Make a night out of your Bright Ice date by starting next door at the newly opened By the Chef Pizza and The Wine Garden. | Photo by LALtoday
Looking for the next new restaurant hitting Swan City’s food scene? Check out these buzzy places to eat and drink in Lakeland — plus, some spots coming soon. Keep tabs on this list to stay ahead of the cuisine curve. And don’t forget to bookmark it.
Hakucho | Japanese izakaya
Make a reservation to try Japanese pub-style bites + bevs in a bustling atmosphere. Our favorite dishes and drinks so far are the fried chicken karaage, tart mocktail, and just-spicy-enough shishito peppers.
Bright Ice Scoop Shop | Ice cream + coffee
This shop has 19 signature flavors that are always on the menu, plus seasonal specials. Grab your favorite in a cup, on a waffle cone, blended in a milkshake, or on an ice cream + cookie sandwich.
Foxtail gave us a sneak peek at construction inside its forthcoming cafe.
Foxtail Coffee | Coffee | Opening this summer
This Central Florida staple will open its first Lakeland location in the Shops at Lake Wire, the retail plaza at the upcoming Prospect Lake Wire development. Plus, it will offer Kelly’s Ice Cream in addition to its coffee and breakfast items lineup.
Sambrazil Market | Market + bakery | Opening TBA
Get a taste of Brazil at this grocer, coming soon to Combee Road, which says, “we’re here to make life tastier and easier with authentic products and freshly baked treats.”
Daily Flower U-Pick | Thursday, June 26-Monday, June 30 | 11 a.m.-8 p.m. | Keel Farms, Plant City | $6 | There are just a few days left to fill a carrier with as many fresh-picked flowers as you can before sunset.
Bilingual Conversational Meetup | 5:30-6:30 p.m. | Lakeland Public Library | Free | Practice your English + Spanish with other Lakelanders through casual conversation.
Trivia Night | 6-8 p.m. | Bonnet Springs Park | Free | Show off your Disney knowledge at this themed trivia night all about the “House of Mouse.”
Friday, June 27
Adult Ballet Workshop | Friday, June 27-Friday, July 25 | 5:30-7 p.m. | Ultimate Dance Center | $20+ | Get your dance skills on pointe in this class covering barre and ballet basics.
Drinks with the Director | 6-8 p.m. | The Ashley Gibson Barnett Museum of Art | Free | Send in art history questions for outgoing museum director Dr. Alex Rich along with your RSVP.
Saturday, June 28
Spin and Sip Saturday | 10 a.m.-2 p.m. | Z’s Teas | Price of purchase | Bring your favorite vinyl records to listen to while enjoying all-you-can-drink tea.
Juneteenth Freedom Festival | 1-6 p.m. | Simpson Park Community Center | Free+ | Live music, food vendors, and historical exhibits await you at this event for community celebration + reflection.
Tommy B’s Super Band | 7 p.m. | Eala’s Speakeasy | $10 | Play It Forward Polk hosts this night of live music and raffles to raise money to buy instruments for PCPS music programs.
New mural alert. Two pieces are complete outside the Lakeland Polk County Tax Collector’s office. The sunflower mural by Sherelle White of Vintful Dream + a love-inspired work by Ron Bell were created in partnership with the Community Redevelopment Agency.
Watch
Lakeland has found itself on the small screen again, this time as part of the documentary “Our Vanishing Americana: Florida.” Watch the PBS doc to see Reececliff Diner, the Silver Moon Drive-In, and other statewide icons that bring you back to Old Florida.
Edu
Three teams of PCPS students smoked the competition at the High School BBQ National Championship in Kansas City, KS this month. Barbecuers from George Jenkins High, Roosevelt Academy, and Winter Haven High proved they had chops by cooking up steak, chicken, ribs, and even grilled cheese.
State
Big news for teen procrastinators. The new state law requiring driver’s ed courses, set to go into effect on July 1, has been delayed to Aug. 1. That means more time to follow the Polk Tax Collector’s advice and take the required traffic law course by the end of July.
Holiday
We love Red, White & Kaboom, but when you want to switch things up, Orlando is the place to do it. The city ranked No. 9 on WalletHub’s list of the best places to celebrate the Fourth of July — just check out ORLtoday’s calendar to find the top events.
Learn
New York Times best-selling author Craig Pittman will make a stop at the Lakeland Public Library for a Florida Talk. Join the lecture this Saturday, June 28 at 2 p.m. to learn the stories behind his book, “Cat Tale: The Wild, Weird Battle to Save the Florida Panther.”
Outdoors
Crews at Bok Tower Gardens are getting down and dirty in the drained moat, where they’re removing over two decades of debris, largely by hand. The Gardens remain open during the state-funded project, but tower access is limited — pro tip: take family photos in the Olmsted Gardens instead.
This doctor-recommended vibrator has been shown in published studies to help heighten arousal and support comfort when dryness occurs, thanks to its ultra-flexible shape designed to stimulate all the right spots. Even better? Save 30% today.*
Finance
It turns out all that glitters is gold — at least, in a gold IRA, which lets you hold real gold minus the storage hassle. (Gold is projected to hit $4,000 an ounce by 2026.) Grab your glitter.†*
The basics you need while they’re on sale. Amazon Basics just marked down tons of products in a sale exclusive for Prime members — time to restock the bathroom/office/supply closet shelves:
The fun doesn’t have to end here. After reading the newsletter, head over to our games page. Games refresh with new challenges every day at 6 a.m. from crossword puzzle to Sudoku to themed word search.
Downtown construction is getting pretty crazy, but don’t forget that businesses on closed streets, like Ax-Caliber, are still open. Use our downtown parking guide to find a nearby spot and get your steps in to keep supporting your favorite small bizzes.
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