BEST ARTS

ARTS

CIRCLE B BAR RESERVE

4399 Winter Lake Rd, Lakeland (863) 668-4673 polknature.com/explore/circle-b-bar-reserve This former cattle ranch sits on the northwest shore of Lake Hancock with several ecosystems over 1,267 acres. Circle B Bar Reserve’s many maintained, marked trails are perfect for hiking (you’ll probably see an alligator or two). Nature photographers and painters alike also set up on the reserve to capture the wildlife and stunning Central Florida scenery. Have a Circle B picnic at one of their five first-come, first-serve covered picnic areas with grills.

2nd: Central Park Winter Haven 3rd: Bok Tower Gardens

BEST Live Music Venue

GROVE ROOTS BREWING COMPANY

302 3rd St SW, Winter Haven (863) 291-0700 FB @groverootsbrewing IG @groverootsbrewing groveroots.com Grove Roots has the beers AND the bands! Best Of Haven voters love to sip a Jammy Sammy and jam out to local musicians at this laid-back community brewery. Grove Roots Brewing Co. was also voted number one for Best Beer List and Best Polk County Beer for their crisp, fruity sour, Tropical Dilemma. One Grove Roots groupie wrote in part, “This is a local spot. We come here for live music, food truck vendors, new beer offerings, and the all-inclusive vibe. Great outdoor seating that offers a wide variety of comfortable options. Lots to do outside that will keep the kids and puppies happy as well.”

2nd: Jensen’s Corner Bar 3rd: Tanners Lakeside Restaurant & Bar

BEST Art Gallery

MICHAEL CREWS GALLERY AT LAKE WALES ARTS CENTER

1099 FL-60 E, Lake Wales (863) 676-8426 FB @LakeWalesArtsCouncil IG @lakewalesartscouncil lakewalesartscouncil.org Polk County art aficionados appreciate the world-class work exhibited at the Michael Crews Gallery. The gallery is housed in a former church that was built in 1927 and named for Michael Crews, founder of the Lake Wales Chorale, as well as President of the Community Concert Association, and an instrumental force in merging that organization and the Lake Wales Arts Council. According to the Lake Wales Arts Council, “Lake Waleans who had known Mike Crews and his love for arts, suggested that the new building be named in his honor and memory. The Lake Wales Arts Council unanimously agreed.”

2nd: Ridge Art Association 3rd: Polk Museum of Art

ALLIGATOR MURAL BY NICOLE HOLDERBAUM “NICO”

435 6th St SW, Winter Haven Could there be anything more Polk County appropriate than a giant alligator and a dreamy burnt orange sunset? This vibrant prehistoric beauty adorns the north side of the Refrigeration & Electric Service building. The alligator was painted by Nicole Holderbaum aka “Nico,” a Florida-based visual artist, muralist, creative director, and designer.

2nd: Slice of Happiness Mural by Gillian

Fazio 3rd: The Calm Mural by David De La

Mano & Pablo S. Herrero

BEST Visual Artist

GILLIAN FAZIO

FB @gfazioart IG @gfazioart gfazioart.com Whether you’ve been inspired by her Create mural in Lakeland, or snapped a selfie in front of the oranges and monarchs that grace Slice of Happiness in Lake Wales – Gillian Fazio has probably brightened your day at some point. A Lakeland native, Fazio grew up attending art schools and found a love of painting very young. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelors’ Degree in Fine Arts from the University of Florida in 2017. Fazio shifted from canvas to large-scale public art when she returned home and has since created over 20 murals across Central Florida. As a “new age flora and fauna artist” Fazio says her interest is in “using natural elements such as animals’ divinely designed patterns that serve a function and purpose, combined with purely aesthetic cultural patterns. [...] As the artist, my goal is to create an encounter for the audience, appreciating the intricacy of both senses of artistic intelligence.”

