From swaying palm trees to white sand beaches, just the name Florida evokes tropical images. You can thank Ponce de Leon, who gave that state its “flowery” name when he saw the lush landscape of what would soon be known as St. Augustine during the Spanish Easter season – Pascua Florida.
But even de Leon would soon learn there is more to the Sunshine State than sand, surf and suntan oil. Just a short drive from the beaches and theme parks, you’ll find the state’s vibrant, less traveled core, home to an urban oasis dubbed the best in the nation; a world-class collection of golf courses whose newest offering sets aside the concept of par for player interaction; and an aquarium that will bring underwater life to the most bricktastic spot in the state. Welcome to Central Florida’s Polk County, where you can enjoy the best of the Sunshine State while leaving the rest behind.
A Gem added to the Swan City
Transformed from an abandoned rail yard to Lakeland’s newest attraction, Bonnet Springs Park opened in 2022. A mere two years later, readers of USA Today voted it the Best City Park in the nation. Privately owned, the park is situated on 168 acres that underwent extensive remediation site work. Long gone are the piles of concrete and rusted visages of the past. Taking their places are rolling green hills, towering trees, and more. Envisioned as Lakeland’s own Central Park, Bonnet Springs Park is world-class in both ambition and scale, a beautiful, flourishing property just a short distance from downtown. The park is supported by an endowment, as well as memberships, community partners, sponsors and patrons.
With a mission to enrich the community through nature, culture and recreation, Bonnet Springs Park is designed as an oval. There is tram service around the property available, and the tram opens the park’s opportunities. There is a playground, miles of scenic trails, and attractions such as Crenshaw Canopy Walk, the Harrell Family Botanical Gardens, and even the Instagram-worthy Mable the Owl. The park is perfect for young families, outdoor picnic dates, or as a change to your typical workout.
It is recommended that visitors start at the Welcome Center, which includes the history gallery, a gift shop, and a coffee shop. Then visit the Depot Café for lunch or a snack, explore the park, and wrap up the day enjoying the view across the park from the rooftop bar.
Another gem located within Bonnet Springs Park is the Florida Children’s Museum. Visitors will find something for the whole family in this two-story state-of-the-art facility that offers 47,800 square feet of hands-on exploration. The museum has several galleries full of interactive permanent exhibits, including, for the youngest of children, the Watermelon Seeds gallery. The St. Christopher’s Project City Play gallery is a child-sized version of a real city which allows children to explore a wide range of careers. They can transform into a firefighter, create their own TV newscast, or take a shift as a cashier at the local supermarket. Out front is the Harrell Family Charities Front Yard, an enclosed outdoor space featuring a 100-foot climbable alligator named Blinky, named after a locally famous one-eyed alligator who called Lakeland home in the 1970s. While there is no charge for the surrounding Bonnet Springs Park, admission to the museum is $20 per person for those ages 2 and up, $16 per person for Florida residents. Parking is free, as is admission for children under age 2.
You will never break The Chain
If your idea of a good time outdoors is any time spent on a golf course, we need to talk. With more than its share of good courses – and quite a few great ones – fantastic golf abounds throughout Polk County. Home to more than 40 public access courses offering nearly 700 holes of golf, it is difficult to pick a favorite – so we’ll highlight the newest.
Meet The Chain, the fourth – and, somehow, the most unconventional – offering from Streamsong. Designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, the Chain does away with pesky things like tee markers and pars while adding an actual 19th hole.
Ranging from a short 41 yards to a still manageable 293 yards, but lacking tee markers, you can play this course any way you – or your group – choose. Playable in three formats – either a six- or a 13-hole loop, or, most likely, all 19 – this course can be a quick shootaround or an afternoon affair. And with it being just a short walk from the Lodge, the course is perfect for those wanting to get a little golf in amongst the other amenities the five-star resort has to offer.
You’ll want to start your round at The Bucket, a 2.5-acre putting course with two 18-hole putting options. You’ll also find the course’s namesake, a giant drag bucket that was once used to mine phosphate where the course is now.
On the course, the choices are endless, since each hole plays differently depending on where you choose to tee up. This makes the Chain perfect for golfers of varying experience, leaning more on interactions in the foursome than pars. Since each hole has a handful of tee box locations, the play variability is nearly endless. Want to up the ante from hole to hole? Let whoever won the prior hole pick the next tee box, for example. Or heck, maybe it’s the guy with the most strokes, or flip a coin. The only limits to the styles of play is the imagination of the participants.
But let’s not overlook the three other courses at Streamsong that are considered some of the best public courses in the nation. When it comes to distinctive course design – and rave reviews from nearly every golf publication in the world – the conversation must begin with Streamsong and the Red, Blue and Black courses. Built upon land reclaimed from phosphate mining, Streamsong Resort is not typical Florida golf. If you are looking for palm trees and house-lined fairways, you’ll be disappointed.
Thanks to the topography left behind from mining, both the Red Course, designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, and the Blue Course, designed by Tom Doak, utilize the contours and sand dunes to offer a golf experience reminiscent of the links-style courses of the British Isles. Both courses share the same clubhouse, and the Red Course loops around the Blue course. Both feature smaller greens, with the par 3’s on both Red and Blue featuring memorable downhill shots over water.
And then there is the Black Course.
Designed by Gil Hanse, this 300-acre, par-73 expanse features dramatic, wide-open wavy dunes, hidden greens, and enough sand to film a sequel to “Lawrence of Arabia.” The course takes up more space than Red and Blue combined. You won’t have a quick game on this course – but you won’t want to, either.
There is a reason why Black has earned worldwide recognition since it opened in 2017, when it was named the Best New Course by Golf Magazine. Looking more like an Australian Sand Belt course, Black took all the old rules surrounding golf in the Sunshine State – or anywhere else – and blew them up. The fairways are enormous, as are the sloping, three-putt, big bendy greens. There are also a number of blind shots, especially the 9th hole right into a giant, frustrating Punchbowl green. To fully enjoy and understand the experience, you’ll have to play this course more than once.
Streamsong is home to more than just the four golf courses. The full-service resort also features numerous restaurants, a spa, sporting clays, guided fishing, a lakeside pool, and more. For more information, go to www.streamsongresort.com.
Under The Sea
Already home to two of the hottest theme parks in Central Florida – LEGOLAND Florida Resort and PEPPA PIG Theme Park Florida – they have been joined by the wettest, SEA LIFE Florida.
Created to be a “Theme Park Under the Sea,” SEA LIFE Florida aims to create an unforgettable experience that inspires love for our oceans and waterways. Featuring 25 interactive exhibits and more than 150 different types of undersea species, SEA LIFE Florida blends marine exploration with theme park-inspired elements. With more than 150,000 gallons of water, a vibrant freshwater gallery, a stingray bay and a hands-on invertebrate touch pool, guests encounter more than 3,000 animals from Florida’s coastal waters and beyond. The aquarium is also sustainable, thanks to backwash recovery systems to save water. The use of glass media, instead of sand, is just one part of the aquarium’s efforts to conserve energy.
According to its parent company, the “Theme Park Under the Sea” design with coral castles and carousel hideaways is not found in any other Sea Life aquarium worldwide.
For more information on Central Florida’s Polk County, where the Real Florida Magic Happens, go to visitcentralflorida.org.