Lake Wailes Park takes it's name from Lake Wailes on whose shore it lies. The land that makes up…read moreLake Wales was first surveyed in 1879 by Sidney Irving Wailes. He changed the name of Watts Lake to Lake Wailes after himself. The city of Lake Wales was established near the lake in 1911-12 by the Lake Wales Land Company. The spelling Wales was used for the city, although the lake is still spelled Lake Wailes. The park is visually stunning. Under old oak trees dripping in Spanish moss sit picnic tables. On the north side of the lake is a boat ramp. There is a fishing pier on the west side of the lake with an observation gazebo that offers a beautiful view of the lake. The 2.5 mile Lake Wailes Trail, a lighted and paved hike/bike path winds through the park for exercise enthusiasts. It leads around the lake from the south side to Kiwanis Park on the northeast corner at N. Lake Shore Blvd. and Cephia St. It should be noted that there are no restrooms in the park. This passive park that is perfect for a stroll or a picnic lunch. It is also a great place for bird watchers. Migrating song birds can be spotted in the trees in spring and fall. Around the edge of the lake are Grackles and Red-winged Blackbirds. On the shore are Least Bitterns, White Ibises, Anhingas, Florida Sandhill Cranes and winter ducks. Common Loons inhabit the area in winter. The stately trees add to the old Florida look of the area and it easy to see why Mr. Wailes fell in love with the lake and view.

Lake Wailes Park is a peaceful and older park with picnic areas and a 2.5 mile hike along the lake…read more It also has a pier, boat ramp, basketball court, play ground, soccer field and more. It is open from 7am to 7 pm daily and is dog friendly. During my visit there was a large festival going on with lots of family fun activities.

We last visited these gardens, designed by Frederick Law Olmstead (who also designed Central Park…read morein Manhattan), in early 2024. This time, more flowers were in bloom, and we saw a different variety of birds on the premises. The tower is, of course, the centerpiece of the gardens. We had the pleasure of listening to it sing at least 5 times during our visit. We briefly visited the children's garden, and recommend this if you have youngsters in tow. After we were done in the gardens, we had a nice lunch in the on-site café. Portions are large, so you may want to consider sharing.

These gardens are so beautiful and peaceful. I love walking…read morethrough every path available while smelling nature The food at the restaurant is good and fresh Everything is nice and clean

Lake Wales was founded in 1911. Crystal Lake Park has historical significance because it is the…read morespot where surveyor, A.C. Nydegger set up his camp when when platting the town. Early settlers held picnics and games on the grounds. There is an obelisk in the playground in the park dedicating it in honor of August Heckscher as "A token of his love for the children of this community" 1926. Today Crystal Lake Park is still a gathering place for the community. The city-owned park contains recreational facilities and space for picnic and barbecues. Park amenities include grills, picnic pavilion with tables, restroom, sand volleyball court, and he fenced in playground. I love all of the oak trees providing shade and dripping in Spanish moss. The children of Lake Wales have been enjoying this charming play space for generations.

Kiwanis Park is a great local park in Winter Haven, Florida. It's in a neighborhood area across the…read morestreet from a lake and a great walking trail. We were staying at an airbnb nearby so we walked there one morning. There are swings, slides, climbing structures, and it is also accessible for kids with disabilities. There's a little shade from the shade structures but there are not many trees. A small pavilion is another option for some shade and rest. The water fountains could use some work. Kiwanis Park is a nice way for kids to burn off some energy with a great view of a lake!

This park is loaded with challenging equipment and two age appropriate areas of play. There is a…read morebathroom, picnic tables, pavilion and a dock. The play equipment is well maintained. The dock is safe and goes out a good distance into the water. No swimming is allowed. While we were playing a collection of homeless people started to migrate to the pavilion. The pavilion loaded up with their belongings as they set up camp. I'm not sure if this is normal but since we are not from the neighborhood we will not be returning.

