-- Recreational Boaters Alert! -…read more Floridians like their boats and that's certainly true in Highlands County as we have over 100 lakes! This boat ramp is very popular and a bit special and here's why- * It's directly off US Route 27 North between Avon Park and Sebring so it's ridiculously easy to access. *It has picnic tables shaded by a small pavilion. * It has an unusual and very nice T-shaped fishing dock so you can easily fish from the shore with folk's love! See my pictures. *It even has a Little Free Library so you can grab a book if the fish aren't biting. Pro Tip- Avoid the Mexican restaurant at the site as there are many better options minutes away! Just check Yelp and my reviews. This lake is relatively small at just under 200 acres, but it's packed with bass and crappie and the fishermen love it! Pro Tip- 12lb bass have ben caught at this lake! If you are in the area with your boat or just want to do some fine freshwater shore fishing, you could have a great day here!

Do you like where you live? Do all the things that make up "your city" match up with your needs? If…read moreyou are honest, probably not everything but Avon Park is close enough for me and I'm content! I've retired here for five years now but visited many times for decades before that as my parents retired here. It's safe to say I know the city very well. It's a teeny tiny place with a population of around 10-12,000. It's in agricultural Highlands County so it's off the beaten track. If you stick a thumbtack in the middle of the state, you might hit my condo! Orlando is 70 miles North and Tampa is 75 miles West. Head East 80 miles to Vero Beach. I live in a beautiful condo on a lake with exceptionally low taxes and extremely low cost of living. There really isn't a rush hour here. The medical community caters to retirees and I'm fine with that. Do I have 1000 restaurants like Orlando? Nope but I have enough to get by. I have all the retail I need with two Publix within striking distance. Amazon ships most of my stuff in one day! On any given day I could stop off at my Cheers bar, you know the one where everyone knows your name, and then grab some authentic Mexican food from any one of a dozen places. It doesn't get much better than that!

I had a problem and Danielle took care of it for me that afternoon! Thank-you so much for helping…read moreme.

Although this looks like an empty field in the middle of a neighborhood, there is a lot of history…read morehere. In the middle of the field is a mysterious granite obelisk. Upon closer inspection you see that it is a grave for five soldiers who died during a skirmish with the Seminole Indians. The monument reads "A group of United States Army soldiers led by Lt. Carlton engaged the Seminole Indians in what is known as the Willoughby Tillis battle in this vicinity on June 14-16, 1856. These five men who lost their lives in this engagement are buried here." The battle took place in this vicinity on June 14-16, 1856. The five men who lost their lives were Lt. Alderman Carlton, Lott Whidden, and William Parker killed June 14, 1856 and Robert F. Prine and George Howell killed June 16, 1856. Not exactly what you expect to find in your neighborhood park. The Seminoles are a Native American tribe that originally lived in Georgia. On May 28, 1830, Andrew Jackson signed the Indian Removal Act Forces, declaring that all Native Americans had to move west of the Mississippi onto reservations. The Maskókî, also known as Creek by white settlers resisted the move and traveled down to Florida to join with the descendants of other Native Americans who had lived in Florida for thousands of years. They thought of themselves as siminoli, meaning free people. White America called them Seminoles. Wars took place between the U.S. Government and the Seminoles as they tried to round up 5,000 Seminoles to oust them from Florida and send them on the Trail of Tears out to Oklahoma. They were successful in capturing and removing some Seminoles but ultimately a small band of 200 were able to head into the Everglades and evade capture. The government finally gave up and the Seminoles were the only Native American tribe never to sign a peace treaty with the US government. In their efforts to remove the Seminoles during the Second Seminole War, the US government set up a military road between Tampa and Fort Pierce. They set up forts along the trail including Fort Meade which became the town of Fort Meade. During the Third Seminole War, Willoughby Tillis and his wife Cecilia and seven children had heard of engagements between the Seminoles and white settlers so they moved from Tampa to be closer to Fort Meade. Travelers to the farm reported attacks by the Seminoles so the family moved within a mile of the fort and shared a house with Mr. Underhill who owned a pine log home and who was also seeking safety from his own primary residence. An account of what happened was given by son James Dallas Tillis and printed in a journal article. One Saturday morning, Cecilia Willoughby was out checking the cattle, and she saw the 30 to 50 Seminoles along the fence. They had planed to kill Mr. Willoughby and Mr. Underhill when they went out to tend the cattle in the morning but Mr. Willoughby had been up all night with the sick baby so Cecilia could rest, so instead she and the children went out in the morning. The family ran for safety in the house as they were fired upon. Luckily the cattle came between the Seminoles who were shooting and the family which gave them the time to escape. Mr. Underhill and Mr. Willoughby returned fire from the house. At one point one of the children who had been in the hay loft had to make a run for the house in a hail of bullets when the Seminoles tried to burn the barn. All of the families horses were shot and stabbed. The soldiers stationed at Fort Meade were alerted by a young boy who heard the shots and came to investigate. The seven soldiers were outnumbered but they charged the Seminoles anyway. Lt. Alderman Carlton, Lott Whidden, and William Parker were killed along with several Seminoles. Daniel Carlton in a fury to avenge his father's death rode to Fort Fraser where Cecilia Willoughby's brother was in command. He returned the next day with Captain Durrance and 50 soldiers. Durrance and his soldiers pursued the Seminoles and in the ensuing battle, 2 soldiers were killed along with 15 Seminoles including their leader and medicine man. Some of the remaining Seminoles were able to escape into the pine barrens. It is believed that this was the last engagement in the Third Seminole War. The bodies of the soldiers from the battle are buried underneath the obelisk. As long as they had not been touched by white soldiers, the Seminole would have taken their dead with them. It is believed the marker may be incorrect, because it was Florida Militia who participated at the battle, not members of the army. There is also a marker to the local veterans in the park along with a table and benches. You would not expect to find a graveyard in the middle of a park and the history here is fascinating and on the day I visited the beautiful azaleas were blooming.

