Winter Haven, FL

Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, about halfway between Tampa and Orlando, built around a chain of about 50 lakes. People come for LEGOLAND Florida, which sits on the former Cypress Gardens site, and for boating, water skiing and bass fishing on lakes linked by canals.

Things to do in Winter Haven

The Chain of Lakes is the signature: canals dug starting in 1915 link a northern chain of nine lakes and a southern chain of sixteen, and a lock opened in 2011 lets boats pass between the two. Rent a pontoon or paddleboard, fish for largemouth bass, or watch for bald eagles and herons along the shore. On Lake Eloise, LEGOLAND Florida opened in 2011 and kept part of the original Cypress Gardens botanical garden and the water ski tradition, and Peppa Pig Theme Park sits next door. Downtown, laid out on a grid around Central Avenue, has the Historic Ritz Theater, the Museum of Winter Haven History and Central Park, which hosts an art festival each March. The city also hosted MLB spring training for decades, most recently the Cleveland Indians through 2008.

Getting to Winter Haven

US 27 runs along the east side of the city up to I-4, and US 17 and SR 540 (Cypress Gardens Boulevard) cross town. Orlando International and Tampa International airports are each about an hour away. Winter Haven is part of Central Florida.