Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to read two reviews. Read Ariel W's and especially…read moreperuse her photos. As a five-year resident of this teeny tiny town, I'll add to hers and here are my additions- * The pavilions are a big draw as they have nice big canopies for shade and sturdy picnic tables. Each has its own trash bin a few feet away. That's nice but they are fly and hornet magnets! Just sayin- * Because of the adjacent playground, birthday parties are common. Expect a bunch of rug rats to be running around. * This is a no pets park except for service animals of course. There is minimal chance you will step in something horrendous with your bare feet. * It's nicely lit at night so it's a nice place to enjoy the cool of the evening. * If you enjoy alcohol, as long as you wrap your can, you know what I mean, nobody with bother you. * This is rural Florida and everyone with half a brain knows every lake has gators! The beach is nice and if you swim during the day the chances of even seeing one is minuscule! If you decide to take a swim at night with an open wound, well, you didn't really need four appendages, did you?

Donaldson Park is located on East Main Street close to downtown. There are shady oaks, picnic…read morepavilions with tables, and a playground. During my visit there was birthday party in one of the pavilions. Donaldson Park sits on the shores of Lake Verona and there is a beach for swimming. I have always heard that if you swim in lakes in Florida you can get the brain eating Naegleria fowleri amoeba. When water gets up your nose it travels to your brain which is almost always fatal. There have been 37 reported cases in Florida since 1962. Peak times to get it are July through September. I am not sure if they test the water here or if people are just careful not to submerge their heads in the water. Although I grew up swimming in lakes in New Jersey, this is the first time I have seen a swimming beach on a Florida lake. Also noteworthy is the dinosaur skeleton on the beach. It features heavily in promotional pictures for Avon Park. The park is used by the City of Avon Park for events like the Blueberry Festival and Christmas in the Park. The beach looked inviting but I am just not sure how safe it is to swim here.

Large lake that has clearly been set up for scuba training. There is a large parking lot and a…read morelarge concrete pad with many picnic tables that classes can use to set up gear, brief their dives, etc. The path from the pad to the lake has been cleared and is easy to traverse in full gear. They recently put up "sails" over the picnic tables to keep most of the sun off, which is really helpful. Every time I go, I can see some new improvement to the facilities. The lake itself is laid out with many lines and markers to facilitate underwater navigation. They have set up some "fun" things to see, such as mounting bicycles or creating a "gnome garden," sinking a boat with skeletons on board, etc. There are platforms that can be used for skills. The lake is good for Open Water and for Advanced classes. The bottom is fairly silty and it's easy to kick up a "storm" of silt and screw up visibility. The viz is between 10 and 20 feet (on a good day), and mostly greenish, so make sure you're sticking together. There are two port-a-potties and a small changing room...and that's it. Bring lots of water and snacks in a cooler. Waivers and reservations are done online. If you're a scuba instructor, register with the management of the lake (free) to get an instructor ID number. Use that number when you make reservations for your classes. Instructors are free, students pay $20 plus $1.20 in tax. Well worth it. When I have the time and students are willing to make the drive (it's 2 hours from my home and scuba shop), I prefer to do training here because I can take my time and not worry about the tides at Blue Heron Bridge.

So, sue me! My teeny tiny town Of Avon Park in Central Florida is lousy with lakes. You can't throw…read morea stick without hitting a lake. Of course, the stick would clunk a gator on the snout first! I finally got around to visiting this particular lake. Do your homework- If you are not from the area and looking for a place to swim & picnic, this isn't it! This lake has a lot of private homes surrounding it, but it has a big reputation for SCUBA divers. There is a divers parking lot with a few picnic tables where they lay out their gear. Local organizations hold diving classes here. There is also an adjacent boat ramp, but there is NO public swimming! Pro Tip- If you are traveling with little munchkins and looking for swimming & picnicking, I recommend Donaldson Park in downtown Avon Park. It's just minutes away. Nice beach. Divers love this place because the water is so clear and it's up to 50ft deep. If SCUBA is your thing, this is a four star stop.

