Located between Orlando and Tampa, Central Florida’s Polk County is more than a place to lay your head. From unspoiled lakes and wetlands to historic landmarks, and citrus groves too, yes, theme parks, there is a reason why millions of families call Polk County Florida’s sweetest spot. So let’s not waste any more time. Get ready to spring into fun in the sun.
In a state known for its theme parks, the kids-and-bricks LEGOLAND® Florida Resort features plenty of hands-on fun. The 150-acre interactive theme park offers more than 50 rides, shows and attractions, restaurants, shops, a botanical garden, and even an action-packed water ski show, for plenty to do all day long. And now daring buccaneers can set sail aboard the all-new Pirate River Quest attraction. This one-of-a-kind boat ride takes adventurers through the natural canals of historic Cypress Gardens on a quest to find Captain Redbeard’s lost treasure, stolen by mischievous monkeys and guarded by a fearsome Kraken. Back on land, you’ll find everything from roller coasters and 3-D movies to a water park. LEGOLAND Water Park is the perfect place to cool off on a sunny day. Tiny pirates can jump into the LEGO Wave Pool and refresh on the interactive water-play structures of Joker Soaker and DUPLO Safari, or the aptly named Build-A-Raft River and Creation Cove.
And the merriment doesn’t stop when you return to your room. For example, the LEGOLAND Pirate Island Hotel, the first LEGO Pirate-themed hotel in North America, features fun-filled rooms, a heated pool with a pool deck complete with floating LEGO soft bricks, hundreds of LEGO models, in-room LEGO treasure hunts, and exclusive character experiences. The rooms are fully themed with interactive LEGO Pirate models throughout and include an array of humorous decor designed specifically for a kid-centric family vacation. The five-story hotel also houses the pirate-themed Shipwreck Restaurant, the Smuggler’s Bar for adult swashbucklers, and an entertainment area with kid-friendly nightly programming and LEGO play areas. Guests can also enjoy a complimentary family-style breakfast. Additional LEGOLAND Florida Resort accommodations include the LEGOLAND Hotel and cozy bungalows at LEGOLAND Beach Retreat.
Just steps away from LEGOLAND Florida Resort is the world’s first Peppa Pig Theme Park. Join Peppa and her family and friends to enjoy six interactive rides and themed play areas with character shows, an indoor cinema, and a colorful splash pad that celebrates “muddy puddles” jumping fun. Every corner of the charming new park is crafted with preschoolers in mind.
While it’s still cold up North, the “Boys of Summer” head to Florida to get their game on. Nothing defines Americana as much as the game of baseball. For those visiting Orlando in springtime from the United Kingdom, accessing America’s Pastime through one of its classic teams is just minutes away in Polk County.
Much like the Chelsea Football Club, the Detroit Tigers of Major League Baseball are an organization with a long history in the United States’ first unique sport. With the highest level of baseball split into two organizations, the Tigers are one of the eight charter franchises in the American League and that league’s oldest continuous one-name, one-city franchise.
Just about the same time Major League Baseball formed, so did the tradition of baseball teams heading to Florida to knock off the rust from their winter hiatus. Now considered a rite of passage for true baseball fans, Spring Training takes place in both Arizona and Florida, utilizing the fields lower-level teams use during their regular season. These fields are smaller and more intimate, allowing fans to get so close to the players that many not only get an autograph but a handshake – and perhaps even a conversation – with the best baseball players
For more than 80 years, the Detroit Tigers have called Lakeland their Spring Training home. Less than an hour from most Orlando attractions, the recently renovated Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium is a state-of-the-art facility. The six covered sections nearly doubled the amount of shaded seating, and the addition of the 34 Club, featuring an indoor bar, buffet, and seating, now gives the facility more than 200 air-conditioned seats. Other upgrades include plenty of concession stands and offerings, the Berm Bar that sits under the new scoreboard in leftfield featuring waitress service and picnic tables, and the kid’s playground area complete with a bounce house, Wiffleball field, and more. Tickets are available at the stadium or online HERE.
