What an outstanding experience to tour this campus! The…read moreguide Jack C is simply amazing. Me & Barby took the one & one half hour tour & really enjoyed it. We found free parking on College St one block away. It cost about $30 & you can get a AAA discount. They give you a small audio ear piece & you can hear Jack in your ear as you walk from building to building. If you're a FLW fan, this is a singular experience.

I'm just here to add to the chorus of voices offering praise for this comprehensive and enjoyable…read moreFLW extended tour. The guide we had was knowledgeable and a great storyteller. I also appreciated some of her strong opinions about the architecture and the architect. Our tour had many delights along our walking/exploring journey. We went a little long, which everyone appreciated, and I was not tempted to look at my watch once. (Pro Tip: The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art (The AGB) at Florida Southern College is extraordinary, and you will find several local-flavor restaurants nearby.)

This facility is part of the City of Lakeland Parks and Recreaton…read more The LHS Class of 1972 held their 40th Class Reunion here. It's a beautiful building built in the 1920's. It has a fantastic veranda that overlooks Lake Mirror.

Recently attended a wedding here, very nice and spacious venue. Was decorated nicely with flowers…read moreand twinkle lights. Holds a lot of people. Nice views for photos! Indoor venue but has an outside patio attached.

They call it Lakeland for a reason! Wire Lake has a nice sidewalk path around it and is a short…read moredistance.from downtown. The roads by it are a lil busy in sections but if you like birds, water, palms, historical sites, and Middle Schools, this lake has it all!!! There is a section with various palms marked with labels along the lake by Lawton Chiles Middle School. Arboretum like. Some of the palms haven't survived but there are many to look at for the palm enthusiast. Choose a good one foe your next landscaping project! Juat past the palms is a historical marker for the 10th Cavalry "Buffalo Soldiers". African American soldiers had a very important role in the American Civil War and were stationed here a few decades later before deploying to Cuba to hekp liberate it from Spain. What would the area have looked and felt like back then? Interesting to reflect on. There is some trash in the lake. Styrofoam cups. Plastic bottles. :,( But birds as well. Views of taller downtown buildings in distance. A shiny new Methodist Church building is across the street. Those Methodists seem to be doing very well! Have to respect their methods.. Circling around to the other side there is the old courthouse building and you can cross the Traintracks on New York Avenue to reach downtown and Munn Park. Hurry before the Confederate Memorial statue of Munn is gone! Make sure to stop and smell the roses. Where? How did I get here? And the days go by. Water flowing under ground.. Apparently there is a cycling trail circuit around Lakeland's lakes. Check it out. Someone should.make a Yelp entry for it..

This is a seven acre historic district in central Bartow, Florida that dates to 1885. The historic…read morecommercial district is bounded by Davidson and Summerlin Streets and Broadway and Florida Avenues. In the middle of the district is the historic Classical Revival Polk County Courthouse that has been turned into the Polk County Historical Museum. There are twenty-one historic buildings in this district and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1993. Today the historic Classical Revival, Vernacular, and Masonry buildings along Main Street are occupied by shops and restaurants. There are quaint antique and vintage stores, a bakery, a Mexican restaurant, and a pizzeria. Parking is free along the street. During the first weekend in March the street is shut down for the Bartow Bloomin' Arts Festival. Bartow is so charming and fun to explore. This historic district was right up my alley.

