Culture

City

Your roadmap to the Polk County Citrus Label Tour

Take a bite out of the local citrus industry’s history with a self-guided tour of labels found around Polk County.

March 18, 2026 12:25 PM

Kaylee Holland

A lake at dusk in Lakeland with night lights illuminating and city buildings in the background.

Culture

Lakeland’s hottest trends for summer 2024

“brat summer” is unofficially over, so we’re looking back on what was really hot in Lakeland thanks to Google Trends search results.

September 6, 2024

Michael Beausoleil

City

Answering the most common questions about Lakeland life

Learn who’s in charge of city decisions, how to grow your business, and how to get involved.

September 4, 2024

Connor Jacobson

A concert taking place at Bonnet Springs Park, seen from the rooftop bar

Culture

Lakelanders share their “random acts of kindness” stories

We already knew that Lakeland was one of the best places to live, but these stories just prove it even more.

August 28, 2024

Amelia Grooms

A swan swimming across Lake Morton at sunset

Culture

6 random acts of kindness to brighten up Lakeland’s community

Put a smile on your neighbor’s face with these random acts of kindness.

August 26, 2024

Kristen Templeton

An exterior shot of Black and Brew's patio

Culture

Reader recommendations for “third places” around Lakeland

We asked our followers where their “third place” was in Lakeland — here are the spots they called out.

August 14, 2024

Amelia Grooms

The reflection of the Uptown Charlotte skyline is seen in the water of a pond surrounded by trees.

Travel and Outdoors

A Lakelander’s travel guide to Charlotte, NC

Find out what to do and where to stay in one of the next destinations Avelo Airlines will fly to from Lakeland.

August 14, 2024

Amelia Grooms

Street art on a small dumpster painted mustard yellow with folk-inspired plant and animal paintings.

Culture

Where does Lakeland need street art?

Think outside the canvas and tell us if Lakeland should add more street art, similar to Plant City’s Trash Can-vas Project.

August 13, 2024

Connor Jacobson

Bok Tower is reflected in a pond on a sunny day

Culture

Share your thoughts on the restoration + preservation of Bok Tower Gardens

With the help of the Save America’s Treasures grant, Bok Tower Gardens is planning to undergo a multimillion-dollar restoration project — here’s how you can help.

August 12, 2024

Amelia Grooms

Two individuals duel in a cage match at The Florida Man Games

Sports

Embrace your inner “Florida Man” at the second annual Florida Man Games

Learn how you + your team can represent Lakeland at the “wildest live athletic competition on Earth.”

August 12, 2024

Amelia Grooms

Long jumper Monae' Nichols poses on a boat on the Seine River in front of the Eiffel Tower during the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Sports

Dreaming of gold: Olympians with ties to Lakeland competing in the Paris 2024 Olympics

Swan City is well represented on the world stage at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics — these are some local Olympians to watch.

August 7, 2024

Staff

The Buy

Apparel

A fall fashion essential you didn’t know you needed: The Lavisha cashmere-blend shawl for $20

October 13, 2025
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Staff
The Buy

Don’t waste money and space on a wall of weights when these adjustable dumbbells just went on sale

October 13, 2025
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Staff
The Buy

A new app that actually trains your memory just went on sale

October 13, 2025
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Staff

Sponsored by MIDFLORIDA Credit Union

Assorted cookies and baked goods on display at Bandidas Bake Shop, including PB miso cookies, vegan ranger cookies, and galettes.

Food

Follow the breadcrumbs on this Lakeland bakery crawl

Lakeland has a book crawl, but isn’t it time bakeries have their time to shine? Let’s roll to each bakery for croissants, cake, and cookies galore.

April 28, 2025

Connor Jacobson

Modern single-story house with palm trees, stone driveway, and sunset sky in the background.

Real Estate

Meet the Lakeland estates featured in the Spring Parade of Homes

Take a self-guided tour of these new construction homes Saturday, April 26-Sunday, April 27 + Saturday, May 3-Sunday, May 4, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

April 25, 2025

Amelia Grooms

A colorful mural with "We love Lakeland" and cartoon pictures of fast food

Experience

30+ murals around Lakeland

Check out our guide to the many meaningful murals you can find around our city.

April 24, 2025

Staff

A path through Hollis Garden with trees on either side

Culture

Explore the City of Lakeland’s Urban Forest

Branch out to learn about Lakeland’s flowering and fruit trees with a GPS-enabled tour of the 56,000 trees in the city’s Urban Forest.

April 24, 2025

Connor Jacobson

Travel and Outdoors

Celebrating Earth Day in Lakeland

From volunteer opportunities to special events, here’s how you can celebrate the planet around Swan City.

April 21, 2025

Amelia Grooms

Culture

Local bookstore owners present the Lakeland Book Crawl

Finding our next read and supporting local independent book sellers? We’re in.

April 18, 2025

Rilee Delgado

A few gifts overlaid on a patchwork background, including a Carharrt lunch box and a jewelry dish.