A Lakeland world tour 🌎

A view of a lake and mountains in the Lake District in England

Find your inspiration at the Lake District. | Photo by @laura_loves_mountains_

Lakeland: A city so great that there have been 18 other places with the same name in the US, and even more around the world. Want to take a vacation but know you’ll miss home too much? Plan your trip to one of these Lakelands (though we’re sure it can’t compete with Swan City).

Lake District, England
Affectionately known by locals as “Lakeland,” northwest England’s Lake District National Park is known for its mountains, woodlands, and lakes. It was also home to many poets and writers who were inspired by its scenery in the 1800s. It even inspired a modern-day artist, Taylor Swift, to write her song “The Lakes” in 2020.

Trees and lake found in Lakeland, Wisconsin — We’ve got to give it to the Wisconsinites who named this Big Dummy Lake.

Lakeland, Wisconsin
Back on this side of the ~~lake~~ pond is Lakeland, WI. Average high temperatures in winter only reach 24º in this small town of less than 1,000 people. At just 35.3 square miles, it boasts 27 lakes, including a chain of lakes like you can find close to home in Winter Haven. Across the state is Lakeland University, a liberal arts school in Sheboygan, WI.

Dirt road leading through the mountains and plains of Lakeland, Queensland, Australia — Surprisingly, you won’t find many lakes in Lakeland, Queensland.

Lakeland, Australia
The final stop on our Lakeland world tour is Lakeland, Queensland, Australia. Near the northernmost point of Australia, this rural town of 299 people isn’t actually known for lakes. Instead, it was named after explorer and prospector William Lakeland. The area is mainly used for farming thanks to its fertile volcanic soil, but it has nearly 30 mountains, including Mount Scatterbrain.

We’ll be packing our bags to see how these Lakelands stack up against Swan City (although we might wait until summer to visit Wisconsin). Whether you’re heading for snowy Wisconsin plains or the mountains down under, Scott’s Cheap Flights offers all the affordable flight hacks from your home airport. Sign up here.

EVENTS

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Today

Fun Run/ Music Bingo w/ Smokin’ Chanchos | Tue., Oct. 18 | 6:30 p.m. | Swan Brewing, 115 W Pine St, Lakeland | Free | Start off the evening with a fun run + stick around to play music bingo with eats from Smokin’ Chanchos food truck.
Story Time at the Florida Air Museum | Tue., Oct. 18 - Tue., Jul. 25 | 10-10:30 a.m. | Florida Air Museum, 4175 Medulla Rd., Lakeland | Free | Junior ACEs ages 2-5 can hear a story and take part in an interactive learning experience.

Wednesday

Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead | Wed., Oct. 19 - Thu., Oct. 20 | 7:30-9:30 p.m. | Lakeland Community Theatre, 121 S. Lake Ave., Lakeland | $15.00 | See classic Peanuts comic characters in this grungy, unauthorized play that continues their stories as teens.
Paw Patrol Live! The Great Pirate Adventure | Wed., Oct. 19 | 6-7:30 p.m. | RP Funding Center, Lakeland | $23.00 - $107.00 | X barks the spot in this live touring stage performance featuring the “Paw Patrol” characters.

Thursday

5th Annual Boo-Tox Party! | Thu., Oct. 20 | 4-8 p.m. | Medical Spa at Watson Clinic, Bella Vista Building, 1755 N. Florida Ave., Lakeland | Free | Treat yourself with discounts on Botox, plus free chair massages and skincare consultations from a licensed aesthetician — RSVP online.
Grand Opening of CIL’s Lakeland Office | Thu., Oct. 20 | 3-6 p.m. | CIL’s Lakeland Office, 2025 Crystal Wood Dr., 2nd floor, Lakeland | Free | Lakelanders are invited to the grand opening of the new Lakeland Office and learn more about the work CIL is doing in the area.*

Friday

Festive Flix: Halloween Edition | Fri., Oct. 21 | 7-9 p.m. | Frances Langford Promenade, Lakeland | Free | Catch a free screening of “The Nightmare Before Christmas” with popcorn + refreshments available for purchase — bring your own lawn chair or blanket.
Polk County Sheriff’s Office Haunted Jail Tour | Fri., Oct. 21 - Sat., Oct. 29 | 6:30-10:30 p.m. | Polk County Jail, 455 N. Broadway Ave, Lakeland | $12.00 - $20.00 | Join the Polk County Sheriff’s Office for their annual Haunted Jail Tour with new unexplored areas — all proceeds will benefit the United Way of Central Florida.

