Munn Park is located in the Munn Park Historic District, a designated U.S. historic district in…read moreLakeland, Florida. It is named in honor of the city's founder, Louisville, Kentucky businessman Abraham Munn. Munn purchased 80 acres of land that now comprises the Lakeland downtown business district. Munn Park was the first open space in the city. It was dedicated in 1884, as a town square. In 1889 the park was developed with sidewalks, a bandstand, and a well. Lakeland's first train station was located at the park's northern border. Early in the 20th century the park served as an outdoor meeting place. In 1910 the Daughters of the Confederacy erected a monument dedicated to those who died in the Civil War. Later ponds and gardens were added. In 1961, angular pattern walkways replaced the circle and a gazebo and fountain were added. In 1989 the park was redesigned to go back to the more simple town square design. The Confederate monument was removed in 2019. Today Munn Park is a great place to relax in downtown Lakeland. Surrounding the park are historic buildings, restaurants, bars, and businesses. I enjoyed sitting on a bench as the hustle and bustle of the city went on around me. At night the trees are lit with meteor shower lights. One of my favorite sculptures, Live Large by Keith Williams has found a permanent home in the park. During the holiday season the city decorates the park with lights and a Christmas tree and the park is used for pop events, food trucks, and farmers markets throughout the year. Future plans for Munn Park call for a shade pavilion at the north end of the park, restroom, swan themed splash pad, dog park, open lawn, gardens, and children's play area. The City of Lakeland has approved the new design but the city has been working on securing funding and plans for the new park have been moving forward slowly.

A perfect little park full of Xmas Spirit. This park is located in the middle of downtown Lakeland…read more Downtown Lakeland is a quaint perfect area full of restaurants, sidewalk cafes, and some cute shops to stroll! It was also a perfect spot for many to be in the middle of the Lakeland Xmas Parade action. The Xmas lights spread cheer and happiness and Munn Park is a great place to bring the family for some fun free Xmas fun and take sparkling festive holiday pics!

You can't miss this spot when you come to Lakeland. Apparently Queen Elizabeth donated two mute…read moreswans and now the rest is history. It's so peaceful around the lake and a pleasure to commune with nature.

This scenic 40 acre lake is named for John P. Morton who used to own land around the lake. Morton…read morewas the brother-in-law to Lakeland founder, Abraham G. Munn. Both business men came to Florida from Kentucky and Morton was a wealthy publisher. His company, John P. Morton and Co., was one of the largest book publishers in the South, specializing in textbooks and blank books. Morton died just a few years after Lakeland's official founding in 1885. He passed away in 1889 at the age 82 in Louisville but his prolific publishing house continued operation until 1943. Surrounding Lake Morton is a passive park area with benches and picnic tables. Bordering Lake Morton is the South and East Lake Morton Historic District Neighborhoods. Development of these neighborhoods began around 1906 with most of the bungalow and Mediterranean styles houses built during the Florida Boom between 1920 and 1926. In 1926 the City of Lakeland had 20 swans. They became a beloved part of the city and a Swan Department was even created to tend to the birds. By 1954 the last swan passed away leaving Lakeland very sad. Mrs. Robert Pickhardt, a Lakeland native living in England was familiar with the royal flock of swans on the Thames which were descended from the original pair given to Richard, the lion heart. She inquired about purchasing a pair for Lakeland and Queen Elizabeth offered to send swans if the city would pay the cost of capture, crating, and shipping at an estimated $300. The city was able to raise the money and the pair of White Mute Swans from England were released on Lake Morton on February 9, 1957. The swans became treasured celebrities and are the mascot and symbol of the city. The swan is in the city's logo, and in the names of businesses, neighborhoods, streets, and events. The best place to see the black and white swans of Lakeland along with other birds like anhinga, ducks, wood storks, egrets, herons, ibis, and pelicans is on Lake Morton. I loved watching the beautiful swans glide through the water along with all of the other birds on the lake. The only other place I can think of where there are swans like this is on Lake Eola in Orlando. Lake Morton is also home to the Mayfaire by-the-Lake, an art festival which takes place on Mother's Day weekend each year along the shores of the lake. It typically features more than 140 artist booths and is one of the oldest and largest art festivals in Central Florida.

