Lakeland’s Winter Bucket List

Seasons greetings, Lakeland. ❄️To help you get the most out of the most wonderful time of the year, we’ve compiled our Lakeland winter bucket list, complete with 50+ events and activities to try. So jingle all the way through this list to make sure you don’t miss anything. ☃️

👟 Activities

○ Silvermoon Christmas Marathon | Fri., Dec. 4 | 6:30 p.m. | Silver Moon Drive-In, 4100 New Tampa Hwy. | $20 | Cozy up and watch movies including Polar Express, Krampus, and Elf.
○ The Fancy Flea Old Fashioned Christmas Market | Sat., Dec. 5 | 9 a.m.-4 p.m. | Downtown Bartow, 165 E. Main St. | Free | Jingle down to this pop-up holiday flea market to grab some last-minute presents.
○ Nutcracker Ballet | Sat., Dec. 5 | 2-5 p.m. | The Polk Theatre, 139 Florida Ave. S. | $27-47 | Performance by the Russian Ballet Orlando.
○ Holiday Story Time at the RP Funding Center | Mon., Dec. 7 | 10-10:30 a.m. | RP Funding Center, 701 W. Lime St. | Free | The storytime will be held by members of the City of Lakeland staff.
○ Public Menorah Lighting | Dec. 13 | 5 p.m. - 7 p.m. | Kryger Park, 108 S. Massachusetts Ave. | Free | Head over to Kryger Park on Lake Mirror and enjoy the Public Menorah Lighting ceremony featuring music, face painting, food, photos with Judah Maccabee, and of course, the lighting of the menorah.

○ Holidays at Legoland | Select dates in Dec. | Legoland, 1 Legoland Way. Winter Haven | Prices included in Daily Ticket or Annual Pass | Build up the holiday spirit at Legoland now through New Year’s Eve during select weekends.
○ Holiday Artisan Market | Sun., Dec. 13 | 12-5 p.m. | Lakeside Village, 1479 Town Center Dr. | Free | COVID-19 precautions include vendors and six feet apart and a mask encouragement for attendees.
○ Mistletoe Market in Bartow | Sat., Dec. 19 | 10 a.m.-4 p.m. | Downtown Bartow, 165 E. Main St. | Free | Join the holiday festivities by shopping around for gifts, listening to live music, and visiting Santa.
○ Holidays at Bok Tower Gardens | Through Jan. 1 | Times Vary | Bok Tower Gardens, 1151 Tower Blvd., Lake Wales | Prices Vary | Celebrate the season at Bok Tower Gardens featuring festive events throughout December into New Years.
○ Ice Skating at Lakeland Ice Arena | Select Dates | Times Vary | Lakeland Ice Arena., 3395 W. Memorial Blvd. | $14 | Skate away from the worries that 2020 brought this year, and triple-axel your way towards the holidays.

💡 Where to see lights

○ Night of Lights | Dec. 11 - 12 | 6 p.m.-9 p.m. | 1015 Sikes Blvd. | Free | Take a drive through the Joe K. Blanton Campus and see a live Nativity scene. Santa, and lit cottage homes.
○ The Christmas Trail | Dec. 13-23 | 5:30-10 p.m. | 2837 S. Frontage Rd. | $15 per vehicle | Take a journey through The Christmas Trail and enjoy walking trails, shows, games, photo opportunities, and more. #ProTip: This event is masked, so be sure you come prepared.

○ Nights of Shimmering Lights | Through Dec. 26 | Hours vary | 2302 N. Dover Rd., Dover | $7 | Take a magical stroll through ¼ mile of twinkling lights. #ProTip: Be sure to wear comfortable walking shoes as this trail is unpaved.
○ The Wonderland of Lights and Santa’s Village | Now through Dec. 27 | Hours vary | 215 Sydney Washer Rd., Dover | Prices Vary | Drive through a mile of lights and end your night at Santa’s Village where guests can meet Saint Nick himself.
○ Starlight Nights | Through Jan. 6 | 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. | 263 W. Central Ave., Winter Haven | Free | Head to Downtown Winter Haven and explore the newest tradition: Starlight Nights.
○ The Best Neighborhood Christmas Lights and Holiday Displays in Lakeland + Polk County | Locations vary | Take a drive around these Lakeland and Polk County neighborhoods to view all of the best holiday light displays in this guide, curated by Lakeland Mom.

🎄 Local tree farms

○ Produce 863 | Available until they run out | 10 a.m. - 8 p.m. | 6512 US Hwy 98 N. | $75-$125 | Snag your favorite Tannenbaum here + hurry, trees typically run out around Dec. 21.

○ Booger Mountain Christmas Trees | Available until they run out | 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. | 790 W. Pipkin Rd. | Prices Vary | Trees here are freshly cut and shipped to the Sunshine State from North Carolina.
○ BG’s Trees | Available until they run out | 9 a.m. - 9 p.m. | 1400 Georgia St., Bartow + 3002 James L. Redman Pkwy., Plant City | Prices Vary | From Bartow to Plant City, BG’s Trees has the perfect tree for your family. P.S. The Grinch himself was spotted here earlier this week.