Saturday

Bonnet Springs Park Grand Opening | Sat., Oct. 22 - Sun., Oct. 23 | 10 a.m.-9 p.m. | Bonnet Springs Park, 400 Bonnet Springs Park Blvd., Lakeland | Free | Bring the whole family to celebrate Bonnet Springs Park’s grand opening with live music on multiple stages, art installations, food trucks, a firework show, and more.
Warrior Walk Lakeland | Sat., Oct. 22 | 9-11 a.m. | First Presbyterian Church, 175 Lake Hollingsworth Drive, Lakeland | Free | Join The Polk County Veteran’s Council and the U.S. Naval Sea Cadet Corps at this free, 2.7-mile walk to honor Florida soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who paid the ultimate price.

We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.

100+ MORE EVENTS

HOLIDAY

Your next unique holiday gift idea 🎁

A wide shot of the large box offered by Catapult.

Photo of the Large Box — Catapult’s Holiday Boxes celebrate Lakeland. | Photo by Hannah Garcia

It’s (almost) the most wonderful time of the year, and that means holiday gift boxes are back at Catapult. Starting at $45, these boxes can be shipped to you or directly to the receiver. Think: the perfect client or employee “thank you” gift.

Lakelanders will find a carefully curated selection of locally crafted, artisan goods from Catapult’s Kitchen Incubator and Makerspace members in five unique boxes:

Small Box ($45/box):

2 oz Holiday Blend Coffee from Patriot Coffee
Wooden Swan Ornament from Berganza Furniture
Cranberry Orange Shortbread from Baking Brewer
Cinnamon & Cardamom Spiced Walnuts from Vegetation
Pumpkin Spiced Hot Cocoa from One Good Knife

Medium Box ($75/box), including all of the products in the small box, plus:

Tamarind Hot Sauce from Casita Verde
Sweater Weather Tea from Color Theory Tea Co.
Gingerbread Swans from Cake Makers Studio
Cocoa Dusted Almonds from Chocolate Covered

Keep reading for three more selections — these gift boxes keep on giving.*

3 MORE GIFT BOXES

NEWS NOTES

Weather

82º | Mostly cloudy | 20% chance of rain

Development

Atlanta-based real estate development company Carter has acquired 22 acres of land on Lake Wire in West Downtown Lakeland for a new mixed-use development near the RP Funding Center. Phase one of the project will include 300 multifamily residential units and a 15,000-sqft retail space. 🏗

Civic

The Lakeland City Commission has unanimously selected Sam Simmons to fill the interim commissioner seat left by Phillip Walker’s resignation. Sam — owner of a consulting firm and co-founder of the Central Florida Business Diversity Council — will take office Mon., Nov. 7 to represent the Northwest District.
Lakeland Electric has a new general manager: Mike Beckham, who has served as the utility’s interim general manager since April. Mike has been part of Lakeland Electric since 2015, when he was hired as Assistant General Manager.

