Lakeland, Florida Travel Guide
When we were home for the holidays a few months ago, I had a realization that I had grown up by Memphis, but I had never visited some of the most iconic spots. I had spent eighteen years so close but had never bothered visiting Sun Record Studio, the National Civil Rights Museum, and, yes, even Graceland. While I still have these Memphis bucket list things to do in the future, nothing is stopping me from being a tourist in my current hometown of Lakeland, Florida. About a month ago, I came up with a Florida Bucket List to complete before graduation. While not everything on the list is in Lakeland, it has proven to be a great tool to get out of the everyday routine. If you ever find life a little monotonous, I highly recommend making a local bucket list.
Where to go:
Downtown: Lakeland has certainly given care to its downtown area with the variety of dining experiences, murals, and shops. There is usually a weekly event occurring downtown whether it’s the Saturday Farmers’ Market, First Friday, or Second Thursdays. While the Saturday Farmers’ Market breaks during the heat of the summer, the rest of the year you can peruse the blocks and blocks of vendors from 8am-2pm. Some of my favorites include Ethos Roasters and East of These. On the first Friday of the month, the streets are closed for themed events and additional vendors. Second Thursdays are a little more low key with the square being dedicated to food trucks serving all kinds of cuisine ranging from ice cream sundaes, bbq potatoes, and Mexican food.
Bonnet Springs Park: This enormous park spans over 168 acres and is the new crown jewel of Lakeland. After opening this past October, this massive project is not your typical park that is just for a casual walk or playgrounds for children. This park houses a Welcome Center with a Starbucks, the Florida Childrens’ Museum, a treehouse that houses a functional classroom, and so much more. I first visited this park on opening day and attended a work event at the event center. It was absolutely gorgeous, and I could see a beautiful outdoor wedding taking place outside near the budding orange groves.
Circle B Reserve: This reserve is not for the faint of heart because it is filled with alligators, but it is also important for continuing the natural ecosystems of Florida. This former cattle ranch houses the seasonal marshes, reptiles, and birds of all kinds. The hiking trails are shaded and give you a front row view of wildlife.
Lake Hollingsworth: Lakeland has numerous lakes (I mean it’s in the name after all), but one of my favorites to walk is Lake Hollingsworth. This lake is surrounded by beautiful houses and borders Florida Southern University. I have had great conversations walking with friends around this lake, and even competed in a 5K as well. You might even catch the collegiate water skiing team holding practice.
What to do:
Shopping: While I have already covered some specialty shopping experiences downtown, there are two shops I would love to highlight that bless the presence of downtown daily. If I’m not at work, you can typically find me at book club at Pressed Book Store. This weekly book club has brought me great friends, but also is a nice place to relax and enjoy a coffee and great book. Pressed is a relatively new store, and I can’t wait to see them grow with all the events they are hosting and writers that are visiting the store. If you walk just around the corner from Pressed, Scout and Tag is an adorable store filled with painted furniture, interior decorating, bath and body products, and all things Lakeland themed. This place is perfect to shop for gifts or a little happy for yourself!
While this type of shopping might be for a certain group, you can not sleep on the vintage and antique stores in Lakeland. Make sure you pop by Dixieland Relics, Southern Gentlemen Antiques or Low Country Vintage to get a blast from the past. I have also personally had fantastic luck thrift shopping in Florida as well. My guess is the influx of people moving down here, particularly those looking to retire and lighten the load, makes for a great selection even at the local Goodwill.
Silver Moon Drive In Theater: Speaking of blast from the past, the Silver Moon Drive In has been open since 1948 and is a great way to spend a Friday or Saturday night. We went and watched Thor: Love and Thunder at the drive in and it really brought the experience to life when there was lightning in the distance as Thor was gracing the screen. I have to thank Florida summer storms for that great ambiance. If you have never been to a drive in before, it is a cheaper way to see new movies and is a must do at least once. Make sure to pack some lawn chairs or if you have a good size trunk, deck it out with blankets, pillows, and plenty of movie snacks.
Buena Market: This roaming market typically hosts large events at least once a month all across Lakeland. Buena Market does a fantastic job of highlighting local artists, especially those from minorities. We went to their Disco Fest, which was a 70s themed pop-up roller rink, and we had an absolute blast! Many blurry photos at the photo booth were taken to commemorate the night.
Where to eat:
Breakfast:
Born and Bread: I am being absolutely serious when I say these are the best pastries I have ever put in my mouth. The croissant dough is full of buttery flaky goodness and is baked to perfection. Plus, the theming of the bakery is spot on. Born and Bread is constantly changing up its flavor profiles by offering approximately thirty five options of savory or sweet pastries every Wednesday and Saturday. I recommend getting there early to beat the crowd, and don’t forget to order a cruffin for me!
Biscuits and Benedicts: This restaurant is also relatively new, but the name is just too catchy! There are plenty of breakfast sandwiches to choose from and varieties of eggs benedict. I recommend the “Heavens to Betsy” and the “Over Yonder” biscuit sandwiches.
Coffee:
Concord Coffee: This sleek coffee shop and roastery takes pride in good coffee and supplies coffee to many other local businesses in the area. You can’t go wrong with a pour over or flash brew.