I love these type of parks and I have been to a few across Florida. A town will move several of…read moretheir historic buildings to one area which saves them from being demolished and it creates a place where people can learn about the history of the area. This historical park was created in Homeland, Florida in 1985 and it was set up to recreate a community from the mid 1800's. The town of Homeland got its name from an Irish peddler who was passing through and said that the town reminded him of his homeland. Buildings in the park include:: The Homeland Schoolhouse built in 1878. It was first called the Bethel Academy. The name was changed in 1885 when the town changed its name to Homeland The school started with only 5 students but when it grew to 60 a large room was added in 1888. Students in first through eighth grade were taught basic reading and math so they could help with farming and read the Bible. By 1925 the school had been expanded to a L shape. It closed in 1956 due to a decline in enrollment. It is the only building in the park on its original foundation. It is also the oldest school in Polk County. It is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Homeland Methodist Church was established in 1875. Construction of the church started in 1887, 500 feet south of its current location across the street. It took two years to complete and it was finished in 1889 at a cost of $2,000. In 1946 the church steeple was knocked over by a hurricane. The church served the community until the 1970's. In 1986 it was donated to the park. In 1990 the church steeple was built back up to its original height. Today the church can be rented for weddings. The Raulerson Home was built in the 1880's by Mr. and Mrs. Blocker. It was originally located in Lakeland near County Road. The house is an example of what an affluent family would have lived in. The house was purchased from the Blockers by Daniel Amos Raulerson who lived in it from 1901 until 1912. After that they rented it out. The house contains two rooms on the second floor that can only be entered from a ladder on the porch. These type of rooms were meant for the farm help. This was the third building to be added to the park and it was moved here on March 25, 1988. The English log cabin was built in 1888 in the Winston area of Lakeland, Florida by Cornelius English and his brother James Jackson. It was as a family home until the 1900's. The building is an example of the earliest kind of dwelling in Polk County, a single pen log cabin. The house remained in possession of the English family until it was donated to the park and moved here in 1989. The Pole Barn is the type of outbuilding a settler would have had in 1894. The building was added to the park in 1994 and it was the last building to be added. The barn was used to store farm equipment, protect animals, and store crops. The loft was used to store hay and feed for the animals. The barn was donated to the park by the English family. Tours of the buildings are given by appointment and several events are held throughout the year. In April they hold the Good Old Days Festival and their largest event is the Cracker Storytellers Festival. In December they hold the Christmas Notes Festival . Homeland Heritage Park offers scheduled tours, walk in tours, field trips, and their special even programs. Even though the buildings were closed I still had a great tour. Signs outside of each of the buildings told their history. It was so cool seeing buildings over a 100 years old preserved. I would love to make it back for an event one day.

Great small scale historical outdoor museum area. Free access to outdoor areas that are…read morewell-marked with historical signs. If you want to tour inside buildings, you need to make an appointment or peer through windows. Original school on original site from 1878. Small Methodist Church, one of first with stained glass windows. 1900 log cabin, 1880 aristocratic farmhouse, pole barn with some farm implements. Giant live oaks. Will take about an hour to stroll through it all. Great place for a picnic and peek back at the original cracker life in central Florida. South of Bartow, north of Fort Meade on 640. Signs are good to get there. Raw honey stand and "greens for sale" on the way in. Gotta love it!

Fewox Memorial Park is a neighborhood park located between SR 17 and Lake Reedy in Frostproof. It…read morewas named in honor of Gladys Fewox who was part of a ranching and farming family in the area. Her son and family own FX Bar Ranch and a road in Frostproof is named for Gladys. Fewox Memorial Park is completely fenced in which is great for children's safety. There is some basic playground equipment with things to climb, slide down and swings. There is also a large pavilion with picnic tables and a grill which can be rented. I think the nicest feature of the park is the large oak trees dripping in Spanish moss that add beauty and shade to the park. I love visiting rural Frostproof where you can enjoy nature and that small town, Old Florida vibe.

We stopped in at Patterson park when getting my flat tire fixed across the street. The park had a…read morelot of potential but was a bit unkept with some Transient people hanging around it. The lake was very green and had some garbage in it but there was some nice wild life in it as well. I walked my dog through the park, overall it felt safe during the day, but I would not recommend it at night.

Patterson Park was a welcome break on my northbound drive today. After so many miles of rural…read moreFlorida roads, it felt good to step into a well kept space with open water views in every direction. The small bridges were lovely and gave the walk a gentle rhythm, each one offering a slightly different angle on the shoreline. On a cool but not cold late autumn day, the air had just enough crispness to make the walk feel refreshing without pushing me back to the car. What I appreciated most was how easy it was to settle into the quiet of the place. The path along the water encouraged an unhurried pace, and the calm made it simple to shake off the road for a few minutes. Nothing flashy, just a clean, peaceful park with graceful crossings, steady water views and a chance to reset before heading onward. [Review 1610 of 2025 - 2187 in Florida - 25158 overall]

I was actually surprised at the trails here. At first glance you don't see them and then there they…read moreare hidden from the parking area and fishing "lakes". Pretty trails which wind around more water area and under canopies of trees. Unfortunately there is trash lying around and some of the people I encountered seemed to not be there for nature, so that's why I only rated it three stars. Signs are almost unreadable and area doesn't seem to be taken care of. I will go back as I didn't get to explore the whole length of the trails. I advise being aware of your surroundings out here. Also enjoy nature and the beauty this park has to offer