🎟️ Winter festivals

○ Holiday Flying Festival and Car Show | Fri., Dec. 4 | 4-9 p.m. | SUN’n FUN, 4175 Medulla Rd. | $20 per vehicle | All proceeds benefit SUN ‘n FUN’s Aerospace Center for Excellence STEM education programs.
○ Snowfest 2020 - A Walk in the Snow | Fri., Dec. 4 | 6-9 p.m | Lake Mirror Promenade, 121 S. Lake Ave. | One Canned Good | There’s snow place like Lake Mirror during the Florida winter.
○ Rockin’ Reindeer Bash with Polk County Parks and Recreation | Sat., Dec. 5 | 10 a.m.-2 p.m. | Wabash Community Center, 1230 Southern Ave. | Free | Put your frosting skills to the test with a gingerbread house making contest at 12:30.
○ Buena Holiday Weekend at LKLD Live | Fri., Dec. 11 | 5-9 p.m. | Downtown Lakeland | Free | The venue will be open-air with periodic cleaning.
○ Holly Jolly Jingle Bell Jog 5K | Sat., Dec. 12 | 7:30-9:30 a.m. | Cleveland Heights Golf Club, 2900 Buckingham Ave. | $35 | Registration required and closes on Dec. 9.
○ LKLD SantaCon 2020 | Sat., Dec. 12 | 5-7 p.m. | Swan Brewing, 115 W. Pine St. | Free | A self-guided Santa themed bar crawl complete with prizes.

❤️ Donating

○ 2020 Lakeland Fire Department Toy Drive | Wed., Dec. 16 | 8 a.m.-10 p.m. | Multiple Locations | Free | To drop off toys, the station recommends wearing a mask, social distancing, and leaving right after dropping off the item.
○ Operation Merry Christmas | Deadlines vary | Give back to the children and the community this year with Operation Merry Christmas – from wish list shopping to global donations, OneMoreChild is a great start when it comes to holiday service.
○ 16th Annual Rudolph Round-Up Holiday Toy Drive | Donate today to the Rudolph Round-Up Holiday Toy Drive + sponsor a child.
○ Holiday Giving 2020 | Give back this Christmas to the elderly community. VISTE offers two donation options including “VISTE’s Greatest Need” or “Holiday Personal Care Boxes.” Donate here.

See our full roundup for more ways to give back to the community this holiday season.

☕ Food + drinks

○ Born and Bread Bakehouse | Christmas Pies
Knead we say more? Order your Christmas Pies today whether you’re in the mood for a Banoffee Pie or a Brown Butter Apple Pie, Born and Bread have the lot.
○ TeaLargo | Holiday Drinks
Jingle bell rock on over to TeaLargo for their holiday drink menu featuring seasonal sips such as the Holiday Nog Chai Latte or take a bite out of the Lump of Coal Bowl.
○ Concord Coffee | Festive Flavors
Concord just released their holiday flavors and will serve up brews featuring peppermint, peppermint mocha, orange mocha, and maple gingerbread.

○ The Market at Cafe Zuppina | Winter Cream Cold Brew
Ready to send your taste buds to the North Pole and back? Enjoy this holiday cold brew featuring white chocolate peppermint cream + chocolate.
○ Swan Brewing | Christmas Bomb
Holiday hops are in full-swing at Swan Brewing featuring the Christmas Bomb, a stout-imperial double starting at $10 for a half-pint.
○ Andy’s Frozen Custard | EggNog Shakes
Pop on over to Andy’s Frozen Custard for their seasonal EggNog Shake.
○ Mitchell’s Coffee House | Holiday Lattes
According to Mitchell’s IG, “we are doing a peppermint mocha for our holiday latte, with a vegan option. As well as a sparkling cherry limeade.”
○ Mayday Handcrafted Ice Cream | Caramel Apple Pie ice cream
Caramel apple pie ice cream just graced Mayday’s Joinery location with more holiday flavors to come soon.
○ Black & Brew Coffee House & Bistro | Holiday Drinks
The holiday drink menu at Black & Brew this season will feature sips such as Mulled Cranberry Orange Soda, Mexican Hot Chocolate, and more.

🍾 NYE events

○ 2021 Vision Board Party | Fri., Dec. 11 | 6-9 p.m. | Wabash Community Center, 1230 Southern Ave. | $25 | Let your 2020 vision turn into 2021 vision.
○ When You Wish Upon a Star-Noon Year’s Eve Celebration | Thurs., Dec. 31 | 10:30 a.m.-12 p.m. | Enchanted Fairytale Hollow, 214 Trader’s Alley | $15+ | Early RSVP required.
○ Federal Bar New Years Eve Bash | Thurs., Dec. 31 | 3 p.m.-1 a.m. | Free | Complete with drink and food specials and a complimentary champagne toast.