Opening

Packing for a park day? Don’t forget your appetite. The lineup of food trucks for Bonnet Springs Park’s opening has been announced, and we’re seeing familiar trucks like Fat Maggie’s, Smokin’ Chanchos, and Krazy Kombucha. See the full lineup here before the grand opening Sat., Oct. 22- Sun., Oct. 23. 🌱

Number

63,523. That’s how many Lakeland Electric customers lost power during Hurricane Ian. With 200 team members, plus nearly 300 workers from out of state, power was restored within six days. Lakeland Electric is working to get grants to bury power lines to prevent future outages. ⚡️ (LkldNow)

Community

Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Frederick Heid has requested generators for all 17 school shelters after all but one location lost power during Hurricane Ian. More shelters could also be added in Mulberry + Lake Wales to minimize costs and evacuation travel times. (The Ledger)

Ranked

No. 3. That’s what Florida Polytechnic University ranked on WalletHub’s list of the top colleges and universities in Florida. Rankings were based on admission rates, cost, career outcomes, and more. Florida Southern College also made the list, coming in at No. 9. (WalletHub)

Arts

Visit the Polk Museum of Art, if you dare, when it becomes The Haunted Museum on Sun., Oct. 30 from 6-10 p.m. For $5 per person, enjoy gallery ghost tours, magic shows, karaoke, and more family fun. Costumes are encouraged + Hallo-weenie hot dogs will be available for purchase. 🖼

DYK

Did you know we want to see your artwork on our products? We’re looking for freelance graphic designers in Lakeland to work with us through our online retail store, and yes, you’d be getting paid for it. First, let’s get to know each other.

Eat

Did you know? Mushrooms are a great source of vitamin D, potassium, and other essential nutrients. GreenWise Organic Portabella Mushroom Caps are buy one, get one free at Publix GreenWise Market through Wed., Oct. 19. 🍄*

Real Estate

Buying a home is exciting — but the competitive real estate market can sometimes lead people to make home offers before they’ve done their due diligence. Here are five things to avoid when buying a home so you can celebrate without the buyer’s remorse. 🏡 *

Beauty

Fresh, dewy skin is all the rage right now. One way to get it? Responsible luxury beauty brand MERIT’s Great Skin™ Instant Glow Serum: a lightweight, bi-phase serum with hyaluronic acid + niacinamide that instantly hydrates and plumps skin for a healthy glow. Bonus: Free Signature Makeup Bag with first purchase.*

The Buy

Want a straighter smile? SmileDirectClub can make it happen, with 22-hour-wear aligners and Nighttime Aligners™ that straighten teeth as little as 4-6 months — and results are guaranteed for life. Get started. 🦷 *

Health

The Medicare Annual Enrollment Period is here, which means it’s time to ask yourself a big question: keep your coverage, or change it? Fidelity Medicare Services can help. Fidelity’s licensed Medicare advisors provide customized advice based on your situation — and if you choose a new plan, they’ll help you enroll.*

Content marked with an * is brought to you by our advertising partners and helps make this newsletter free.

New to Lakeland

We like big books and we cannot lie 📚

Find a new book for every member of the family. | Photo by LALtoday

What’s better than a good book? Maybe a good book written by your neighbor. Treat your shelf to these new reads we’ve added to our list of books written in Lakeland.

For the family

“Kyler Treks to Ghana” by Stephanie Claytor and Kat Powell | Release date: Feb. 1, 2022 | In this picture book, an African American family travels to Ghana to learn about their ancestors and history.

Learn something new

“Human Training: A User Guide to You” by Charles E. McDanal Jr. | Release date: Nov. 15, 2020 | Improve your life with methods for “business adulting” and living with others from this Lakeland leader.

Part of a series

“Penalty Box” by Kayla Tirrell | Release date: March 20, 2020 | Fall in love with this soccer-themed romance novel, the first in the “Love in the Arena” series.

We’ll be curling up with our “to be read” pile and a fall-themed coffee. Let us know how you like to read your local books in this poll.

KEEP READING LOCAL

THE WRAP

Today’s issue was written by Connor.

Editor’s pick: This is already shaping up to be a busy week in Swan City, from the grand opening of Bonnet Springs Park to the Lakeland Hispanic Festival. Don’t forget to check our events calendar to make your plans or submit your own events.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Learn how to plan the perfect tailgate, here.

Connect with us.

Editorial: Rilee Delgado, Connor Keith, Jessalin Heins-Nagamoto, Kaylee Holland, Ashlea Hearn, Emily Shea | Send us a scoop, question, or feedback.

Sales: Kailey Burke | Advertise with us.

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