During my travels I have visited a lot of Veteran Memorials but this is the first war dog memorial…read morethat I have found. This memorial is located in front of the Avon Park Community Center and it was dedicated on November 9, 2018. It was donated to the City of Avon Park by the Battle of the Bands and the Loyal Order of the Moose. The Battle of the Bands is an organization created on February 15, 2005 in order to create an annual display that honors veterans on Main Street every holiday season. The monument features a 5 foot tall soldier, German shepherds, collies, and other breeds of dogs. At night the memorial is lit up. As a huge dog lover this memorial instantly caught my attention. It not only recognizes how dogs have served in combat but also how they have offered emotional therapy and support to our soldiers. I love this touching tribute to mans best friend.

I am so ashamed and triple embarrassed! OMG Steven B, what did you do?…read more I've lived in this teeny tiny town for five years and I'm a lifelong dog lover and I've been a member of the Loyal Order of Moose for many years. I've driven by this wonderful memorial maybe a thousand times and for some strange reason it's never "clicked!" Along comes my good Yelp friend https://www.yelp.com/user_details?userid=lvthTfCQGD0qaEk6jCdRdQ from considerably out of town and she writes the very first review! I am so ashamed! Thank you, Ariel W., for bringing me to my senses. This is an awesome and well-deserved memorial for our four-legged friends that is co-sponsored by the local Moose Lodge. War Dogs have helped humans for hundreds of years, saved countless lives and provided much needed emotional support to our soldiers. The memorial is very nicely done in bronze. I've stopped by twice now and I'm not ashamed to say that I've shed a tear or two!

I can't believe I missed reviewing this place! Several years ago, I moved down to Florida to take…read morecare of my elderly mother. About once a month she would decree she wanted to play Bingo so off we went to this joint with the dutiful son pushing the wheelchair! Arriving- They are on Main Street in a tiny plaza 200 yards off US 27 North. On popular days attendees monopolize all the parking places much to the dismay of the neighboring pizza place! On those days, parking can be a challenge! They are open most every day. Ambience- Wild and crazy, mostly elderly folks having a great time and occasionally screaming BINGO like they just won a new lease on life. A sprinkling of sons and daughters like me looking like they'd rather be sent to the 7th level of hell or maybe they were there already! They don't call it a Bingo Hall for nothing because it's just a big room with tables and chairs and of course the caller's station. There is a kitchen with food, mostly fried, and drinks available for purchase. It's strictly non-smoking and every so often they call a smoke break where the addicted stagger outside for their fix. Cost- It's hard to tell. It's like a casino. There are all kinds of different Bingo games, single and multiple jackpots, progressive games, games with crazy rules etc. I'd make sure my mother had $25 cash in her purse, and she could play for hours and have the occasional drink and snack without taking out a 2nd mortgage! Customer Service- Sometimes the elderly need a little help, especially the games with non-standard rules. These folks were wonderful! It is what it is. Some people will yell that it's gambling and treat it like it's an illegal drug, but I say it's a wonderful diversion for folks that are finishing up their life. Sadly, my mother passed away but wherever she is, maybe there is a Bingo Hall!

Great place to play bingo for an afternoon or evening. They play paper and have computer machines…read more We played both, being from Lakeland, didn't want to drive home at night so played the matinee game on Sunday. We had fun, won a little, great people. If we were to go again we'd go for the evening game. I think they are closed on Monday, but open rest of week with matinee on Wednesday and Sunday.

Lake Placid is known as the Caladium Capital of the World. Ninety-eight percent of the world's…read morecaladium bulbs are grown in Lake Placid. Although native to South America, caladiums are popular house plants that are easily propagated from tubers, or bulbs. Ninety-eight percent of the world's tubers are grown in Lake Placid on fourteen caladium farms. To celebrate the importance of caladiums to the Lake Placid economy, an annual festival is held late July. This year was the 34th annual Caladium Festival. I always wanted to attend so I am happy I made it happen this year. It was worth the drive to take part in this charming celebration. The festival is held over three days, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. A car show is held in nearby Devane Park on Saturday. The main events of the Caladium Festival take place in Stuart Park. There is plenty of free parking in a field next to the park. In Stuart Park you will find artisan tents, food, live entertainment, and of course caladiums for sale along with other kinds of plants. Do not miss the Elk tent for their popular strawberry shortcake ice cream dessert. For only $6 it benefits their children's charity. The Masonic Lodge sells fried catfish and the Knights of Columbus make pulled pork. There are other tents and trucks selling every kind of food you can imagine not to mention all of the nearby cafe's, restaurants, and coffee and ice cream shops which will also have food and drinks for sale. A highlight of the festival is shopping for caladiums at the numerous tents in Stuart Park. Before this festival I really never gave much thought to caladiums but I was impressed with how pretty they are and how many different shades of pink and red they came in. They make attractive and hardy house plants and ground cover for the garden. Other items I saw for sale included tropical wine, local honey, clothes, accessories, jewelry, and art. Almost of all of the area businesses were also selling caladium themed merchandise. The festival also has a floral arrangement competition sponsored by The Lake Placid Garden Club, a Caladium Festival art competition, and the Tiny and Little Miss Caladium Festival Pageant. For $18 you can purchase a bus ticket from the Women's Club and take an hour long tour of the caladium farms. Throughout the festival there is live entertainment on the stage in Stuart Park. It was really hot throughout the day and Advent Health was on hand with free cold water, cooling towels and backpacks, and a cooling off misting area. Other stops I made during the festival which I really enjoyed were to the Lake Placid Historical Society and Museum where I took in a little town history and enjoyed a complimentary cold water and to the Caladium Arts and Crafts Cooperative where I shopped local artisans. Of course I couldn't help but admire all of the murals in the downtown that gave Lake Placid its other nickname, Town of Murals. If you are thinking about attending this festival, do it! The folks of Lake Placid are some of the friendliest you will meet in Florida.