But don’t feel bad if you can’t make a game during Spring Training – Lakeland is also home to the Detroit-affiliated Lakeland Flying Tigers. Named after the pilots who trained in Lakeland and fought over China during World War II, the Flying Tigers play 58 home games a year as part of the Low-A Southeast League, giving fans and visitors ample opportunities to catch a game during the summer.
By the way, if you are planning a tour of Spring Training locations, Lakeland is a great place to start. Fabled teams, including the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies, are both less than an hour away.
Around the same time that the “Boys of Summer” are heading back home, Lakeland hosts “Spring Break for Pilots.” More officially known as the SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo, the annual air show and fly-in event draws more than 200,000 aviation enthusiasts from around the world to Polk County in early April. This year the week-long event actually begins on March 28. SUN ‘n FUN features performers, exhibitors, and sponsors, evolving into a cultural event for everything aeronautical. There are rows of tents and hangars full of flight gear and electronics and of course, airplanes of all shapes, sizes, and kinds, military and civilian. There is also a section where many of the fabled pilots of those machines tell their stories and take questions. But this is more than just an airshow. There is a career fair for jobs in the aeronautics industry, hands-on workshops staffed by instructors, an aviation-themed Kid Zone, and even the Veteran’s Plaza, where both past and present military can mingle while they educate the public about the contributions the military has made to the United States.
If you are looking for natural adventures, Polk County offers ample opportunities. Home to beautiful gardens, more than 550 freshwater lakes, and 25,000 acres of unspoiled recreational parks, there are plenty of ways to enjoy the great outdoors, including water skiing, air boating, kayaking, and world-class fishing.
But one location stands above the rest, literally.
Built upon Iron Mountain, one of the highest points in peninsular Florida, you’ll discover Bok Tower Gardens, a National Historic Landmark. Situated upon the Lake Wales Ridge – a 150-mile white sand ridge that runs south to north in the middle of the state – this is as close as the Sunshine State comes to mountains. Towering an additional 200 feet above the Central Florida landscape, Bok Tower Gardens opened in 1929. Once no more than a sandy spit of land, this lush 250-acre tropical landscape is both a contemplative garden as well as a bird sanctuary. And in the middle of it all is the world-famous art deco and neo-Gothic legend, Bok Tower, one of the world’s largest musical instruments. Inside the tower is a carillon – an instrument comprised of a series of bells played by a keyboard.
February through April is an exceptionally beautiful time of year to visit. Spring in Florida ushers in peak bloom across the gardens. While the timing of peak bloom varies a bit from year to year, visitors may observe more than 150 varieties of camellias and hundreds of azaleas during this annual rite of spring. Guests are encouraged to return throughout the bloom season to experience Mother Nature’s ever-changing palette of colors – and to take plenty of pictures.
A recent addition to the grounds, Hammock Hollow, has turned 2.7 acres of that area into a childhood delight. With nearly 20 different elements wrapped into the experience, from water features to a stage and space to perform, there is plenty for both the young and the young-at-heart to stay busy. Not long after walking through the child-sized Gateway arch, stone mosaics of different animals greet the young adventurers on their way to the irresistible Indigo Pass. A giant, inky-black snake sculpture, perfect for climbing, surrounds a sand play area. Just steps away, a ledge complete with nooks and crannies leads to the River Walk, where cooling sprays of water from fountains, jets, misters, and foggers help refresh the explorers. Creative outlets are also incorporated, including the Sabal Stage, complete with different costumes available for play and performances, as well as an art station, tuned instruments including a giant xylophone, and even a fairy house.
Bok Tower Gardens hosts a variety of special events year-round. Returning this March and April is their Spring Concerts Under the Stars series featuring four amazing concerts by top award-winning Americana artists: Alison Brown, Steep Canyon Rangers, The SteelDrivers, and the Travelin’ McCourys.
No matter what you have in mind as you visit the Sunshine State, a visit to Florida would be incomplete without a visit to Central Florida’s Polk County, the state’s sweetest spot. Go to www.VisitCentralFlorida.org or call 1-800-828-7655 to plan your vacation in Central Florida’s Polk County.