Fantasy of Flight

Polk City is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 2,713 at the 2020 census.

The Polk Correctional Institution is a state prison for men located in Polk City, Polk County, Florida, owned and operated by the Florida Department of Corrections. This facility has a mix of security levels, including minimum, medium, and close, and houses adult male prisoners. Polk first opened in 1978, and has a maximum capacity of 1,208 prisoners.

The Green Swamp is a swamp in Florida. It lies west of Highway 27 and east of Interstate 75 in Polk, Lake, Sumter, Hernando and Pasco Counties. The headwaters of the Peace River, Withlacoochee River, Ocklawaha River, and Hillsborough River are located here. Some 110,000 acres of the swamp are managed as the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve by the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Divided into five management units: Colt Creek State Park — 5,067 acres; East Tract — 51,149 acres; Hampton Tract — 11,052 acres; Little Withlacoochee Tract — 4,446 acres; and West Tract — 37,350 acres. Nearly 36 miles of the Withlacoochee River’s 110-mile length are protected as an Outstanding Florida Water within the Green Swamp Wilderness Preserve. As a plateau above surrounding areas, the Green Swamp region is an important physiographic feature of Florida. Its 560,000 acres of wetlands, flatlands and low ridges are bounded by prominent sandy ridgelines. Rainwater drains across the surface to create the headwaters of four major rivers: the Withlacoochee, the Ocklawaha, the Hillsborough and the Peace. Rainwater also percolates down through the soil to replenish the Floridan aquifer system, the primary source of drinking water for most Floridians. Because the Green Swamp region is elevated above outlying areas and the underground aquifer rises very close to the land surface, the region functions as the pressure head for the aquifer. Protecting the Green Swamp is vital to protecting the quality and quantity of Florida’s water supply. Recognizing the statewide significance of this area, the state of Florida in 1974 designated 322,000 acres of the Green Swamp region as an Area of Critical State Concern.

Florida Polytechnic University (Florida Poly) is a public university in Lakeland, Florida. Created as an independent university in 2012, it is the newest of the 12 institutions in the State University System of Florida. It is the state's only public polytechnic university, and focuses solely on STEM education.The institution originated as a branch campus of the University of South Florida, which opened in 1988. The State of Florida authorized a new campus in 2008, and renamed the school University of South Florida Polytechnic. In 2012, the Florida Legislature initiated plans to dissolve the USF branch campus and reform the Lakeland institution into an independent school. Florida Poly opened for classes on August 25, 2014 with an inaugural class of 554 students.Florida Poly resides on a 170-acre campus. The university's Innovation, Science and Technology (IST) Building, designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, is home to a 3-D printing lab, cyber gaming and media lab, cyber security lab, robotics lab, and a big data lab. In addition, Florida Poly is the first university whose campus library is completely digital.

The Holland Jenks House (also known as the Stuart Jenks House) is a historic home located in Auburndale, Florida, United States.

Auburndale is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 15,616 at the 2020 census.

Lake Myrtle Sports Complex is a multi-purpose sports complex located in Auburndale within the state of Florida, in the United States.

The USA International Speedway was an oval located near Lakeland, Florida, United States, that opened in 1995. The track was a .75-mile-long concrete paved oval with 14° banked turns. USA International Speedway was closed with the final race on August 2, 2008. In 2010 the track was stripped of its grandstands and control tower. In early 2012 the track was completely demolished, a warehouse now sits on the property. The site lies next to the former site of Lakeland Motorsports Park, on Florida State Road 33 just north of exit 38 on Interstate 4, where an Amazon warehouse now exists. In 1977, Lakeland International Speedway hosted Florida Sunfest, a music festival featuring 20 acts, including Jimmy Buffett. It was the largest music festival in Florida history, attracting over 100,000 fans. The event was created and produced by Richard Flanzer, of AtlanticPacific Music. The USAR Hooters Pro Cup Series had a race at the speedway in early March and the final championship race in mid to late November. There were also several series that tested there, including the ARCA Racing Series, CRA Super Series, and the NASCAR Cup Series. USA International Speedway hosted three NASCAR Southeast Series events from 1999 until 2001 and five races of ASA National Tour from 2000 until 2004. All the race winners had driven in NASCAR: Gary St. Amant, Mike Garvey, Joey Clanton had one win apiece, and Butch Miller won twice. The track hosted one ARCA Racing Series event in 2007. The race was won by future NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion James Buescher. The speedway also hosted 40 CARS X-1R Pro Cup Series races from 1997 until 2008. Some NASCAR drivers such as Chad Chaffin, Mario Gosselin, Michael Ritch, Scott Wimmer, Bobby Gill, Shane Huffman, Clay Rogers, Benny Gordon, Brian Vickers, and Joey Logano won races at the track.

The Auburndale TECO Trail is a 6.5-mile (10.5 km) multi-use path in Auburndale, Florida, United States. The southern terminus of the trail is at the northeast corner of Plymouth Road and Berkley Road (Polk CR 655) southeast of the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex. The southern trailhead is on Denton Avenue west of Berkeley Road. At the northern terminus, the trail joins the General James A. Van Fleet State Trail in Polk City. Plentiful parking is available at both trailheads. The route is almost completely flat, with an ascent of less than 5 feet (1.5 m). The trail is approximately 12 feet (3.7 m) wide and, like the Van Fleet Trail, it was constructed on an abandoned Seaboard Air Line Railroad corridor. The path is maintained by Polk County in cooperation with TECO Energy, and is sometimes referred to as the Van Fleet Trail extension. In the future, the route will be linked to the Hilochee Wildlife Management Area.

Auburndale High School is a four-year public high school located in Auburndale, Florida, United States, and a part of Polk County Public Schools. The school serves about 1,600 students from ninth through twelfth grades. In 2012, construction was completed on a new media center, added parking, centrally-located cafeteria, and new academic buildings.

The Ephraim M. Baynard House is a historic home in Auburndale, Florida, located at 208 West Lake Avenue. On November 10, 2001, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and houses the Baynard House Museum. The Architect was Alfred Chipman Thorp, and Baynard's home was designed and built in the Folk Victorian style. The house's namesake, Ephraim Mikell Baynard (1860-1933) was a real estate developer in the region. Baynard was designated a Great Floridian by the Florida Department of State in the Great Floridians 2000 Program. A plaque attesting the honor is located at the Baynard House.

Lake Alfred is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was approximately 6,374 at the 2020 US census.