Things to Do
Food Scene
Norby's Steak & Seafood
2425 State Rd 60Great food in a casual setting
Frostbite Ice Cream & More
801 N Scenic HwyGood for a quick bite. Dinner setting. Great ice cream.
Great food, TONS of it. Also has music on Saturday nights. Off the beaten path but worth the drive. I don't recommend lunch - very little menu choices.
10 當地人推薦
Cherry Pocket Steak & Seafood Shak
3100 Canal RdGreat food, TONS of it. Also has music on Saturday nights. Off the beaten path but worth the drive. I don't recommend lunch - very little menu choices.
1475 N Scenic Hwy Babson Park, FL 33827
Small, local bar/restaurant. Simple yet GREAT food at an affordable price. Service is good. They have darts, pool table. Indoor/outdoor area.
The COOP
1475 North Scenic Highway1475 N Scenic Hwy Babson Park, FL 33827
Small, local bar/restaurant. Simple yet GREAT food at an affordable price. Service is good. They have darts, pool table. Indoor/outdoor area.
Parks & Nature
Tiger Creek Preserve is a place of mystery and contrasts. It sits on the eastern edge of the Lake Wales Ridge, one of Florida’s “ancient islands.” Separated from the mainland long ago by a shallow sea, the Ridge is peninsular Florida’s oldest and highest landmass.
Visitors who get up close and watch very carefully will see one of the highest concentrations of threatened and endangered plants and animals in the country. Some exist nowhere else on Earth! Named after the pristine blackwater stream that forms its spine, the preserve contains hardwood swamps, hammocks, scrubby flatwoods, pine flatwoods, sandhill and longleaf pine/wiregrass habitat. It’s a land that must be burned in order to survive, and one where some animals literally swim through ancient white sands.
Two hiking trails are open to the public:
· The George Cooley Trail is an easy, well-marked loop that goes through a variety of natural habitats: scrubby flatwoods, hardwood swamp, pine flatwoods and cutthroat seeps. Allow 30 minutes to 1 hour.
· The Highlands Trail is a 7.2-mile, sandy loop trail that takes visitors through a beautiful, open pine woods area called the "central highlands." Please allow 4 hours. A shorter side trail, the Patrick Creek Loop, crosses Patrick Creek and enters a forested wetland. Allow 2 hours.
· A new hiking trail opens in fall of 2012. An extension of the Highlands Trail, this 2-mile loop traverses longleaf pine and turkey oak habitat. Seven of the 10 federally listed species are found near the trail. And, there are steep (for Central Florida) elevation changes atop some of the highest peaks on the preserve. Visitors will view shallow ponds more than 30 feet below, where wildlife congregates in the mornings and evenings.
Only foot travel is permitted, and guests are asked to stay on the marked trails. To protect the preserve’s rare plants and animals, the following are not allowed: pets, smoking, littering, camping, collecting, firearms, fires, hunting and radios. Visitors should bring drinking water. Please – leave dogs at home
From the South on State Highway 27:
Sunset Trail take a left on Wes Mann……… turn right at Murray Road. Go 2 miles and take a left onto Pfundstein Road. The George Cooley Trail is 100 yards on the left. To visit the Highlands Trail, continue on Pfundstein Road and turn left at The Nature Conservancy sign. There is a Hiker Parking area just ahead on the right. If you wish to visit the office, take the gravel drive past the “Hiker Parking” sign. Go through the open gate to a “Visitor Parking” sign. Keep left for parking.
Tiger Creek Preserve
674 Pfundstein RdTiger Creek Preserve is a place of mystery and contrasts. It sits on the eastern edge of the Lake Wales Ridge, one of Florida’s “ancient islands.” Separated from the mainland long ago by a shallow sea, the Ridge is peninsular Florida’s oldest and highest landmass.
Visitors who get up close and watch very carefully will see one of the highest concentrations of threatened and endangered plants and animals in the country. Some exist nowhere else on Earth! Named after the pristine blackwater stream that forms its spine, the preserve contains hardwood swamps, hammocks, scrubby flatwoods, pine flatwoods, sandhill and longleaf pine/wiregrass habitat. It’s a land that must be burned in order to survive, and one where some animals literally swim through ancient white sands.
