We’ve all been there: Someone’s trying to give you directions with a jumble of cardinal directions. Isn’t it easier to just point out a landmark?
That’s exactly what we’re doing. We have a few of the most recognizable Lakeland landmarks — from the Southgate Sign to Lake Mirror’s Frances Langford Promenade. Not only are these local icons easy to remember, but they’ll also get you where you need to go in a jiffy.
Find the Tax Collector’s building illuminated every night in the Midtown district.
Photo via @twothirdsrochambeau
Tax Collector for Polk County
Address: 916 N. Massachusetts Ave.
Nearby: Haus 820, Quinteassence
There’s something iconic about our city’s neon signs — even our Tax Collector’s office gets it. The building was once home to a 1950s-era Publix store, and it keeps its signature green hue today.
The Southside Cleaners sign always keeps us laughing.
Photo via @existentialismexist
Southside Cleaners Sign
Address: 901 S. Florida Ave.
Nearby: 360 Unlimited, Low Country Vintage
No drive through Dixieland is complete without a glance at the latest Southside Cleaners quote. The seafoam green and sunny starburst sign has been around since 1962 and is curated with different phrases on the marquee throughout the week.
Lakeland’s roto-sphere is one of only four still operating throughout the country.
Photo via @paulhavranek
“Sputnik” Roto-Sphere
Address: 941 E. Main St.
Nearby: Jenkins Lincoln, Boring Business Systems
This spinning neon art piece was designed by Warren Milks between 1961 and 1970. It’s been dubbed “Sputnik” because it looks like the satellites that were launched in the 1950s. The Roto-Sphere is so much of a Lakeland landmark that pilots use it as a reference point at night.
Take a lakeside stroll under the lights of the Frances Langford Promenade.
Photo via @jbonilla72
The Frances Langford Promenade
Nearby: The Joinery, Lake Mirror Complex, Catapult
Listed on the US National Register of Historic Places, the promenade was completed in 1928 and later dedicated to Lakeland native Frances Langford. It’s now home to events like Red, White & Kaboom, where you can find a spot and watch Independence Day fireworks over Lake Mirror.
See a classic movie at this theatre that’s nearly a century old.
Photo via @mermaizingrealty
The Polk Theatre
Address: 121 S. Florida Ave.
Nearby: Little Lake Play, Oates Building
The Polk Theatre first opened in 1928 and was one of the first local spots with air conditioning. If the glowing sign catches your eye, head inside to see a movie and take in the Mediterranean-inspired building design.
Southgate Shopping Center
Address: 2515 S. Florida Ave.
Nearby: Publix, Crowder Bros. Ace Hardware
Built in 1957, the Southgate Shopping Center transformed the Polk County skyline — now, you’d be hard-pressed to find an illustration of Lakeland that doesn’t include it. Its claim to fame was a cameo in the 1990 film “Edward Scissorhands,” but more recently, it was also used for Disney’s movie “The One and Only Ivan” in 2018.
The birthday cake water tower is even topped with candles.
Photo courtesy of Publix
Publix Water Tower
Address: 3335 New Tampa Hwy.
Nearby: Publix distribution centers, Silvermoon Drive-In
This water tower, nicknamed “Hydrocake,” was built in 1982. The tower stands tall at 146 feet, and it’s topped with 8-ft tall illuminated candles that represent Publix’s past and future. It can provide 250,000 gallons of water per minute for the supermarket’s nearby production and distribution centers.
This is one dragon you don’t have to fear.
Photo via @gatearty
The Dixieland Dragon
Address: 118 W. Park St.
Nearby: Born & Bread Bakehouse, Waller Centre
Welder Keith Williams of 4th Dimension Fab used scrap metal from Dixieland Relics to create this public art installation. Pay the mythical beast a visit on your next trip to the Dixieland neighborhood.
Did you know that FSC’s students helped build many of Frank Lloyd Wright’s designs?
Photo via Florida Memory
Annie Pfeiffer Chapel
Address: 111 Lake Hollingsworth Dr.
Nearby: Lake Hollingsworth, William H. Danforth Chapel
Esteemed architect Frank Lloyd Wright put his stamp on Lakeland through his work at Florida Southern College, the largest single-site collection of his designs. Perhaps its most recognizable building is this 1941 chapel that rises above the campus.
Terrace Hotel
Address: 329 E. Main St.
Nearby: Munn Park, Lake Mirror
It’s been more than a century since this hotel first opened its doors in downtown Lakeland and cemented itself as an icon of the city’s skyline. Stay there today for a luxury experience, or pop in for a Lakeland Manhattan during happy hour at the Terrace Grille.
Pro tip: Take Lakeland visitors sightseeing or reacquaint yourself with these local icons by using our landmark map — and if you know of one we haven’t spotted yet, lead us in the right direction.
