Winter Haven: Theme Parks, Lakes and Culture

Winter Haven combines major theme-park experiences with trails, lakes, water sports, culture and regional cuisine. When planning your trip, the question is therefore less about choosing a single highlight and more about deciding on the mix you want: Should family attractions take center stage, should active days on the water follow, or should history, theater and food shape your stay?

Theme parks offering a range of experiences

LEGOLAND® Florida Resort covers 150 acres and offers more than 50 attractions. The park opened on October 15, 2011, on the historic site of Cypress Gardens in Winter Haven. Peppa Pig Theme Park complements this offering with several rides, interactive attractions, themed play areas, water-play areas and daily live shows. It is just steps from LEGOLAND Florida Resort. This means you can focus your accommodation search on a stay filled with numerous attractions or on a particularly immersive themed play experience.

Trails, nature and water in Winter Haven

Anyone who wants to include some exercise between excursions will find more than 13 miles of trails in Winter Haven. The backbone of the trail network is the 3.6-mile Chain of Lakes Trail. Another option is the 42-acre Street Audubon Center, where two trails run through the conservation area: one along the shore of Lake Ned and another along the elevated, dry ridge and the butterfly garden. These different landscapes help you tailor your daily plans to your interests.

The waterways also shape the character of the area. The Living Water Boat Cruises offers sightseeing cruises on Winter Haven's Chain of Lakes. Paddleboard Winter Haven holds classes, tours and races there, while the World Barefoot Center teaches barefoot water skiing to people of all ages and skill levels. At Lake Silver, the Cypress Gardens Water Ski Team puts on shows every month. If you are looking for a holiday apartment or holiday home, you can therefore specifically choose according to the balance you want between theme parks, trails, lakes and water sports, without forcing all the experiences into an identical itinerary.

History, theater and music

Winter Haven also has a strong cultural side. Polk State Theatre stages its main productions at the 485-seat Winter Haven Fine Arts Theatre. The Theatre Winter Haven season runs from September 1 to August 31. Each year, students of Polk State Theatre perform a program ranging from classic comedies and musicals to Shakespearean dramas.

Historical connections are visible in several places. The fully restored Gram Parsons Derry Down provides musicians of all ages and skill levels with a place to meet and make music together. On November 5, 2015, it received a historic marker from the Florida Department of Historic Resources. The Woman's Club building, which houses the Museum of Winter Haven History, was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places in 1998. The museum displays memorabilia, photographs, films and objects directly connected with the history of Winter Haven, Florida. The Historic Ritz Theater is another entertainment venue in Winter Haven.

Culinary discoveries and the right accommodation

Winter Haven Food Tours provides a culinary perspective. Winter Haven Food Tours offers a 2.5-hour culinary experience featuring historic sites and venues in Winter Haven. During the tour, guests sample themed local cuisine described as 5-star. This allows you to plan your stay not only around activities but also around the daily rhythm you prefer: theme parks and water sports create different priorities from trails, theater, history or a culinary tour. When looking for accommodation, you can use this personal travel plan as your starting point and choose a holiday apartment or holiday home based on your preferred vacation theme.

For additional destinations to include in your planning, you can also visit Mulberry, Davenport, Bartow, Fort Meade, Cypress Gardens, Lakeland, Haines City and Lake Wales.

For the higher-level travel overview: Polk.