Two hiking trails are open to the public:
· The George Cooley Trail is an easy, well-marked loop that goes through a variety of natural habitats: scrubby flatwoods, hardwood swamp, pine flatwoods and cutthroat seeps. Allow 30 minutes to 1 hour.
· The Highlands Trail is a 7.2-mile, sandy loop trail that takes visitors through a beautiful, open pine woods area called the "central highlands." Please allow 4 hours. A shorter side trail, the Patrick Creek Loop, crosses Patrick Creek and enters a forested wetland. Allow 2 hours.
· A new hiking trail opens in fall of 2012. An extension of the Highlands Trail, this 2-mile loop traverses longleaf pine and turkey oak habitat. Seven of the 10 federally listed species are found near the trail. And, there are steep (for Central Florida) elevation changes atop some of the highest peaks on the preserve. Visitors will view shallow ponds more than 30 feet below, where wildlife congregates in the mornings and evenings.
Only foot travel is permitted, and guests are asked to stay on the marked trails. To protect the preserve’s rare plants and animals, the following are not allowed: pets, smoking, littering, camping, collecting, firearms, fires, hunting and radios. Visitors should bring drinking water. Please – leave dogs at home
From the South on State Highway 27:
Sunset Trail take a left on Wes Mann……… turn right at Murray Road. Go 2 miles and take a left onto Pfundstein Road. The George Cooley Trail is 100 yards on the left. To visit the Highlands Trail, continue on Pfundstein Road and turn left at The Nature Conservancy sign. There is a Hiker Parking area just ahead on the right. If you wish to visit the office, take the gravel drive past the “Hiker Parking” sign. Go through the open gate to a “Visitor Parking” sign. Keep left for parking.
VERY close, nice views of the lake.
Crooked Lake Prairie is a refreshing excursion into habitats found on the high hills of the Lake Wales Ridge. The network of interlinking loop trails includes the orange-blazed 1.3 mile Scrub Trail, the 0.3-mile purple blazed Lookout Trail, the 1.5 mile blue blazed Pine Woods Trail, and the most popular loop, the yellow-blazed 1.2 mile Prairie Path. Walking the perimeter of the trail system, you can enjoy a hike of roughly three miles.
All of the trails are very open, so use sun protection. Camping is permitted at a designated site if you contact the Environmental Lands office in advance for a permit. Maps should be available at the trailhead.
Directions
While a sign at the trailhead almost immediately points you to walk clockwise on the Scrub Trail, I discovered that the hike is far more enjoyable by turning right to follow the Prairie Path. Starting out by following a jeep trail along the ecotone where scrub and prairie meet, it leads you into a series of oak hammocks draped in Spanish moss.
Dropping down to the edge of Crooked Lake, the trail reaches the boardwalk. It’s here you’ll want to take out your camera. Herons and egrets poke around the shallows, and the view across the cordgrass prairie is spectacular, with showy sprays of slender grass waving in unison in the breeze.
Once you leave the boardwalk, the trail rises onto a berm with more views of the swaying clumps of cordgrass before it tacks from oak hammock to oak hammock across the ancient sands of the Lake Wales Ridge. After 0.7 mile you reach a junction with the Piney Woods Trail, which is a shortcut back to the parking area. To continue hiking the perimeter, head straight.
The trail leaves the prairie rim and continues into a slash pine forest. Follow the orange blazes, and you’ll soon enter the open scrub. At least two families of Florida scrub-jays live here, so look for the blur of blue characteristic of this colorful bird in flight. At the next trail junction, the left takes you back to the parking area along the Piney Wood Loop, which is a good choice if you want to see more of the cordgrass prairie. Or continue straight ahead on the Scrub Trail into the thick of the diminutive scrub forest, where the footing is soft underfoot but you’re more likely to see scrub-jays up close. After 3 miles of hiking the perimeter, you’re back to the trailhead.
