World Equestrian Center – Ocala, FL
Ocala’s World Equestrian Center offers unmatched quality for your next sporting eventIntroduction
WORLD EQUESTRIAN CENTER – OCALA, FLORIDA
World Equestrian Center – Ocala (WEC) offers a variety of state-of-the-art facilities, unbeatable lodging and a range of dining options, making it the perfect location for your next sporting event.
WEC is home to two exposition centers and six climate-controlled indoor arenas with more than 700,000 square feet of flexible indoor space, as well as outdoor venues. WEC is an all-in-one sports and recreation facility equipped with a range of on-site restaurants and over 30 retailers, as well as a variety of accommodations including two hotels: The Equestrian, a 248-room luxury hotel; The Riding Academy, offering guests 390 spacious studios and suites, as well as a 280-slip RV park, and more than 90 three-bedroom, two-bath Home Away from Home rental units.
WEC aims to continue enhancing the experience for exhibitors, visitors and guests frequenting the over 2,000-acre campus with property development. Exciting expansion includes the opening of The Equestrian Manor, offering state-of-the-art meeting space and adding four additional restaurants to the property’s roster. A world-class facility, World Equestrian Center – Ocala can accommodate events of all sizes and requirements.
RECREATION
Since the 1870s, Silver Springs State Park has been famous for its crystal-clear Silver River and surrounding forest. Visitors can take a glass-bottom boat tour of the river, walk the park’s gardens, hike, visit the museum or eat at one of the park’s restaurants.
ARTS AND CULTURE
Home to a collection of over 18,000 permanent pieces, a walkable outdoor sculpture garden and a variety of interchanging exhibits, the Appleton Museum of Art is an art lover’s dream.
NIGHTLIFE
Ocala’s Historic Downtown Square is at the center of the historic district and within walking distance to shopping, dining, and nightlife. The Square is a gathering place for concerts and community events like First Friday Art Walks. The Downtown Square is also the perfect place to meet with friends.
Planner Testimonial
“World Equestrian Center facilities, grounds, and staff surpass all of our expectations each time we hold one of our junior volleyball tournaments in their Expo Centers. Rodney Gutierrez and the event staff make every effort to enhance our events and provide a high quality experience for our teams and their families both on and off the court.
The expansive grounds with high quality restaurants, numerous equestrian events, shops, RV park, and impressive on site hotels create a truly amazing atmosphere for our attendees. Their attention to detail and creativity continue to impress us each year and play a large role in clubs marking this tournament on their calendar as a “must attend” event!”
– AJ Joseph, JVC Tournaments, President
Find Your Perfect Tournament Facility
World Equestrian Center Facility Spotlight
Exposition Center 1 & 2
Sports: Volleyball, indoor soccer, cheerleading, dance, martial arts, trade shows
Sports fanatics rejoice: these two state-of-the-art exposition centers, boasting over 130,000 square feet of free space, provide the ideal venues for national, regional, and local competitions. Each building has soaring ceilings (ranging from 18-feet to 50-feet tall) and offers premium turf for a high-caliber indoor field experience. But the two expo centers are not just for sports: they double as the perfect hosts for conventions, trade shows, and meetings. Not far from the airports in Ocala, Orlando, Tampa, and Gainesville, they are easily accessible and delightfully multipurpose.
World Equestrian Center Stadium
Sports: Horse shows, sand volleyball, flag football, lacrosse, soccer, marching band
The centerpiece of the broader World Equestrian Center is this top-notch stadium, a 126,000-plus-square-foot gem that specializes in horse shows and other special events. Put simply, those building itineraries or planning events in Ocala should not miss the World Equestrian Center Stadium, even if their competitions are not horse-related. Why? Because the arena has covered grandstand seating surrounding the field, not to mention amenities like concession stands, a high-caliber sound system, a 30-foot-by-60-foot LED wall, and enclosed areas to hold meetings.
Grand Outdoor Arena
Sports: Horse shows, sand volleyball, flag football, lacrosse, soccer, marching band
It is not quite as large as the main stadium at World Equestrian Center, but the Grand Outdoor Arena covers 119,000 square feet and sits conveniently adjacent to the Equestrian Hotel. Moreover, it has remarkable amenities: two 30-foot-by-60-foot LED walls, a covered grandstand, alfresco dining, and all-weather footing. Those not yet sold on this venue’s robustness should consider that it plays hosts to some of the most prestigious intentional competitions, making it a well-respected equestrian arena with the versatility to host sand volleyball flag football, and lacrosse events, too.
Indoor Arenas 1-4 & 6
Sports: Horse shows, sand volleyball, flag football, lacrosse, soccer, marching band
Arena 6 is newly-opened and offers the unique opportunity to remove footing for an exposed concrete base floor, but Arenas 1-4 have been around and remain highly popular. They are climate-controlled, multipurpose buildings capable of accommodating 1,400 fans in stadium-style seating. Each one boasts a menu of attractive offerings: LED lighting, three LED Jumbotron screens, and high-speed WiFi, plus mezzanine suites overlooking the ring. That latter point is worth emphasizing, since guests tend to enjoy the more than 2,000 combined square feet of mezzanine space in Arenas 1 and 2, as well as the 5,000 square feet of mezzanine space in Arenas 3 and 4.
Indoor Arena 5
Sports: Horse shows, sand volleyball, flag football, lacrosse, soccer, marching band
Did you fear Indoor Arena 5 might be lost amid the descriptions of other sparkling venues in Ocala? Think again: this multifaceted complex offers 3,400 seats and a four-sided LED wall. There is sand-and-clay footing that can be covered when flag football, lacrosse, and soccer tourneys come to town, plus built-in concessions stands that simplify event hosting and make weekends in central Florida even more enticing.