Monroe County residency at check-in. Anyone without one won't be admitted, and there's no refund. Guests under 18 must come with an adult. Pass prices are shown at checkout, so check the booking page before you plan the day.
If you're hosting guests from out of town, the beach cabana pass bundles day passes for two with a shaded cabana from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. It also comes with a dedicated server, four bottles of chilled water and a fruit plate.
The Islander's restaurants follow the same open-door approach. The resort's dining page describes Coccoloba as serving resort guests, families and locals by name. Tides Beachside Bar & Grill has bar, pool and beach seating and takes reservations by phone and email. Drift on the Beach serves weekday breakfast, weekend brunch and dinner, with online reservations. The Islander's pages don't agree on Coccoloba's schedule. The main dining page calls it open daily, and the Coccoloba page lists Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call before you drive over.
Cheeca's Open Doors Are Its Dining Rooms
Cheeca is set up differently. Its best-known amenities are tied to the room key. The resort's golf and tennis page describes the nine-hole course and sport courts as amenities for resort guests, with gear and green fees covered by the daily resort fee. The Cheeca FAQ encourages guests to fish from the 525-foot pier and says rods and licenses come with the resort fee. For someone without a reservation, those amenities sit inside the gate.
Cheeca's restaurants are where most residents meet the property. Cheeca's dining page lists the venues below:
| Venue | Format | How to get a table |
|---|---|---|
| Atlantic's Edge | Breakfast, lunch and dinner | Online reservation link |
| Nikai Sushi Bar & Restaurant | Dinner | Online reservation link |
| Pierre's and the Green Flash Lounge | Dinner and lounge | Reservations recommended, booking link |
| Mia Cucina | Dinner | No reservation link posted |
| Tiki Bar | Midday to late night | No reservation link posted |
| 25 South | Midday to sunset | No reservation link posted |
Atlantic's Edge, Nikai and Pierre's all take reservations through OpenTable, and those pages don't mention any lodging requirement. Pierre's has a longer local history than its spot on Cheeca's dining page suggests. It came under Cheeca in March 2020, along with Morada Bay Beach Café, as Travel Weekly reported that summer. For the three venues without a reservation link, call the resort before assuming a walk-in seat.
So the two halves of mile marker 82 meet residents in different ways. At Cheeca, a local gets a dinner reservation. At the Islander, a local can get a full day: pool, beach, kayak, lunch and an evening lecture, priced for Monroe County residents. The partners have said they'll try to keep the character of both places, and so far their pledged money has gone to the side built for neighbors.
Three Days in Mid-November Worth Blocking Off
The resort news lands just before a busy stretch on the Islamorada calendar. The Islamorada Chamber of Commerce events calendar lists these:
- Thursday, Nov. 19: Morada Way Art Walk
- Friday, Nov. 20: 4th Annual Reef Revival Fest
- Saturday, Nov. 21: Tour de Keys, benefiting MARC House, plus the Nautical Nights Gala
The week before is full too. Nov. 13 brings the Best of Upper Keys 2026 Awards and the Spayghetti & No Balls Gala, and Nov. 14 has a DIY Compost Workshop and Crafts & Conservation. The chamber calendar doesn't show times and locations for every event, so open each listing before you go.
Put Nov. 11 on the calendar along with these. The 14th Colony lecture at the Discovery Center is the first chance to sit in the building the new partners just backed and judge what they're backing.
The Islander and Cheeca have long been part of what makes mile marker 82 feel like home, and at Island Welcome Real Estate we'll keep following the plans to unite them as they come out. If you're thinking about how the stretch around these two resorts fits your next move, from a canal home near the Islander's beach to a second home within walking distance of Pierre's, start your island search with us.