Crooked Lake Prairie
971-999 Ohlinger RdVERY close, nice views of the lake.
Crooked Lake Prairie is a refreshing excursion into habitats found on the high hills of the Lake Wales Ridge. The network of interlinking loop trails includes the orange-blazed 1.3 mile Scrub Trail, the 0.3-mile purple blazed Lookout Trail, the 1.5 mile blue blazed Pine Woods Trail, and the most popular loop, the yellow-blazed 1.2 mile Prairie Path. Walking the perimeter of the trail system, you can enjoy a hike of roughly three miles.
All of the trails are very open, so use sun protection. Camping is permitted at a designated site if you contact the Environmental Lands office in advance for a permit. Maps should be available at the trailhead.
Directions
While a sign at the trailhead almost immediately points you to walk clockwise on the Scrub Trail, I discovered that the hike is far more enjoyable by turning right to follow the Prairie Path. Starting out by following a jeep trail along the ecotone where scrub and prairie meet, it leads you into a series of oak hammocks draped in Spanish moss.
Dropping down to the edge of Crooked Lake, the trail reaches the boardwalk. It’s here you’ll want to take out your camera. Herons and egrets poke around the shallows, and the view across the cordgrass prairie is spectacular, with showy sprays of slender grass waving in unison in the breeze.
Once you leave the boardwalk, the trail rises onto a berm with more views of the swaying clumps of cordgrass before it tacks from oak hammock to oak hammock across the ancient sands of the Lake Wales Ridge. After 0.7 mile you reach a junction with the Piney Woods Trail, which is a shortcut back to the parking area. To continue hiking the perimeter, head straight.
The trail leaves the prairie rim and continues into a slash pine forest. Follow the orange blazes, and you’ll soon enter the open scrub. At least two families of Florida scrub-jays live here, so look for the blur of blue characteristic of this colorful bird in flight. At the next trail junction, the left takes you back to the parking area along the Piney Wood Loop, which is a good choice if you want to see more of the cordgrass prairie. Or continue straight ahead on the Scrub Trail into the thick of the diminutive scrub forest, where the footing is soft underfoot but you’re more likely to see scrub-jays up close. After 3 miles of hiking the perimeter, you’re back to the trailhead.
1151 Tower Blvd, Lake Wales, FL 33853 (863) 676-1408
Explore The Beauty Of Historic Bok Tower Gardens.
No Central Florida vacation would be complete without a trip to historic Bok Tower Gardens, where you can rest your body and rejuvenate your spirit in “a spot of beauty second to none in the country.” Located in Lake Wales among Central Florida’s rolling hills of citrus, this must see historic gem has been inspiring visitors for more than 80 years.
Come For The Gardens, Stay For The Day-Explore the lush and meticulously landscaped gardens of famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., as you enjoy seasonal bursts of color among more than 150 acres of native, exotic and endangered flora and fauna.
The centerpiece of the Gardens is the majestic 60-bell, 205 foot Singing Tower carillon, featuring daily bell concerts at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Live concerts are scheduled seasonally from mid-October through mid-May.
While you’re there, don’t miss out on the daily tours of the 20 room Mediterranean style mansion, Pinewood Estate. After you’ve worked up an appetite, visit the Blue Palmetto Cafe for delicious farm-fresh food. Finish off your day with a stop in the Tower & Garden Gift Shop for unique gifts and plants for sale.
For even more things to do, stop in the Visitor’s Center to learn about the area’s diverse history, and pick up maps to the gardens, including the Pine Ridge Nature Trail and Preserve Trail.
224 當地人推薦
Bok Tower Gardens
1151 Tower Blvd1151 Tower Blvd, Lake Wales, FL 33853 (863) 676-1408
Explore The Beauty Of Historic Bok Tower Gardens.
No Central Florida vacation would be complete without a trip to historic Bok Tower Gardens, where you can rest your body and rejuvenate your spirit in “a spot of beauty second to none in the country.” Located in Lake Wales among Central Florida’s rolling hills of citrus, this must see historic gem has been inspiring visitors for more than 80 years.
