An independent guide to Lake Wales and the Florida Ridge.
§ Polk County · 24.1 mi · ~40 min from Lake Wales
The town
Lakeland is Polk County's biggest city and the drive Lake Wales makes for a proper night out — a chef-driven dinner, a touring band, a bookstore open past eight. Forty minutes northwest on SR-60 and the Polk Parkway puts you at Lake Mirror's 1920s promenade.
It also holds thirteen Frank Lloyd Wright buildings on the Florida Southern College campus, commissioned in 1938 and still used daily as classrooms — the single most under-visited architectural site in the state.
Coming up
Friday, September 4, 2026
Nearby6:00 PM – 9:00 PM · Downtown Lakeland
Nearby: makers market, live music, and downtown shops open late along Kentucky & Tennessee Avenues.
Full details →Friday, September 4, 2026
Nearby5:00 PM – 9:00 PM · Munn Park, Downtown Lakeland
Nearby: Latin-inspired festival returning to Munn Park, presented by the Puerto Rican / Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Polk County.
Full details →September 2026
NearbySee schedule · Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium, Lakeland
Polk County: fall instructional-league baseball at the Tigers' historic Lakeland spring-training home.
Full details →September 19 – 20, 2026
NearbySat 9 AM – 5 PM · Sun 9 AM – 3 PM · Skylight Hangar, SUN 'n FUN Expo, Lakeland
Nearby: Lakeland Rifle & Pistol Club's fall gun show on the SUN 'n FUN campus.
Full details →Guides
Public parks, library programs, free markets, and free music nights across Lake Wales, Winter Haven, Lakeland, Bartow, and beyond.
Read the guide →
Recurring markets across the county — downtown Lake Wales to lakeside Winter Haven — with cadence and how to check current dates.
Read the guide →
Nearby
16.9 mi from Lake Wales
Auburndale
Auburndale sits between Lakeland and Winter Haven on the chain of lakes that gives the cor…
15.7 mi from Lake Wales
Bartow
Bartow is Polk County's government seat, but the reason to drive over from Lake Wales is t…
12.2 mi from Lake Wales
Winter Haven
Winter Haven is built on the Chain of Lakes — 25 interconnected lakes with canals cut betw…