I've lived on this beautiful little lake for years as my condo community has quite a bit of…read morefrontage. I know it very well so let's get started. Size & Location- Most folks think it's a small to medium lake at about 280 acres. It has a maximum depth of about 15 feet. The water is usually very clear and has no tannin. What a surprise! It's on Lake Damon Drive Which is immediately off US Route 27. You turn off Route 27 and you are pointing directly at the boat ramp less than fifty yards away! It's a good thing there is a sharp turn in the road, or your car could experience the boat ramp which I definitely do not recommend! This is the only public boat ramp on the lake. Shoreline- The shore is about one half developed. The remainder is still pretty wild. There is no public swimming here! Fishing- This is the primary activity at this lake. Bass and panfish are where it's at. Trophy bass have been taken here. Recreational Boating- Other than fishing, very little. A couple of my neighbors have pontoon boats which they take out from time to time. A few of my neighbors also have fishing boats. Exploring the undeveloped shore by kayak or canoe is popular for some. There is one jet ski which is rarely seen. Facilities- Bathrooms = nope. Ditto purchasing snacks or drinks. Do both elsewhere. Pro Tip- The closest restaurant is Market 27, two minutes away and it's excellent! You can also purchase drinks & snacks here. Check Yelp! Wildlife- It tends to congregate near the undeveloped shore and is most easily seen by boat. However, there have been lots of exceptions in the developed areas. Lots and lots of gators. Please don't feed them and especially don't feed them little dogs! The little pups really hate that so keep them on a leash and away from the water. One "Chomp" and it's over! Most of the time they don't even yip! An abundance of birds and snakes. Watch out for water moccasins! Lots of turtles. I love to see racoons, especially babies! Fox are pretty common. At least one family of otters lives here, and it is a true treat to see them! Black bears have been seen but it's rare. As you can tell this is not Orlando! Highlands County is an agricultural county and represents Central Florida that's not Disneyfied! I love living here. Let's go for four stars!

We made reservations...got a site. 37' fifth wheel, 22' Dually…read more Showed up, was shown to our site. Even our escort told us that he didn't think we would fit. No way! Escorted us back to the office. The attendant offered a second site...no better than the first! Absolutely no room to turn to back in. Went back to the office and the woman asked for our credit card so she could return our deposit! That's it!!! It's early February in Florida!! She wished us well! I will say that several residents stopped by our rig to say that they felt badly about our situation. They said they've seen it happen before. Staff does not take into consideration that your entire (rig & truck) are 55' long! So just be warned that you really need to be careful. Park looked just fine, residents were quite friendly! Off to try to find a new location...wish us luck!!

A friend and I took her new motorhome on a trip down south and decided to stop on the way back at a…read morecampground so she could get use to setting up all the hookups while she had someone there to help her. We did not make a reservation so we started calling as we were driving. It was Easter Sunday so we were hoping for an opening somewhere. The first place I called told me to call when I got closer and they would meet me to get in, got there, no answer, second place on list was not on the road we were on but recommended Lake Grenada as we weren't happy everything to stay at were mobile home parks. We were so happy this was the place we stayed at, told them our first time, Sonny met us at the entrance, we followed him to the site. He showed us how to hook everything up. It was a cute place, view of a lake, very clean, pretty pool. Next morning Sonny came by to make sure we were ok and helped us unhook everything. We wanted to check air in the tires so he let us check right there. This was first trip before going cross country and if every place is like this place she will have a wonderful adventure.

I took the 2-Hr Sunset Cruise in July and had such a memorable time. Captain Sage gave an…read moreOUTSTANDING tour. Her knowledge, enthusiasm, and skills were everything you'd want on a boat tour, especially if you're like me visiting the area for the first time. I found the landmarks, wildlife, and local history to be fascinating, and this was also a wonderful way to beat the summer heat. It was just myself and another party of three on the tour. A relaxing time was had and I was so taken with the scenery and landscapes as they are so different from where I live. I highly recommend this tour for visitors and locals alike and would definitely take another tour of theirs if given the chance.

I'm a Florida native and have visited Winter Haven many times over the years, but I had never had…read morethe opportunity to experience the Chain of Lakes from the water. I'm so glad I finally did the Living Water Boat Cruises pontoon tour--it gave me an entirely different perspective on the area. One of the highlights for me was cruising past the former Cypress Gardens property, now part of LEGOLAND. I remember visiting Cypress Gardens as a child, so it was fascinating and nostalgic to see the property from the water, including the historic Florida-shaped swimming pool that is being restored and the beautiful old Florida vegetation. Our captain and guide, Sage, was excellent. She is also a Florida native and was extremely knowledgeable about the local history, the lakes, and the wildlife. During the tour we saw ospreys, otters, an alligator, and many different birds. We even got to watch floatplanes landing and taking off on the lakes, which was an unexpected treat. We toured the southern portion of the Chain of Lakes early in the morning, which was perfect because it was an extremely hot Florida day with temperatures expected in the 90s. The timing made the trip very comfortable and enjoyable. I especially appreciated that I happened to be the only guest on my tour and they still accommodated me rather than canceling. It ended up feeling like a wonderful private tour. This was such an enjoyable way to experience a part of Florida that I had never really seen before, despite growing up here. I would highly recommend it to visitors as well as longtime Floridians who want to see Winter Haven and the Chain of Lakes from a completely different perspective