Come For The Gardens, Stay For The Day-Explore the lush and meticulously landscaped gardens of famed landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., as you enjoy seasonal bursts of color among more than 150 acres of native, exotic and endangered flora and fauna.
The centerpiece of the Gardens is the majestic 60-bell, 205 foot Singing Tower carillon, featuring daily bell concerts at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. Live concerts are scheduled seasonally from mid-October through mid-May.
While you’re there, don’t miss out on the daily tours of the 20 room Mediterranean style mansion, Pinewood Estate. After you’ve worked up an appetite, visit the Blue Palmetto Cafe for delicious farm-fresh food. Finish off your day with a stop in the Tower & Garden Gift Shop for unique gifts and plants for sale.
For even more things to do, stop in the Visitor’s Center to learn about the area’s diverse history, and pick up maps to the gardens, including the Pine Ridge Nature Trail and Preserve Trail.
Essentials
Winn-Dixie
1860 State Rd 60Publix Super Market at South Gate Shopping Center
102 State Rd 60Entertainment & Activities
3135 Owl Roost Trail, Lake Wales, FL
Great place and only $35/hr. (please verify pricing before booking as it can change) A number of guests have gone and have stated they enjoyed the ride and the staff.
"Visit HorseSpring Farm for a scenic, laid-back, and exciting trail ride. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced rider, you can practice your horse riding skills in our farm. During your trail ride, you will encounter deer, foxes, rabbits, owls, and many other animals and birds."
Horsespring Farm
3135 Owl Roost Trail3135 Owl Roost Trail, Lake Wales, FL
Great place and only $35/hr. (please verify pricing before booking as it can change) A number of guests have gone and have stated they enjoyed the ride and the staff.
"Visit HorseSpring Farm for a scenic, laid-back, and exciting trail ride. Whether you are a beginner or an advanced rider, you can practice your horse riding skills in our farm. During your trail ride, you will encounter deer, foxes, rabbits, owls, and many other animals and birds."
3200 River Ranch Blvd Lake Wales FL
Offers a great rodeo every Saturday night starting at 7:30 p.m. Eight seconds may not seem like a long time, but when you're watching a bull rider trying to stay on a bucking bull, it seems like an eternity. Be mesmerized by the excitement and unpredictable danger of the Saturday Night Rodeo at Westgate River Ranch Resort & Rodeo for an evening of family fun at the 1,200-seat rodeo arena. This fun-filled weekly rodeo draws rodeo athletes from all over to compete in trick riding, barrel racing and, of course, bull riding. The Florida rodeo is a guest favorite as you get the opportunity to view talented contestants and also enjoy a patriotic tribute to our armed forces.
In addition to enjoying the rodeo spectacle, little cowpokes can participate in a real "calf scramble" where boys and girls try to remove a ribbon from a calf's tail. The first one to get the ribbon receives the prize!
The fun doesn't stop once the Florida rodeo ends! If you feel bull riding isn't that tough, take a spin on our Mechanical Bull. Or get your feet moving to the lively Dance Party just outside the River Ranch Saloon where you'll hear music and games from a lively DJ to end a perfect day.
They have a petting zoo, a couple of restaurants and a bar. I would highly recommend calling prior to going (with COVID you never know what restrictions companies have).
River Ranch
3200 River Ranch Blvd Lake Wales FL
Offers a great rodeo every Saturday night starting at 7:30 p.m. Eight seconds may not seem like a long time, but when you're watching a bull rider trying to stay on a bucking bull, it seems like an eternity. Be mesmerized by the excitement and unpredictable danger of the Saturday Night Rodeo at Westgate River Ranch Resort & Rodeo for an evening of family fun at the 1,200-seat rodeo arena. This fun-filled weekly rodeo draws rodeo athletes from all over to compete in trick riding, barrel racing and, of course, bull riding. The Florida rodeo is a guest favorite as you get the opportunity to view talented contestants and also enjoy a patriotic tribute to our armed forces.