Trailhead Park is named for its location on the Chain of Lakes Trail. Opened in 2011, this well…read moreappointed and clean park offers inexpensive fun for the children of Winter Haven. I happened upon Trailhead Park during a recent visit to Winter Haven. Close to downtown, it was the perfect place to take a break and stretch my legs after the long drive. The park is a short walk from Lake Silver across the street. While walking through the park I admired the extensive playground being enjoyed by a number of children on the swings, slides, and climbing areas. The playground area has rubber flooring for safety. and the play equipment is color coded, green for ages 2-5, and purple for ages 5-12. Surrounding the play area are wrought iron benches where parents can sit and keep an eye on their kids as they play. Trailhead Park also has a splash pad that opened in 2016 and restrooms. This lively, family-friendly park has great amenities. While geared for kids, it is a relaxing park for all who visit.

This is such a cute little park to bring children. It is right across from the tennis center and…read morenext to city hall.

1st I want to thank my friend Ariel W for providing the captivating historic account of this…read morebeautiful building - well done my friend... Mall vs Arcade - What's the difference? Most of us are familiar with the term "Mall" associated with the modern shopping venues being indoors or outdoors "Arcades" are usually designed as covered passages in which the shops are located on both side and are usually multi-storied, most are from earlier periods and all that I've had the privilege of visiting are architecturally amazing and so nostalgic. I was taken back after discovering this treasure in Lake Wales since most I've experienced are located in larger cities - downtown Cleveland, Ohio comes to mind. The Rhodesbilt Arcade is a beautiful example of the period architect and well worth a walk through, the breeze-way transcends time, if you have a few minutes to spare take a stroll through history and take a seat and daydream about what it must of been like when it first opened. For a town of less than five thousand souls when this magnificent structure was erected it must have been quite the sight and people probably traveled from miles around to see it. Renovations have preserved it so generations to come can enjoy it, just as generations from the past have...

The Rhodesbilt Arcade is a historic building in the commercial historic district of Lake Wales…read more This area of Lake Wales was built during Florida's land boom years in the 1920's. The arcade was erected between 1924 and 1926 and it stretches between Park Avenue and Stuart Avenue. The Rhodesbilt Arcade was built by Jesse T. Rhodes who was nicknamed Good for his craftsmanship and quality of work. In addition to this arcade he built many of the first homes in Lake Wales. Rhodes was born in 1833 in Indiana. He arrived in Florida in 1913 at the age of 30 with his wife Alice in hopes that the warmer climate would help with his poor health. At the time he settled into a Lake Wales, the town was only two years old. He would go on to influence much of the early architecture of the town. This building is designed in a Mediterranean style with a curved parapet, ceramic tile, and arched doorways. The arcade also has hardwood floors, antique tile, and stained glass windows. The two story building is equivalent to today's shopping malls. The interior of the building held store fronts and offices lit by high skylights. Arcades were the most popular type of commercial building in the 1920's. This one still has business and offices operating out of it today. In later years Mr. Rhodes entered the real estate business and subdivided land into commercial and residential tracts. His wife Alice was the first insurance agent in Lake Wales. Mr. Rhodes passed away in 1932 at the age of 48 but his greatest achievement The Rhodesbilt Arcade still stands in downtown Lake Wales. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.

South Lake Howard Nature Park is the perfect place to enjoy a walk. The 17.6 acre area was…read moreoriginally developed to treat stormwater. Stormwater parks help the environment by capturing and retaining stormwater runoff which prevents flooding in the surrounding areas. It cleanses and stores stormwater to recharge the aquifer. The pond plants removes pollutants from the water leaving it clean. Left untreated stormwater leads to algal blooms, muck deposits, fish kills, and other environmental problems. These ponds also attract a variety of wildlife including Florida's beautiful wading birds, alligators and turtles while providing a recreation area for the public. The South Lake Howard Nature Park opened in 2001 and contains stormwater ponds and infrastructure to help clean and filter the stormwater water from the sucrose's and neighborhoods before it enters Lake Howard. At the entrance to the park is a parking lot, picnic pavilions with tables, and restrooms. The first part of the trail into the park is a 1,000 foot boardwalk that takes you over the water. Further into the park are three paved loops measuring a quarter mile, half mile, and mile. At one point you have to cross over 21st West. The paved pathways make it easy for people of all exercise abilities to enjoy the park. As wonderful as the park is, there is even more to come. The city purchased an adjoining property which was the former home of WSIR Radio. They plan on adding more trails, boardwalks, kayak launch, play area, disc golf, an outdoor classroom and other amenities. Keep an eye out for the exciting new developments at South Lake Howard Nature Park.