Do you like where you live? Do all the things that make up "your city" match up with your needs? If…read moreyou are honest, probably not everything but Avon Park is close enough for me and I'm content! I've retired here for five years now but visited many times for decades before that as my parents retired here. It's safe to say I know the city very well. It's a teeny tiny place with a population of around 10-12,000. It's in agricultural Highlands County so it's off the beaten track. If you stick a thumbtack in the middle of the state, you might hit my condo! Orlando is 70 miles North and Tampa is 75 miles West. Head East 80 miles to Vero Beach. I live in a beautiful condo on a lake with exceptionally low taxes and extremely low cost of living. There really isn't a rush hour here. The medical community caters to retirees and I'm fine with that. Do I have 1000 restaurants like Orlando? Nope but I have enough to get by. I have all the retail I need with two Publix within striking distance. Amazon ships most of my stuff in one day! On any given day I could stop off at my Cheers bar, you know the one where everyone knows your name, and then grab some authentic Mexican food from any one of a dozen places. It doesn't get much better than that!

I had a problem and Danielle took care of it for me that afternoon! Thank-you so much for helping…read moreme.

We did the 10 p.m. bioluminescence clear kayak tour, and OMG... I loved it so much! The first time…read moreI ever saw bioluminescence was in Puerto Rico back in 2018, and it's still one of the most beautiful nighttime experiences I've ever had--right up there with seeing the Northern Lights. There's just something so magical about watching the water glow around you. We drove about 50 minutes from Orlando to Merritt Island for the tour, where we launched from the Indian River Lagoon, and it was absolutely worth it. This is one of those experiences that's really hit or miss, so keep in mind that the amount of bioluminescence you see isn't something the tour company can control. We got lucky because there was so much activity that night! We actually didn't kayak very far since the bioluminescence was so active right near the shoreline. We spent most of our time enjoying it from that area because there was no need to go much farther. Also, don't expect your phone camera to do it justice. It's incredibly hard to capture on camera, and it's so much more breathtaking in person. I highly recommend this experience to everyone, and I already can't wait to do it again!

I saw the picture that showed one of their other locations so I was disappointed with this paddling…read moretrip. It wasn't very epic and would hardly count as an adventure. The person who helped us was friendly and the prices were reasonable. We had a good time. The scenery was OK.

This was our second trip with these brothers. There were 3 of us and we had a great time. Fished…read morefor hours. They are very flexible on the time you are fishing. They supply everything you need. They set us up quickly to fish. We caught about 10 different species of fish at the reef and they got them ready for us to bring them home and cook them. The boat has a small bathroom and an area inside to eat lunch or to get out of the sun. The last day we went it was beautiful weather but rough seas (4-6 feet) so check weather before you go or make sure you have strong legs and a bite of Bonine and ginger. We highly recommend this trip. Fairly easy parking at marina or get dropped off. A memorable trip. Book it NOW!

From the owner: At Sebring Fishing Charters we are dedicated to providing our customers with a the best freshwater…read morefishing experiences in Florida. Captain Ariel has over 15 years of fishing experience and a passion for being on the water. Whether you're a seasoned fisherman or simply looking to learn, Sebring Fishing Charters has something for everyone. We are located near Sebrings Lake Jackson making it easy for you to join us on the water. We are friendly and knowledgeable, always available to answer any questions or concerns you may have to ensure that your time on the water is unforgettable. Book your next experience with Sebring Fishing Charters by calling or texting us at 754-201-8608. Tight lines!

Even though I didn't end up purchasing a boat here, I want to highlight the exceptional service I…read morereceived from SHELDON. After my initial inquiry, Sheldon stayed in touch via text and remained incredibly professional. Even after I told him I was looking at other brands, he continued to search for options that might fit my needs and followed up regularly without ever being pushy. Out of over 30 dealers I contacted, Sheldon at Boaters World was easily the most hard-working and professional. I truly appreciate the effort.

Ordered a part on Monday. Ended up having to give the lady the google part number because the part…read morenumber I gave her (which was exact one I googled) she couldn't find. Was told it would be in Tuesday. Called Tuesday was told would be there Wednesday called Wednesday was told it would be there for sure Thursday by 1pm. Came in at 3:00 pm to get my part. They said it was in but than could not locate the part. So had to re order. Note already paid for the part. We're on vacation to fish and looks like no fishing this trip. Should have just ordered from Amazon.