Today’s Forecast

77º | Light thunderstorms and rain | 90% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:20 a.m. | Sunset 5:49 p.m.

LAL_High Tower Roofing_Weather Sponsorship_7.1.2023-6.30.2025

The Tremont Hotel, date unknown | Photo via Florida Memory

When you think of hotels in downtown Lakeland, what comes to mind? Maybe the Terrace Hotel, but what about its predecessor — the Tremont House Hotel?

Abraham Munn constructed the Tremont House Hotel in 1885, the same year Lakeland was founded, on the corner of Massachusetts Avenue and Main Street. Today, you’ll find the Terrace Hotel in the same spot.

Designed to host transient guests passing through Lakeland via its bustling railroad depot, the Tremont House was large enough to host the entire Lakeland population for a night.

General Collection — Tremont House Hotel, circa 1885 | Photo via Florida Memory
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State Archives of FL

The three-story wooden hotel featured a high-gabled roof, a common style during the latter half of the 19th century. On the second story, guests socialized on a wrap-around porch. Throughout the years, the building underwent many expansions and modifications, including the addition of first-floor arches with support brackets.

Speaking of things guests could enjoy: Lakeland’s first bathtubs were housed in the hotel. The Tremont House was known as one of South Florida’s finest, colloquially touted as “The Traveling Man’s Home.”

pc0303 — The Tremont Hotel, circa 1920s
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Photo via Lakeland Public Library

In 1911, the hotel was relocated to an adjacent lot, roughly 200-ft south on Massachusetts Avenue. This made way for a Lakeland staple — the Terrace Hotel — to take its place on October 12, 1924.

Unfortunately for the Tremont House, the emergence of the Terrace Hotel and other newcomers like Hotel Thelma and the New Florida Hotel proved fatal. Tremont House was eventually torn down in 1936 and was replaced by Ballanger’s Garage, which stood behind Frescos Southern Kitchen & Bar and has since closed.

While the Tremont House may be no longer, we still like to ruminate on its history. Who walked through its doors and used those infamous bathtubs? What social clubs gathered on its wrap-around porch? If you have any tales of yore, send them our way.

Events

Friday, March 24

Friday Night Live | Friday, Mar. 24 | 6-9 p.m. | Munn Park, 201 E. Main St., Lakeland | Free | Grab food or drinks to-go from downtown restaurants, enjoy an outdoor concert by Firelight, and shop from local vendors.
Breastfeeding Support Group | Friday, Mar. 24 | 9-10 a.m. | CJB UW Children’s Resource Center, 650 Bonnet Springs Blvd., Lakeland | Free | Learn breastfeeding tips from a lactation facilitator and connect with other expectant, breastfeeding, and pumping moms.
Spring Pop-Up Series: NoxxKitchen | Friday, March 24-Friday, May 19 | 11 a.m.-2 p.m. | Catapult Lakeland, 502 E. Main St., Lakeland | Free | Enjoy Jamaican-inspired eats like jerk chicken on the Catapult patio.*

Saturday, March 25

Spring Night Market | Saturday, Mar. 25 | 4-9 p.m. | Downtown Lakeland | Free | Celebrate spring with 100+ vendors, live music and dancing, and photo opportunities from Lemon Street to Oak Street.
Little Bus Books Storefront Grand Opening | Saturday, Mar. 25 | 9 a.m.-1 p.m. | The Nectary, 1047 E. Main St., Lakeland | Free | Celebrate the book biz’s grand opening with giveaways, a Jude Coffee pop-up from 9-11 a.m., and free barbecue from 11 a.m.-1 p.m.
Bright Like a Diamond | Saturday, Mar. 25 | 7-9 p.m. | Painting with a Twist, 3670 Harden Blvd., Lakeland | $39 | Paint a canvas step-by-step with instructions from a pro — bring your own snacks and drinks to enjoy while you create.

Sunday, March 26

Just Between Friends Sale | Friday, Mar. 24-Sunday, Mar. 26 | Times vary | RP Funding Center, 701 W. Lime St., Lakeland | $0-$2 | Save on children’s clothing, gear, and toys by shopping this resale market.
Lakeland Punk Rock Flea Market: Volume 6 | Sunday, Mar. 26 | 12-6 p.m. | Swan Brewing, 115 W. Pine St., Lakeland | Free | Rock out with live punk bands while you shop unique items, handmade goods, art, and food from dozens of vendors.
Florida Tropics vs. Utica City FC | Sunday, Mar. 26 | 3:05 p.m. | RP Funding Center, 701 W. Lime St., Lakeland | $7-$23 | Cheer on the Tropics soccer team as they battle it out against Utica City.

Saturday, April 1

Meet the Easter Bunny | Saturday, Apr. 1-Sunday, Apr. 2 | 12-3 p.m. | Lakeside Village, 1479 Town Center Dr., Lakeland | Free | Grab your camera or phone and hop over to Lakeside Village on Saturday, April 1 or Sunday, April 2nd, from 12-3 pm to snap some free photos with the Easter Bunny.*

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

Click here to have your event featured.