The Polk County History Center is located in the historic 1908 Courthouse located on Main Street in…read moreBartow. I love this trend of turning these historic courthouses into history museums when their cities outgrow the space. These old courthouses are designed in an elegant Neoclassical design. They also made courthouses into museums in Orlando and West Palm Beach. The 1908 courthouse in Bartow served as the Polk County Courthouse from 1908 until 1987. In 1988 the building was turned into the Polk County History Center and Genealogical Research Library. In 1989 the courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Admission to the museum is free and there is free street parking. You start your self guided tour with a video exhibition guide. The museum has 11 permanent and four temporary galleries over two floors.On the first floor is a gift shop and 7 galleries that cover history from the pioneers to the industrialists. Displays include what school was like at the turn of the century, early 1900's women's fashion, World Series championships, area landmarks, fishing, lost attractions, historic Dixie Hwy, Publix, Coke a Cola, trains, the citrus industry, cattle ranching, pioneers, and African-Americans in early Polk County. On the second floor there are two restored courtrooms, one from 1908 and one from 1926, the genealogical library, displays about Polk County's military history and the paleo Indians including, a dugout canoe from 400-570 AD, an arts and culture gallery, and displays about women's suffrage, In the temporary gallery they were having a quilt exhibit. I love that the courthouse is rumored to be haunted. A lady in white has been reported on the second and third floors and screams have been heard in the basement. Some guests have reported cold spots. As you walk around the galleries it is not too difficult to imagine that this building is haunted. I had a very nice time exploring the museums collection of fossils, clothing, military relics, and household items. The Polk County History Center is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. This is a really great museum with a wide range of items s that will appeal to everyone and it's free. Come out and learn about the history of Polk County and Florida's heritage.

Closed on the Monday when I was passing through Bartow but I got to at least enjoy the outside of…read morethis massive structure that used to be the Polk County Courthouse and is now the History Center. The new Justice Center towers above, across the street. There is a historical marker out front that provides some history. It reads, "Polk County was established February 8, 1861 formed from eastern Hillsborough County and western Brevard County and comprised one of two counties created after the state's secession from the union. Polk County was named after James Knox Polk the eleventh president of the United States. Polk served from 1845 to 1849, and was the first president to hold office after Florida achieved statehood. The turbulent 1860's saw Polk's seat of government changed several times. Located first at Mud Lake, the county seat soon moved to Jefferson, a surveyed town site within the present day limits of Bartow. Court and County records were maintained in the home of the county clerk the Reverend Jeremiah Hayman at Six Mile Creek. In 1867 cattleman Jacob Summerlin donated 120 acres of land at Bartow for a town site and seat of county government. Several courthouses have existed at this site, built in 1867, 1884 and 1909." It is marker number F-549 and was erected in 2005 by the Polk County Historical Commission and the Florida Department of State. The building was designed by Edward Columbus Hosford with contributions from Francis J. Kennard in a Classical Revival composition. The style is unmistakable: a symmetrical facade, strong classical massing, and a clock tower rising above the roofline. A series of earlier courthouses stood on this same ground, beginning with an 1867 structure, then an 1884 replacement, and finally the 1909 building that survives today. The facade's classical detailing, the clock tower, and the building's balanced proportions all reflect a period when counties across the South were asserting their permanence through monumental architecture. Inside, the building now houses the Polk County History Center, and the county offers regular architectural tours that highlight the structure's Neo‑Classical features and the stories behind its construction. Just not on Monday. [Review 1612 of 2025 - 2189 in Florida - 25160 overall]

Florida is well known (at least to me) for their constant parade of tolls along any number of their…read moreroads. The Polk Parkway is one of them, providing a bit of a bypass around Lakeland between Tampa and Orlando. Groundbreaking began in 1996 and it opened for traffic in 1999. At just over 24 miles, it is an "L" shape with half going east to west and the other half turning north to south. However, the entire roadway is signed east-west. No toll takers during these days of COVID, so I'm hoping to get a bill-by-mail or see if they are able to recognize my North Carolina QuickPass. It's been a few weeks, so I'm not feeling especially hopeful. It's also a little on the spendy side - two exits, not five miles, is $0.80 for SunPass and twice that for cash. The road was smooth and the toll plaza was easy enough to navigate. [Review 13349 overall, 667 of 2020.]