Worked at Saddle Creek in Lakeland, Florida in Building 18…read more Here is my experience: 1. Arrived at building 18 and made contact with Kathy in dispatch. Kathy instructed me to wait on another driver who could train me on a CNG tractor. 2. Waited for 2 hours in the breakroom. Finally introduced to Omar (CNG trainer) who showed me how to operate CNG. Kathy then assigned a truck to me which was not CNG but regular tractor day cab. (wasted almost 2 hours). 3. Assigned a trailer and handed the BOL by Kathy. On pre trip of assigned trailer, found license plate light was out. Informed kathy of defect and was instructed to repair the light at the shop. 4 At repair shop, light was fixed and finally dispatched at around 12:30 noon. Had been in touch with kathy and ELD logs documenting this defective light and the late dispatch. Receiving: Arrived at 1st receiver (Ft. Lauderdale). Discovered that the trailer was loaded incorrectly by Saddle Creek warehouse. Had to physically remove all packages from the trailer to get the 1st stop's load. Then had to reload the trailer to head to the second stop (West Palm Beach). Received numerous calls from Kathy in dispatch asking about my ETA to Palm Beach. Notified her and dispatch that the unloading took a lot of time and DOT hours were dwindling. Made it to the 2nd stop with an irate and rude warehouse manager. Asked me "what my The problem was" because I was late. Explained about the trailer error but didn't care. Notified dispatch( Kathy and Scott) that manager was rude and in my face. Leaving 2nd stop, notified Scott in dispatch that DOT hours were running out. (had to make it back from Palm Beach to Lakeland in 3 hours). This was not happening. Was instructed by Scott to take the 16 hour exception and proceed. Asked specifically about other options but received 0 feedback from Scott. Arrived back at Saddle creek building 18 and violated DOT driving rule (had to drive 1 hour illegally) Next Day Summary of Events Report was sent by both Scott and Kathy in dispatch to warehouse supervisor Chris Sands of the following: 1. Driver (me) dispatched late (completely ignoring the license plate light issue-item 3 above) 2. Driver took tractor to shop without authorization (was approved and instructed by Kathy to take the truck to the shop (item 3 above) 3. Driver took to long to unload (completely ignoring that the trailer was loaded incorrectly from warehouse) 4. Driver violated DOT driving hours: Scott stated to Chris Sands that he "told me, the driver, that if I run out of DOT time, to call him. This was false and Scott never mentioned those words to me. I do however take full responsibility for the illegal dot driving. In Summary I have found that the two personnel, Kathy and Scott (who was in direct contact with me during the entire load) reported false and inaccurate statements to management to either mitigate risk from the operations standpoint or to shift blame more on the driver. Met with Chris Sands (manager at building 18) in person and had a good meeting. Chris was attentive, direct, and a good listener. his major issue was with the illegal drive time (which is completely understood). Had no other comments or feedback when I explained that his dispatch team (kathy and Scott) falsified and accurately described the load events and details.

We drove all the way to Circle B find it closed. No mention of it on their website so we…read morestumbled upon Holloway as we wanted to go for a nature walk. The map shows lots of trails, and it looked like the paths had been freshly mowed. We walked for awhile, but honestly it was boring. There wasn't anything to see so we turned around and went home. Maybe we missed something, I don't know, but when you have your heart set on Circle B and it doesn't happen, most places will fall short.

Went to Holloway Park to check out the disk golf course. Its has some difficulty in that it's very…read moreeasy to lose your disks in the brush if you dont have proper aim (like me...lol) but it has a great sequence to the baskets and well kept mowed paths. There are also hiking and jogging trails and pets are allowed on leash. There is 1 portable restroom on site and plenty of parking. Overall, it's a beautiful little park with a nice disk golf course but I recommend you protect yourself and bring some mosquito repellent or you will get eaten up out there.

The Frostproof City Pier is a short stroll from downtown at the end of E Wall Street in front of…read moreAmerican Legion Post 95. The pier extends on to the 3,483 acre fresh water Lake Reedy which is surrounded by homes and citrus groves. The maximum depth of Lake Reedy is 28 feet. Boaters can find a launch in Lake Reedy Park. From the pier anglers can fish for large mouth bass, black crappie, black bullhead, green sunfish, and bluegill. Polk County is known as the bass capital of the world. Spring is the most popular season to fish Lake Reedy because of the spawn found when the water gets clearer. Fish that are usually deep in the water come up to search for food making them more visible. Early morning and afternoon are the best times to fish. A Florida fishing license is required to fish Lake Reedy. Even if you are not fishing the pier offers beautiful views of Lake Reedy. I enjoyed my walk down the pier on a gorgeous November morning where I delighted in seeing a Great White Egret waiting for me at the end of the pier. Water visibility isn't great but the view is still lovely. There are benches for anyone who would like to sit and linger. Next to the pier is Henderson Field with softball amenities.