100+ more events

News Notes

Weather

91º | Sunny | 10% chance of rain

Civic

Polk County commissioners voted to increase pay for hourly county employees to $15 per hour. The change will go into effect this May; commissioners hope it will help to fill vacant positions. Pro tip: Some of these positions already offer more than $15 hourly, and some are salaried roles.

Biz

Haus 820 was named the March 2023 Small Business of the Month by the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce. The award goes to a small business that “has a significant and continuing positive effect on the Lakeland community.” Previous 2023 winners were Help(her) in and Your CBD Store.
Hole in One Donuts has closed, at least temporarily, following the death of its owner, Rom. The business shared the news on Thursday and stated that a reopening is uncertain. Customers were asked to share their favorite donut in the comment section in Rom’s memory.

Try This

SUN ‘n FUN kicks off next week, and the Blue Angels will once again be making an appearance. Check out other must-see events in The Ledger’s article. Pro tip: Florida residents can get a deal with the Saturday-Sunday pass — $45 for adults and $20 for kids aged 11-17. (LkldNow + The Ledger)

Edu

Polk County Public Schools will begin distributing acceptance notices for magnet and choice schools today. Parents and guardians can check their email and parent portal for notices — students are selected based on a lottery system. Learn more about magnet, choice, home school, and other local school options in our guide.

Learn

Lakeland’s 2023 History Lecture Series is still underway, and next on the docket: “We Freeze to Please — The Lakeland Ice House.” William Lloyd Harris’ free lecture will take place in the Lakeland Public Library’s History Room on Thursday, March 30 from 5:30-7 p.m.

Asked

We recently talked about the history behind some of Lakeland’s street names, and it got us wondering: What are the best locally rooted and inspired names for babies? Send us an email or answer this survey to share your ideas.

Vote

We’re looking to you to help determine Lakeland’s best pizza. Remember to cast your vote in our poll before Monday, March 26 and tune in for the next round in our Tuesday, March 27 newsletter.

Eat

Love food? Yeah, so we do we. Try Catapult kitchen member Meghin Magliano’s beer-infused baked goods + brunch-inspired savory eats every Wednesday 11 a.m.-2 p.m. now through May 17. Meghin’s business, Baking Brewer, is one of five entrepreneurial food businesses featured at Catapult’s Lunch Pop-Up series. See the schedule.*

Home

Buying your first home? Don’t overlook these four factors when you’re house hunting.*

Number

$241. That’s the real price of a roundtrip ticket from Boston to Barcelona sold this year via Going — a travel membership that alerts you when flight prices drop. Sign up for a free membership or try an Elite membership for free if you’re interested in business and first class tickets, too.

Fun Fact

Did you know today is the last day to enter our Six & Main Spring Forward Contest? The winner + two of their friends will receive a prize from one of our coffee/tea brand partners. Spring on over to Instagram to learn more.

Development

✏️ Brush up on your development terms

A painted rendering of a plaza at night with a fountain in the center of a large walkway surrounded by four-story buildings

Downtown West Gateway | Conceptual renderings provided by The Lunz Group and The Apiary

With development news popping up every day, it can be easy to stumble over the terminology. Never fear, we’re here to make reading city releases and news reports a breeze.

Enter: Definitions of development terms paired with examples you might recognize in Swan City.

Mixed-Use

Projects that provide more than one purpose in the community, like a building with apartments on top and retail shops on the bottom, are mixed or multi-use. Think: Combinations of housing, retail, parking, commercial, and industrial components.

Example: The upcoming Oak Street development will likely have seven stories of residential, retail, and parking space.

Rezoning

Changing an area of land from the city’s designated use is known as rezoning. Examples of rezoning include developers looking to build a high-rise in a neighborhood with a certain building height restriction.

Example: The 17-acre site of The Ledger was rezoned to make way for the new Downtown West Gateway.

More terms this way

Answered

Yesterday we asked where you’d like new affordable housing. Here’s what you said:

bar graph — North and South Lakeland have tied.
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Graph via 6AM City

With 34.15% of the vote each, North Lakeland (top) and South Lakeland (second) are tied for the areas of town where readers would most like to see a new affordable housing complex. Midtown received roughly 17% of votes, followed by Downtown and Dixieland with 9.8% and 4.8%, respectively.

In Monday’s city commission meeting, commissioners voted to amend Lakeland’s Land Use Development Code. The code will now allow qualifying affordable multifamily housing in non-residential zoning areas.

Learn more here

The Wrap

Today’s Edition By:
Rilee

From the Editor

Here’s my Lakeland baby name suggestion: Odette, after The Swan Princess. I can’t wait to see yours.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? The City of Lakeland is paving the way for more affordable housing developments.

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* This content is paid advertising, or contains links to our Six & Main marketplace, or affiliate partners which we may receive a commission from. ^ This content is created by our content studio.

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