Lake Placid, Florida is the caladium capital of the world, and every year they have a festival to…read morecelebrate. This year, 2021, was the festival's 30th year, and my first time attending. The festival ran from 9 am - 4 pm on Friday and Saturday, and 10 am - 3 pm on Sunday. In addition to the Arts and Crafts Show and Plant Show which ran all three days, they also had a Car & Bike show on Saturday. You were encouraged to buy bus tickets at the show to tour the nearby caladium farms, but we did not do this. Parking was easy because we arrived early. The first thing we did was go the closest tent to buy caladiums. I bought a flat of 10 different caladium plants for $24, which is dirt cheap. I was thrilled that there was also cactus vendor, and ended up buying a few succulents, also at outstanding prices. I went home with a new bromeliad too - I can't say no when it comes to cool plants. The festival was much larger than I expected it to be, with a nice assortment of craft vendors selling a variety of products. When the heat became too much, we went inside a nearby building to vote on our favorite piece of caladium art, and caladium plant display. I love that the church was handing out ice water, and there was a water truck you could refill your water bottle at. There were plenty of food vendors, and the fresh fruit mix vendor was perfect for this steamy day. Make sure you wear plenty of sunscreen if you go; while there were a few shade tents set up to eat at, and listen to the live assortment of musical acts, it was broiling outside. A great time was had by all, and we will definitely be back next year.

When I think of community theater I think good performances but not blow your socks off....this…read moretheater is routinely "blow your socks off" level of performances. I highly recommend.

I'm a big city kid and when I travel to small towns, I'm always on the lookout to find the hidden…read moregems that they offer. Highlands Little Theatre is one of those diamonds in the rough! My gf and I came to see a production of Les Miserables, because our friend was going to play the role of Cosette. I was so impressed by the quality of production as well as the level of talent that the group put together! The cast is made completely of people living in the area. Some being family members of other casts, local residents, and long-time supporters. But, the dedication and quality of the performance was spot on! The space was a perfect size where there was not a bad seat in the house. And those seats were definitely filled the day we went. They even have a concession stand that had candy, popcorn, and even adult beverages. All complete with a stunning backdrop of the lake in your periphery. I will definitely be scoping out any additional shows this wonderful theatre has and look forward to coming here again. The local folks know all about this awesome place as it's been around for a while . I'm sure it will continue and more folks will be able to enjoy the big performances that this little theatre offers

I am a fan of the 1920's Florida land boom years ornate architecture. I especially love the old…read moretheaters that have been lovingly restored in many small towns. I discovered this Mediterranean-Revival gem in Frostproof while attending the Scenic Ridge 39 Mile Long Garage Sale, The sale ran right through the historic downtown in front of the theater. The theater was open to sell snacks and provide restrooms. Ramon Theater was built in 1925 by Vera and Frank Thompson at a cost of $100,000. The building was designed by M. Leo Elliott, a well known architect from Tampa. The Thompsons named the theater after their second son Ramon who was born in 1925. The theater was built with a wide stage, dressing rooms, and an orchestra pit for vaudeville shows. Later on it showed silent movies with piano accompaniment. The original piano, used to accompany silent films, has been preserved and is on display in the lobby. The Ramon was Frostproof's only movie theater and it was operated by Vera Thompson until it closed in the late 1960's. The theater was left to decay until the Frostproof Chamber of Commerce purchased it and the building next door. In 2002 they were able to raised half of the 1.3 million dollars needed to restore the historic building. The rest of the restoration money came from state and county grants. The theater was reconfigured, the snack bar removed, and new carpeting, wallpaper, and updated restrooms were added. The original seats have been removed and they set up folding chairs for performances. In 2007 a gala was held to celebrate the progress made on the restoration and its new life as a community event venue. Today the historic theater hosts productions, concerts, and social, civic and business events. Upcoming events include a musical salute honoring veteran on November 11th, Christmas with Chris Ruggiero on December 14th, and Joey Grillo tribute to Tom Petty on February 3, 2024. The theaters murder mystery events are very popular. The November murder mystery is already sold out but there is one on December 31st that still has tickets for $25.