Quiet, serene, honorable, mature trees, green grass, monuments, breeze, small walks. This park…read moreprovides a space to think, appreciate, and reflect. So many things happened to people over time; but the energy to create a space by the descendants is incredible.

I'm not a gun nut! I don't own twenty guns; I own one Glock pistol for home defense. I have a…read moreconcealed carry permit that I rarely use. I don't wear crazy pro-gun t-shirts and I don't belong to the NRA, but I do believe in protecting my family. To do that I need to be safe and proficient and that's where practice and gun ranges like these fine folks come in. This is an outdoor range which is significant in states with temperatures like Florida. In January and February, it's a great place to shoot. In the afternoons in July and August, not so much. That's why indoor ranges with AC are so popular here. The other issue is pistols or long guns and this place handles both. Lots of folks' love that! They are currently open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday to the public. Other than temperature and open hours there is a lot to like here. They are priced right; around $15 for a day pass. Annual memberships are available which give you access every day of the week. The facilities are nice, and they often make improvements. The staff are friendly and proficient and incredibly safety conscious as they should be. They are family friendly as long as strict range safety is practiced. If you need to get some practice in without taking out a second mortgage, they would be a fine choice.

Nice little Range. I went with a buddy 12/21/24. The guy running the range was very friendly and…read morewe had a nice time. I don't usually write reviews but thought this one would be helpful to know they are still in business. All reviews are from years ago, and if you look at Google Street view the gate is closed and says, "Members Only". They are indeed open to the public Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Cute shop/store. The people are super friendly and welcoming. The airboat tour was great. Perfect…read morelength of time and lots to see out there! Would do it again!

While in the area visiting relatives we took an airboat tour, what an amazing adventure!! JC was a…read morehoot! He even found us a big boy crock! Definitely recommend visiting, you won't be disappointed!!

If you're local and you've been meaning to do this tour for years... get out there and do it! If…read moreyou aren't local and you would have to fly/drive for hours... still do it! We saw SO MUCH more wildlife than we saw on Everglades tours! We even caught a roseate spoonbill! We felt we got a great bang for our buck. We will be taking our friends here whenever we have visitors, from now on. I can't even describe to you how prehistoric feeling and impressive this area is; it feels like another world. Locals, skip the Everglades - you have the Everglades at home. Tourists - save money AND get a better tour, this is IT! We are local and we have our own boats and jet skis, but the airboat goes places we never could. We will be back!

My husband and I loved this experience! John, our guide, was friendly and outstanding at…read moremaneuvering the boat and pointing out the wildlife. We saw several gators, turtles, lots of beautiful birds, even cows and a lush diversity of plants and trees. This is well worth a visit. I've wanted to take an airboat ride for years and this experience checked all the boxes!

This historic 9000-acre park opened in 1931. It's considered an old growth forest and full of bald…read morecypress trees. There are a wide variety of endemic wildlife and plants. The main feature of this wonderful park was the boardwalk that goes through the swamp forest. Some really old trees that are possibly 1000 years old, is located in this park. There are nine trails, a campground, a playground, and a picnic area. There's a 3-mile loop trail for biking and driving. Also, a museum and concession built by the Civilian Conservation Corps; they constructed many buildings, bridges, and blazed trails in Florida State Parks. We were staying nearby and decided to explore this park. I enjoyed the historic land and old trees. The boardwalk was pleasant to stroll on; I saw quite a few memorial plaques. Generations of people walking on the same paths decades ago. It's a peaceful place and I'm glad they didn't turn it into farmland back in the 1930s.

This park is wonderful, plenty of trails, a cute store and just peaceful nature where you can see…read moreall kinds of birds, sometimes deer or gators and it's just a great place to visit.

Very clean and scenic dog park! There are a few ponds nearby and it is nestled in a growing…read moreneighborhood right by a golf course.

Excellent Well maintained dog park for both large and small dogs.Beaux and his smaller friend…read moreBellystar had a great time playing running and even swimming in kiddy pool. Truly a great place