2nd: Trent Manning 3rd: Cathy Hall

BEST Photographer

POTTHAST STUDIOS

234 W Central Ave, Winter Haven (863) 294-4920 FB @PotthastStudios IG @potthaststudios potthaststudios.com Located in Downtown Winter Haven, Potthast Studios offers professional photography services including portraits, commercial photography, video production, photo restorations, digitizing services, and photography classes. Their spacious studio facilities boast flash strobe, constant and natural light studio capabilities, concrete cycloramic for seamless white/blue/green screen projects, and more. According to Potthast Studios, “Putting together a great photoshoot is about much more than just lights, camera, action. We understand it takes coordination, communication, talented design, and styling before the shoot, and talent behind the camera, to make it all 2nd: Lindsey Cassidy Photography 3rd: Paris Scott Photography

BEST Musician

DANIEL PEPIN

FB @DanPepinMusic YouTube: Daniel Pepin SoundCloud: Daniel John Pepin danielpepinmusic.com Daniel Pepin has played “everything from stadiums to little tiny dive bars.” His love of music ignited when he listened to his grandmother’s “Eight Days a Week” record as a kid. Many guitar lessons and tons of natural talent later, Pepin would attend music school, give music lessons, and start a band called The Letdown (now The Mighty Letdown) that would go on to open for top names at the time, like Godsmack and Disturbed. These days he’s serenading audiences across Polk County and beyond with his Spanish guitar skills ranging from melodic to pick-on-fire. Catch him regularly at venues across the county like the Winter Haven Farmers Market, Haven Coffee Roasters, The Pink Piano, and Swan Brewing.

2nd: B.Haven 3rd: Coastal Acoustic Barefoot Music

BEST DJ

DJ MINI C PRODUCTIONS

(863) 812-7035 FB @DJMINiCpro IG @djminic djminic.com They may specialize in weddings, but they can get the crowd moving at corporate events, school dances, sporting events, anniversary parties, fashion shows, birthdays, class reunions, proms – any event. DJ MIni C Productions has been serving Lakeland and surrounding areas since 2010 with their DJ and entertainment services including photo booths, wedding coordinating, wedding planning, lighting, and beyond. Platform Art said in their review of DJ MIni C, “We hired DJ Mini C to DJ for our PlatformKids art event and we were very happy with the result! They arrived early to set up and were also very friendly, professional, and easy to work with. DJ Mini C had some good music mixes and kept our audience entertained in between our performances.”

2nd: DJ Bracken Entertainment & Lighting 3rd: Triviosity Live Events

KORTLYN DOUGHERTY | ROGUE’S RELICS

Etsy: RoguesRelicsJewelry FB @roguesrelicsjewelry IG @roguesrelicsjewelry Around the beginning of 2020, Kortlyn Dougherty started her Etsy shop, Rogue’s Relics (named after her Miniature Australian Shepherd, Rogue), selling wire-wrapped stones, earrings, bracelets, pendants, and the like. She began experimenting with a process called electroforming, making one-of-a-kind jewelry and decor with everything from snake, frog, and lizard skeletons, to rat skulls, ginkgo leaves, oak leaves, dragonflies, and butterflies that are coated in copper and given an antique finish. You can pick up a stunning Rogue’s Relics piece at one of the many markets Dougherty attends like the Winter Haven Farmers Market and Buena Market, or online at her Etsy shop!

2nd: Lyndsey Venrick | Pin + Needle 3rd: Jessica Garrett | Modish Collection

BEST Tattoo Studio

ACES INK

1132 6th St NW, Winter Haven (863) 875-3798 FB @acesinktattoo IG @acesinktattoo Best Of Haven voters think this tattoo shop is dealing all Aces! The shop says its mission is “to provide you with quality tattoos/ piercings in an amazing and sterile environment.” A look through the Aces Ink online portfolio – a lifelike black and white portrait of JAY-Z, Wranglers jeans patch on a buttcheek, colorful cartoon caricatures – is a testament to the clean, creative, quality tattoos their artists consistently produce. One client wrote, “Everyone at the shop is so friendly! Scheduling appointments is easy. Choosing which artist to use is a bit more difficult, as all their work is amazing!”

2nd: Skinfinity Tattoo Company 3rd: Angry Elephant Tattoos and Piercings

BEST Piercing

DAKOTA LARUE | ACES INK

1132 6th St NW, Winter Haven (863) 875-3798 FB @acesinktattoo IG @acesinktattoo Professional Body Piercer Dakota LaRue is so good at what she does, many clients say it doesn’t even hurt! You could say she’s pretty sharp. In the “amazing and sterile environment” at Aces Ink, LaRue offers an array of piercing services that her clients rave about. One pleased and freshly pierced patron said, “Dakota the piercer was AMAZING!! Very gentle and had a lot of knowledge on how to make sure they heal properly. She did an amazing job!”