Wow! What a great little theater I didn't even know existed!…read more A friend was doing a show here, so I drove down to check it out. THis theater has been meticulously restored and you can see the time, money effort, passion, and love that was put into the renovation- and in speaking with the staff, you can also see their pride and passion! There are many theaters like this around our great country, many in sad disrepair, so it is wonderful to see an old theater like this one back to its former glory. I look forward to seeing more shows here in the future!

This is my fourth time to this track and it looks like they've done a lot of improvements to the…read moretrack or the facilities around the track. I remember the first time I came to the track. It was pretty dirty and it seemed like the bathrooms were really unkept, but I noticed this time they had people at every single bathroom keeping them clean every time I went to the bathroom, it was super clean now Road Atlanta needs to catch up with them. I like the new bridge crossovers that let you get to the paddocks and over the track. The shuttles have been great for people who don't feel like walking and especially when my knees needed a break from the stairs. Temporary signs were everywhere and the free parking for those whom didn't purchase or have an inside parking sure is nice as it helps it brings a bigger crowd to the races and helps promote and keep the sport popular. I did get to park inside with my four day pass and that was really nice to not have to buy it separately but also the free parking wasn't super far either. The weather has been great so far and the track staff have kept the track clean and so far it's been a fun event. I'll update after the race with any post race feedback. I finally found the free program with the map of the track layout and the shuttle stops have a track map also. This has been super helpful. At Daytona they had either ran out or didn't have maps and it was challenging and frustrating. They need to add temporary track maps to their shuttle stops like Sebring. I also like how the shuttle staff were familiar with the stops and helped navigate when and where to get off based on where you were wanting to go, something the staff at Daytona definitely had no clue about and their lines were long and fans were frustrated not knowing where to go or if they were even getting on the correct shuttles.

Sebring International Raceway is a true race track holding all sorts of motorsport races including…read morethe Mobil 1 Twelve Hour. As the first race here was held in 1950, it's one of the oldest continuously operating tracks in the United States. I came here to see the two days of Porsche racing with only Porches involved in the races. I ended up staying at the Sebring International Raceway Hotel also known as Seven Sebring Raceway Hotel in room 417 which is located right on the race track with a balcony overlooking its famous hairpin turn. The room I had was great. It was clean, well-furnished and with the best race track view anyone could ask for. Then, with its Apex bar and restaurant facilities a total of Yelp 5 plus stars.

I have wanted to go to this yard sale event along the Scenic Highway for a few years now but it is…read morequite a distance from where I live. It required the commitment of leaving my house at 5 AM to make it to the first stop closest to me, Frostproof by 8 AM. This was the year I finally made it. The sale is always held the first Saturday in November and attracts thousands of people. It takes place from 8Am to 3 PM. The sale is sponsored by Ridge Scenic Highway Corridor, Corridor Management Entity, City of Lake Wales, Frostproof Chamber of Commerce, Lake Wales Woman's Club, Lake of the Hills Community Club, Town of Lake Hamilton, Dundee Methodist Church, and the City of Frostproof. These civic, religious, and non profit groups have been working together since 2007 to promote tourism along the Lake Wales Ridge. While you shop at the sale you can also dine at local restaurants and shop at businesses. While I pretty much stuck to the sale it was hard not to get sidetracked by some of the places I have always wanted to visit. I got to visit a few on this trip in addition to reaching each of the official sale stops. The sale runs along the Lake Wales Ridge and extends 38.7 miles from its intersection with US 27 S of Frostproof to where it intersects with US 17/92 in Haines City. There are five official locations for the sale. These are downtown Frostproof, Lake Wales at the Woman's Club, Lake of the Hills at the Community Clubhouse, Dundee at the Methodist Church, and Lake Hamilton at the Town Hall grounds. In between the official stops are many other unofficial sales. It would be impossible to stop at every sale in one day. Along the route are a number of cultural and historical sites along with lakes, natural areas, citrus groves, and unique Florida attractions. The first stop in Frostproof was the perfect way to start the sale. I loved shopping among the historic buildings of Frostproof. I got coffee with Mr. Chris in a historic train depot and visited the friendly folks at the Chamber of Commerce. I love how this sale introduced me to the beautiful Lake Wales Ridge. There is still so much more I want to explore.