We’re in the depths of Florida winter, and our hot coffee just isn’t cutting it anymore. Instead, we’re looking to the Lakeland Public Library’s photo archives for pictures from past winters to warm our hearts.
You can now find this beloved event on the Frances Langford Promenade in December.
Photo via Lakeland Public Library
Let it snow. It may sound like wishful thinking, but Lakeland’s Snowfest has been thrilling kids with man-made snow for 45 years. Here, families played on Kentucky Avenue in the 1990s.
Moviegoers flocked to the Polk to see Cary Grant’s 1948 film “Every Girl Should Be Married.”
Photo via Lakeland Public Library
Lakelanders were treated to luxury entertainment when the Polk Theatre opened in December 1928. Its claim to fame was its atmospheric theater design, as well as its rare air-conditioning system. It’s still a film buff hotspot today.
You can see the wreath decorations around the Lake Mirror lampposts that still shine today in this photo from a 1990s parade.
Photo via Lakeland Public Library
Is there an event as iconic as the Lakeland Christmas Parade? It started more than 40 years ago, and it’s only grown since then. We’d just like to know what year everyone started putting their chairs out days in advance.
Maybe we should bring back outfits like this for park visits — who’s with us?
Photo via Lakeland Public Library
This photo was taken in 1935, just a few years after Bok Tower Gardens opened in Lake Wales. The tower was dedicated in February 1929 with President Calvin Coolidge in attendance.
The expo now draws 200,000+ annual visitors, making it the largest convention of any kind in Florida.
Photo via Lakeland Public Library
The SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo is now known as “spring break for pilots,” but did you know it was originally held in January back when it began in 1974? You can expect much warmer weather when this year’s event takes place April 14-19.
This postcard might have hit your mailbox back in the 1920s.
Photo via Lakeland Public Library
Plant City may be the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World, but Lakeland growers were also in the berry game back in the day. The Kathleen area was a hub for strawberry farming in the first half of the 20th century, and nearby schools would plan around peak harvesting season.
The 2026 Valentine’s Day dinner menu at the Terrace includes caviar, New York strip, and vanilla bean cheesecake.
Photo via Lakeland Public Library
The Terrace Hotel hosted a Valentine’s Day dinner in 1925 as winter melted into spring. For $1.75 a pop, you could feast on mock turtle soup, bleached celery, and sliced white bread. Nothing says romance like celery.