2nd: Atomic Tattoos 3rd: Piercings by Pinky Pierce

Live likeatourist

Welivewhereotherssaveformonthstovacation.That'sright.Wesaidit.Lookaroundyou.Whilevisitorsbook theirplanetickets,reservetheirhotelroomsandmaketheiritineraries,wegettobesurroundedbytheFlorida vacationlifedaily!Butaslocals,wecantendtogoblindtothefactthatweliveinavacationdestination.We losethebright-eyedwonderofexploring!SoweattheChamberareheretoencourageyoutotakethetimeto livelikeatourist!Hereareacoupleofideastogetyoustarted:

7.SpeakingofArts&Culture -Selfiesinfrontoffunkydowntownmurals-check!Internationally-renowned artshowsatPolkMuseumofArtandRidgeArt-check!BroadwayandcoverbandsatTheatreWinterHaven andTheRitz-check!(polkmuseumofart.org,ridgeart.org,theatrewinterhaven.com,ritzwinterhaven.com). 8.SeaplaneCapitaloftheWorld -DidyouknowthatpeopleflyinfromALLOVERTHEWORLD tobetrainedtoflyseaplanesatBrown'sSeaplaneBase.Ifyouarenotinthemarketforalicense, it'sprettycooltowatchtheseplanestakeoffandland.(brownsseaplane.com) 9.TakeMeOuttotheBallgame! -WehavemultipleprofessionalsportsteamsinPolk includingtheLakelandMagicbasketballteamandtheFloridaTropicsSoccerClub! (lakelandmagic.comandfltropics.com) 10.CypressGardensWaterSkiShow -Harkenbacktothebirthof tourisminWinterHavenwithareimaginedCypressGardensskishow, absolutelyFREEevery3rdSaturdayonLakeSilver. (cypressgardensskiteam.com) 11.EatLikeaTourist -Andofcourse,oneofthebestthings todoonvacationiseat.Getatasteofitallwith WinterHavenFoodTours.comorjustcommittomapouta gameplanoflocalfavstoknockoffyourlistin2021.

1.Paddleboard -GetupclosetonaturalFloridawithaPaddleboardWinterHaventour(oryoga)onourChain ofLakes(paddleboardwinterhaven.com) 2.BoatTours -ForgettheexerciseandsitbackandrelaxwithapontoonboatcruiseoftheChainofLakes withLivingWaterBoatCruisesorbeyourowncaptainwithrentalsfromMarineSupply-TheBoatCenter (livingwatercruises.comandmarinesupplyboats.com) 3.ExploreNaturalFloridaforFREE -Whoneedstobuyatickettoalandofgatorswhenyoucanseethemin theirelementatCircleBBarReserve?Ifgrabbingthebinoculars,cameraandsunglassesdoesn'tmakeyou feellikeatourist,wedon'tknowwhatwill.(polknature.com) 4.LEGOLANDFloridaResort -WehavethemostAWESOMESTthemeparkandwaterparkforkidsage2-12 andcomingin2022,PeppaPigThemePark,forthepreschoolers.Annualpassescomedowntodollarsavisit ifyoutakeadvantageofthisbeinginourownbackyard!(legoland.com/florida) 5.BokTowerGardens -FindyourzenatthemostbeautifulgardeninFloridaandtakeinthetunesofthe60+ bellcarillontower.(boktowergardens.org) 6.GameNight -Touristsloveindoorfuntoo.Fromarcadegames,toVRtolasertag(andthrowinaroundof bowlingtoo)atCypressLanes.Orreminiscewithold-schoolpinballgamesandartatthenewsmallbusiness Artcade.(cypresslanes.comandfacebook.com/ARTCADEWinterHaven)

Tolearnmoreabouthowtolivelikeatouristvisitwinterhavenchamber.com.

11:00a.m.-4:00p.m. Saturday,October2,2021

DiningPassport

CommunityFestWinterHaven,presentedbyCitizensBank&TrustandtheGreaterWinterHaven ChamberofCommerce,isaFREEfamilyfunfestivalcreatedtogivefamiliesachancetoenjoyadayin theparkwithcomplimentarygames,entertainmentandactivities.ThiseventislocatedindowntownWinter Haven.Tolearnmore,visitwinterhavenchamber.com.

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