Like others have stated this SP is remote, it's definitely a destination, not a place you'll…read morestumble upon unless you're lost of course. When we decided to visit the area over the Thanksgiving holiday the park was an option for camping but not the first option and that was mainly due to the accommodations when compared to the other options right outside the entrance to the park but that's another review. The admission is five bucks a car which is collected a few hundred yards from the main road - the ranger wasn't over friendly as he reach out for the payment using a six foot pole with a pail attached insisting on exact change then offered a map which he passed using the same method. These covid-19 protocols are really getting ridiculous I noticed he grabbed the bill without gloves how did he know I didn't just sneeze on it. The drive to the campgrounds, the park store, the marina, the observation tower, the pavilions pretty much everything is quite a drive, I think the loop is just over six miles at 15 m.p.h - I'm in no hurry the day is as beautiful as the drive. We drove through the campground to validate our decision to stay elsewhere, there's no doubt the value is here but living off the gray and black tanks for a week means super conservative measures since there are no sewer connections. I prefer not to carry a portable dump cart or moving the beast every few days requires a lot of effort especially when I'm supposed to be relaxing and having fun. Another park void of many visitors even on a holiday weekend, the campground seems nearly full but the park amenities aren't being utilized. I witnessed a number of park employees doing their daily chores, everything is so neat and tidy it's almost as if they've been assigned busy work to get their hours in. Like most business I'm sure the revenue had dropped off, fortunately for them the state subsidies them for now but I'm sure if this pandemic continues these places too will start shutting down or implement reduced hours. It's was an interesting drive - a nice place to walk and climb to the top of the observation tower. Honestly to me it's a been there done that type of place, pine trees and palms if your going walk the trails bring plenty of water and enjoy...

One of our favorite places to escape to for the weekend! Lots of wildlife, fishing and other…read moreamenities.

Peaceful park but limited amenities. Definitely bring food and water. The terrain is beach sand and…read moreuphill so bring a walking stick. Great place to burn calories.

My son and I made the trek to Haines City to hike at Catfish Creek Preserve State Park for the…read morefirst time. The 50 minute drive from Southwest Orlando was well worth it for the 5.5 miles hike -- a surprisingly hilly hike for Florida! We arrived around 8:30am and hiked the full 5.5 miles in less than 2 hours, despite the hills. We did not see any other hikers on the trail, but we did see a cyclist returning to the parking lot as we finished up. Thanks to the hills, the hike was pleasantly challenging but never miserable. I'll admit that I was happy getting to the top of some of the hills and finding a slow descent on the other side but at no time did I regret our choice of route. The trails are about 50% send so climbing hills in the sand will really work a hiker's quadriceps!

Tiger creek was a beautiful hiking area provide extremely well marked trial blazes and ever…read morechanging ecosystems along it's hike as well as amazing demonstrations of succession (post prescribed burn growth) in some areas. Trails can be taken in chunks or as one long loop of about 10-13 miles. I'd be sure to pick a cloudy cool day these trails would be very warm otherwise

One of the most beautiful preserves in Central Florida. Tiger Creek sits high on the ridge. Trails…read morecover rolling hills of Sandhills, Oak Hammocks and bay heads. Long and short trails provide views of rare native plants, swaths of wild flowers, and small grassy lakes. I love it here and try to make it once or twice a month to see the seasons unfold. Eagles and swallow tailed kites nest here. Both bears and panthers have been found here. Tiger Creek has a range of hikes to offer. The trails are well marked ( travel from blaze to blaze and ignore the unmarked fire access roads). It's charms are subtle but well worth a visit.