In addition to enjoying the rodeo spectacle, little cowpokes can participate in a real "calf scramble" where boys and girls try to remove a ribbon from a calf's tail. The first one to get the ribbon receives the prize!
The fun doesn't stop once the Florida rodeo ends! If you feel bull riding isn't that tough, take a spin on our Mechanical Bull. Or get your feet moving to the lively Dance Party just outside the River Ranch Saloon where you'll hear music and games from a lively DJ to end a perfect day.
They have a petting zoo, a couple of restaurants and a bar. I would highly recommend calling prior to going (with COVID you never know what restrictions companies have).
1 Legoland Way, Winter Haven, FL 33884 (888) 690-5346
LEGOLAND® Florida Resort is a multi-day vacation destination built for kids 2-12. Located in Central Florida’s Winter Haven, just 45 minutes from Orlando and Tampa, the resort includes an interactive, 150-acre theme park with more than 50 rides, shows and attractions inspired by popular LEGO® brands and characters, LEGOLAND Water Park and a world-famous botanical garden.
9 當地人推薦
Legoland Way
Legoland Way1 Legoland Way, Winter Haven, FL 33884 (888) 690-5346
LEGOLAND® Florida Resort is a multi-day vacation destination built for kids 2-12. Located in Central Florida’s Winter Haven, just 45 minutes from Orlando and Tampa, the resort includes an interactive, 150-acre theme park with more than 50 rides, shows and attractions inspired by popular LEGO® brands and characters, LEGOLAND Water Park and a world-famous botanical garden.
錫布靈國際賽車場
113 Midway Dr14501 Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL
A must see for new Florida travelers. About an hour drive. Gator wrestling show, up close encounter, gator jump show, petting zoo....
417 當地人推薦
鱷魚樂園
14501 S Orange Blossom Trl14501 Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando, FL
A must see for new Florida travelers. About an hour drive. Gator wrestling show, up close encounter, gator jump show, petting zoo....
One hour drive. Close enough to go for the day and return without paying the inflated hotel rates found in Orlando.
3196 當地人推薦
沃爾特迪士尼世界度假區
One hour drive. Close enough to go for the day and return without paying the inflated hotel rates found in Orlando.
Offers tandem and free jumps - advanced reservations required. Encompassing three landing areas and nestled amid 250 acres of open terrain, Florida Skydiving Center forms a stage where advanced skydivers compete in national competitions and beginners gain their wings under the guidance of United States Parachute Association–certified instructors. The experienced teachers can take newbies on tandem jumps. For dedicated pupils, the instructors lead accelerated free-fall training, which imparts the skills needed to take solo dives. As divers plunge from the metallic belly of a DHC-6 Twin Otter or Cessna, air-bound photographers sometimes capture adrenaline-packed moments and photo ops with passing Supermans.
Florida Skydiving Center's owners maintain a facility where teams strategize and solo divers can pair up for jumps. A carpeted packing area lets skydivers cleanly prep parachutes, and an onsite store rents and sells the necessary gear to soar among the ghosts of pterodactyls. Outside, RV hookups and free tent camping welcome overnight visitors.
440 S Airport Rd
440 South Airport RoadOffers tandem and free jumps - advanced reservations required. Encompassing three landing areas and nestled amid 250 acres of open terrain, Florida Skydiving Center forms a stage where advanced skydivers compete in national competitions and beginners gain their wings under the guidance of United States Parachute Association–certified instructors. The experienced teachers can take newbies on tandem jumps. For dedicated pupils, the instructors lead accelerated free-fall training, which imparts the skills needed to take solo dives. As divers plunge from the metallic belly of a DHC-6 Twin Otter or Cessna, air-bound photographers sometimes capture adrenaline-packed moments and photo ops with passing Supermans.
Florida Skydiving Center's owners maintain a facility where teams strategize and solo divers can pair up for jumps. A carpeted packing area lets skydivers cleanly prep parachutes, and an onsite store rents and sells the necessary gear to soar among the ghosts of pterodactyls. Outside, RV hookups and free tent camping welcome overnight visitors.