This is the historic home of African-American pioneer Lawrence Bernard Brown. The house is located…read moreat 470 L.B. Brown Avenue, Bartow, Florida. Mr. Brown was born into slavery in 1856 near Gainesville and he had limited formal education during his lifetime. Despite these setbacks Mr. Brown became a self taught master carpenter. He arrived in Bartow in the late 1880's and he became one of Polk County's most successful businessmen and community leaders. At the time of his death in 1941, Mr. Brown had accumulated a half a million dollars. Lawrence Brown was named "A Great Floridian" by the Florida Department of State. Mr. Brown purchased a plot of land, cleared it and in 1892 he built a 1,700 square foot, two story Victorian. The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is believed to be the only home built by a formerly enslaved person to still exist in Florida. The street going past the house was renamed L.B. Brown Ave. in his honor. Mr. Brown and his wife Anna Belle went on to have seven children but only one of them had a child. That child never had children so there are no direct family descendants. Mr. Brown and his wife are buried in Evergreen Cemetery. The house eventually became abandoned and it deteriorated. It was slated for demolition by the city but they were reluctant to destroy it.. In the late 1990's Clifton Lewis, president of Corporation Of Neighborhood Improvement and other Bartow residents began restoration on the home and over two years returned it to it's original grandeur. Every year in mid February, Bartow holds an annual L.B. Brown Festival to celebrate the life of L.B. Brown. You can call for guided tours of the home (863) 944-6136. When the house is closed you are free to tour the exterior and out buildings. Parking is available in the field next to the house.

An amazing piece of history sitting right there in Bartow, Florida…read more We went as a field trip with our homeschool group. The folks in charge here are so passionate about their work. The tours are informative and thorough. Split into a tour of the outside, downstairs inside and upstairs inside, our tour was led by three different people. All amazing, full of educational information and clearly excited to share their knowledge. Feel free to ask questions! They love to engage in conversation about Mr. LB Brown, his history and the home they've worked so hard to preserve. It's a beautiful place, inside and out. It's a little sad that it's not more popular for school field trips from schools in the area. It's sitting there waiting, with people ready to share! The kids in our group were moved and excited to learn so much. Afterwards, there was lots of conversation about LB Brown! That says something! Very happy to have had the opportunity to check out the LB Brown House!

This is a historic house located in downtown Bartow at 590 East Stanford Street. Named the Benjamin…read moreFranklin Holland House,, it is also known as The Gables and the Roy Trent Gallemore House. The house was built in 1895 and was designed by architect E.R. Wharton. The two and a half story house is in the frame vernacular style with shingle elements and it is considered one of the best examples of a shingle style home in Florida. There is a one story wraparound screen entrance porch. Benjamin Franklin Holland was known in Bartow as a pioneer and a public servant. He was born in Carroll County, Ga., in 1846. When he was 17 he was a Confederate soldier in a battle at Kennesaw Mountain in Georgia that saw half of his company killed. During the battle he was wounded and by the time he recovered the Civil War was over. To heal from a shattered hand and tuberculosis he moved to Polk county where he married and had three children. He founded Polk's first abstract business and served in three county offices: school board member, county commissioner and county treasurer. One of his children became Florida governor Spessard Holland who grew up in the home. The house was listed on the US Register of Historic Places in 1975. It is a private residence so you can only view it from the street but it is a beautiful home and worth a drive by if you are in the area.

In 1926 the City of Lakeland had 20 swans. They became a beloved part of the city and a Swan…read moreDepartment 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, he of 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. Mute Swan Protecting Her Cygnets is a 2012, 7,000 pound, 8-foot bronze replica of a smaller piece by Ian G. Brennan, official sculptor to the Queen of England. It was donated to the city by Sandra Trattner and Steve Wolfson. The Wolfson family is descended from pioneer Cyrus Wolfson who got off a train in Lakeland in 1909. After looking at the beautiful scenery around him, he decided to raise his family here. The statue now sits near the spot Cyrus Wolfson stood in 1909 taking in the majestic splendor of Lake Mirror. The Wolfson's were the first Jewish family in Lakeland and in the early 1900's Crus Wolfson opened a famous department store by Munn Park, just a few blocks up from where the statue now stands. Cyrus's son Wilfred "Willy" Wolfson fought during WWII in the Pacific. He and his wife Elaine opened the first pharmacy in Lakeland in 1953. The statue was donated to the city by Sandra Trattner and Steve Wolfson, children of Wil and Elaine Wolfson. The statue was chosen to remind people of the contributions of the Wolfson family to Lakeland, and to thank them for everything the community of Lakeland did for them. Today Mute Swan is the signature artwork in Allen Kryger Park. I loved discovering this beautiful artwork that ties in perfectly to the scenic lake behind it.