A 1926 train station, a trail with shrine boxes for endangered plants, and a 1,460-seat venue give Avon Park a variety of points of interest. If you’re looking for hotels in Avon Park, you can first consider whether local history, art and performances, or nature and parks should shape your stay. These attractions provide a basis for assessing Avon Park according to your interests before choosing a hotel for your stay.
Nature and Parks: A Plant Trail or a Beach
The Wildflower Wayside Shrine Trail is located at 600 West College Drive in Avon Park. Its shrine boxes are dedicated to endangered plant species on campus. Along the trail, visitors can see Big Flag Pawpaw, Sky-Blue Lupine, and the endangered species Scrub St. Johns Wort. The boxes also feature relief depictions of the flowers, which visitors can make rubbings of on paper. In this way, the trail connects named plants with a hands-on creative activity: Visitors can focus both on the species and on how they are depicted in the reliefs.
The parks offer different features. Lake Tulane Park has several shaded pavilions and a white sand beach. Donaldson Park also has a white sand beach, described as large, as well as a boat ramp. For a park visit with pavilions, Lake Tulane Park is equipped differently from Donaldson Park; those also looking for a boat ramp will find one at Donaldson Park. The beach is a feature the two places share, while the additional amenities mentioned are different.
Art and Stage: Florida at the Museum, Performances at the Venue
MOFAC opened in 2001 as a venue for exhibitions of Florida art, history, and culture. Exhibitions in the main gallery change from October through May. For trip planning, this period offers a specific seasonal guide if changing exhibitions are of interest to you. The focus on Florida distinguishes the venue from the local history presented at the Depot Museum.
The Alan Jay Wildstein Center for the Performing Arts has 1,460 seats. Since 1984, it has hosted international touring productions, Broadway tours, performances by Grammy Award winners, music concerts, and free performances. This gives the venue a focus on stage and events alongside the museums’ exhibitions. Those connecting Avon Park with culture can therefore choose between exploring Florida art and history or taking in a program of tours, concerts, and performances.
Train Station, Baseball, and Hotel History
The Avon Park Depot Museum building was constructed in 1926 by the Seaboard Airline Railroad Company. Originally a train station, it served thousands of passengers until it closed in 1976. The museum presents the development of Avon Park and the surrounding region. The history of the train station and the history of the town come together in one building: Its former function can be placed in historical context, while the museum focuses on the development of Avon Park and the region.
The Avon Park Baseball Museum is also located in the historic Depot Museum. It preserves the city’s connection to baseball history with historic photographs and memorabilia documenting the development of baseball in Avon Park. The baseball focus complements the broader city and regional history with a specific topic. If you’re interested in baseball, the photographs and memorabilia bring this connection to life.
Hotel Jacaranda is also associated with a historical date: It was built in the 1920s, opened in 1926, and is listed on the National Historic Register. Babe Ruth and Clark Gable once stayed there. Its opening and historic guest list give the hotel a connection to the past that differs from that of the former train station: Here, the focus is on the building’s history and its guests at the time. These historical details do not describe its current availability as lodging.
A Culinary Highlight
Maxwell Groves operates a country store with a spacious veranda and orange rocking chairs; its offerings include homemade orange ice cream. This adds a culinary stop to the cultural and nature-related attractions. If the ice cream is an important reason for your visit, check its availability in advance.
Discover more destinations: Lake Placid, Sebring.
For the broader travel overview: Highlands County.
