LAKESIDE LIFESTYLE

Being lakeside is not just a location, it’s a lifestyle here in Winter Haven. With 24 canalconnected lakes, 55 lakes that touch the City of Winter Haven and 554 lakes in Polk County, there is pretty much a lake everywhere you look. You can travel f r o m one side of Winter Haven to the other without ever leaving your boat. Canal connectivity means countless hours of water skiing, boating, fishing, paddleboarding, kayaking, tubing, fly boarding and wakeboarding. Since 1922, water-skiers have been leaving their mark on Winter Haven history for all to see. In 1936, when Dick Pope opened Cypress Gardens theme park one of the main attractions was the show skiers. Today, LEGOLAND ® Florida Resort carries on that tradition with several LEGO ® themed shows per day on Lake Eloise. Lakeside Lifestyle

In 2012, Mark Voisard, a former show skier for Cypress Gardens, started the Cypress Gardens Water Ski team to help carry on Winter Haven’s legacy of the sport. Today, this troupe of athletes performs a free show every third Saturday of every month on Lake Silver in downtown Winter Haven. To complement the show, a new event, Slow Roll & Ski Show, was created where locals gather at The Bike Shop to bike through downtown to Lake Silver to watch the performance and check out the latest downtown developments.

If you want to slow down from the fast-paced water recreation, you can take peaceful tours of the lakes with Living Water Boat Cruises. Rue and Sharlene Denton have endless knowledge about the history, wildlife and plant life that inhabit our lakes. They offer various different tour options that are perfect for visitors and residents.

The lakeside lifestyle doesn’t stop at water recreation. Winter Haven offers several waterfront restaurants with seamless views of our beautiful orange, purple and red sunset skies. We have 91 miles of shoreline in Winter Haven, some developed as residential living, and commercial properties, but with lots of public spaces on the lakes too. The Lake Howard Walking Trail is the most recent addition which starts on West Central Avenue and Lake Howard Drive and goes to Avenue G NW and Lake Howard Drive. Whether you want to take a leisurely stroll, train for a 5K or hop on your bike, this is a great trail to add to your route. Lakes Cannon, Shipp, Hartridge and Maude all have parks on them and some have playgrounds as well.

For the ultimate lakeside lifestyle at home, check with our local realtors for the latest listings. Lakeside homes can range from the mid-100’s to over $1 million depending on location and size. Many neighborhoods also have private or public boat ramps for the residents who don’t live directly on the lakes to enjoy. There are 1,400 lakefront parcels to choose from in our community! It truly is an inland coastal playground. Whether you choose to dive right into the water or relax on the shores, it’s not difficult to experience the lakeside lifestyle in Winter Haven.