Black and Brew: With three locations in town, this coffee shop and eatery is perfect to meet friends for lunch or hang out for a few hours to get work done. I personally love going to the location that is by Lake Morton because it is actually part of the public library! The patio is perfect on a beautiful day and you can pop over and enjoy the new library expansion as well.
Unfiltered: This shop originated in the town over called Bartow but just recently came to Lakeland in the past month. The outdoor patio space at Unfiltered is fantastic, and they are so creative when it comes to incorporating other small businesses.
TeaLargo : While this place is predominantly tea and not coffee, I had to include TeaLargo on the list because it has quintessential Florida beach vibes. Even though Lakeland is about an hour from the ocean, Tea Largo makes you feel like you are in a beach town with the bright colors and artsy nautical decor. I love getting boba or an acai bowl and sitting down to enjoy one of the many games they keep in stock.
Lunch:
The Joinery: If you are with a group of people that can’t decide what to eat, The Joinery is the place to go since it has a little bit of everything. The food hall and craft brewery has several selections including burgers, ramen, pizza, and sushi. My favorite sweet treat is the Parent Trap ice cream (peanut butter+ Oreo) at Mayday Creamery. Bingo night is held almost every Tuesday, and Trivia is on Thursday with other fun events scattered throughout the social calendar.
Good Thyme: I love a good pun almost as much as I love a casual eatery. Good Thyme is vegan and vegetarian friendly and great for a sunny Florida day. I have not had breakfast there yet, but I do enjoy their veggie burrito with a side of chips and salsa.
Dinner:
Harry’s Seafood: Harry’s is a local chain throughout Florida that specializes in Cajun style seafood specials. We went there when my parents visited town and we definitely enjoyed the french market pasta, crab crusted redfish royale, and shrimp and scallop orleans.
Nineteen61: While I am including this restaurant in the dinner portion, I would like to note that my favorite cocktail in Lakeland is from Nineteen61. If you go here and do not pair a margarita de fresa with your meal, you are missing out! This is definitely more of an upscale dining experience, so if you choose to dine here treat yourself to a delicious churrasco steak or seafood paella
Scarpa’s Italian Restaurant: If you asked me my favorite restaurant in Lakeland, this would be it. This tiny Italian restaurant may not look like much on the outside, but the food packs a flavor punch. Scarpa’s pays great attention to the quality of their food from the homemade pasta to fresh catch of the day that even the infamous Emiril Lagasse featured this restaurant in Emiril’s Florida. My favorite meal here is starting off with a baked brie, house white wine, seafood fettuccine with garlic and olive oil, and finishing the meal off with tiramisu. Make sure to get a reservation here, because it is absolutely worth it!
The Federal: For a more casual dinner, Mojo Federal is a great place to grab a drink and some BBQ. We have taken a few friends who have visited town to this old federal building converted to restaurant and bar, and we have had a good experience every time. My personal favorites include the pulled pork quesadilla, smokehouse chicken, and onion rings. I will note as a Memphis BBQ lover that this restaurant doesn’t exactly have one type of region BBQ, but rather a conglomeration of several BBQ styles.
After Dinner:
Revival: The ambiance of this bar lends yourself to getting dressed up and getting a cocktail with your bestie or significant other. I love how extensive the drink menu is, but my go to has to be the hibiscus paloma or sunrise spritz.
Central Florida
While these places and activities are not in Lakeland, I wanted to make sure to include them in the list if you are in the Central Florida area. A couple of these options are a bit more touristy, but you can’t think about Florida without the beach or Disney World!
Keel and Curley Winery: Florida doesn’t have conducive weather for traditional wine, but it is perfect for blueberry wine! I did not know this was a thing until being invited to Keel and Curly by a gal pal for a wine tour, and it was so interesting learning about the process of making blueberry wine. We even got to do a tasting of ten different wine selections. My favorite is the dry blueberry wine and the pirate punch cider. There are other fruit themed events throughout the year as well including strawberry picking and a watermelon festival- to which I came in third for the watermelon eating contest I might add.
Theme Parks: As we await for the beloved Florida resident pass to return to Disney (I am talking to you, Bob Iger), there are a few theme park tricks I have up my sleeve as we deal with this continual increase in theme park prices. While I will save my extensive suggestions for food in the parks for another time, I can not recommend enough making a reservation for breakfast at a resort if you are driving to Disney World. If you make a reservation, you can get free parking at the resort without having to pay the extra $30 or so to park at the theme park. We did this at Magic Kingdom last week with the Grand Floridian Cafe, and it was a life saver as we were trying to exit the park after the fireworks. We were able to avoid the gigantic crowd by getting on the monorail to the resorts, and even stopped and went to the bathroom in the resorts before hitting the road in less than twenty five minutes after park closing.
Bonus: Clearwater Beach+ Palm Pavilion
I can’t make a Florida recommendation list without including a beach on here! Clearwater is our closest beach, and we have been there several times since moving to Florida approximately ten months ago. Our trick is to park at the Palm Pavilion to go to the beach. We can usually find parking and there are hoses as well that you can use to clean sand off your things. In addition, the Palm Pavilion is a fantastic beachside bar and grill with an extensive food and drink menu. What is more Florida than enjoying a Mai Thai or Strawberry Daquiri by the ocean!?
I hope these recommendations help you shake up your routine if you live in Florida, or if you are visiting offer a fresh perspective on things to do.