Circle B Bar Reserve

Polk's Nature Discovery Center is located at the Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland, Florida. Opened on Halloween in 2008, the center offers displays and education programs about the 1,267-acre reserve (513 ha).The exhibit hall features hands-on exhibits about the reserve's trees, plants and animals, and such ecosystems as the wetlands, lakes, sandhills, flatwoods and scrublands. There is also a theater showing films, an exploration lab and a room for quiet research. There are indoor and outdoor classrooms and monthly workshops on such topics as birding, photography, native plants and animals. Funds for the purchase were provided by an environmental lands acquisition referendum approved by voters in 1994. Construction began in 2007, consisting of four buildings totalling 16,000 square feet at a cost of 6.4 million dollars.The Circle B Bar is the host of Water Wings and Wild Things, an annual event including nature-based art vendors, workshops, Florida animals, hands-on activities, guided tours and family activities include tree climbing, birdhouse and kite making, and a butterfly tent.

Collegiate High School is a charter high school located on the Lakeland, Florida campus of Polk State College. The program is unique in that it is located in a college campus and offers high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to earn their associate degree or MCSE/CNE certification (for IT students) at the same time as their high school diploma, with course registration and textbooks provided completely free of charge.

Polk State College, formerly Polk Community College, is a public college in Winter Haven, Florida. It is part of the Florida College System. The college changed its name from Polk Community College in 2009 to reflect its first Bachelor's degree program. Originally named Polk Junior College, it began classes in 1964. The main campus is located in Winter Haven, a second campus is located in nearby Lakeland. Smaller centers exist in Bartow, Lake Wales, Winter Haven, and two in Lakeland.

Highland City is a census-designated place (CDP) in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,051 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Lake Hancock is north of Bartow, Florida in Polk County, Florida. It is ecologically important.

Fort Fraser was a United States Army fortification constructed in November 1837 between the modern cities of Lakeland and Bartow in Polk County, Florida. The fort's name was inspired by Upton S. Fraser, a captain in the U.S. Army who was killed by Seminole Indians in the March to Fort King on December 28, 1835. Colonel Zachary Taylor, who later became the president of the United States, served at Fort Fraser as commander of two companies of the 1st U.S. Infantry. The fort was abandoned by the Army in May 1838, only to be informally used later as a shelter during the American Civil War and Third Seminole War.

Eaton Park is an unincorporated community in Polk County, Florida, United States. Eaton Park is located on U.S. Route 98, 3.3 miles (5.3 km) southeast of Lakeland, and also serves as the southern terminus of Florida State Road 659. Eaton Park has a post office with ZIP code 33840.

Crystal Lake is a census-designated place (CDP) in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,341 at the 2000 census, an increase from 5,300 in 1990. The 2010 Census reported a population of 5,514. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Southeastern University is a private Christian university in Lakeland, Florida. It was established in 1935 in New Brockton, Alabama, as Southeastern Bible Institute, relocated to Lakeland in 1946, and became a liberal arts college in 1970. It is the largest Assemblies of God educational institution in the United States.

The Southeastern Fire are the athletic teams that represents Southeastern University, located in Lakeland, Florida, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Sun Conference (formerly known as the Florida Sun Conference (FSC) until after the 2007–08 school year) since the 2009–10 academic year. The Fire previously competed as a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), primarily competing as an independent in the South Region of both the Division II and Division I levels. The Fire previously competed as an NAIA Independent within the Association of Independent Institutions (AII) during the 2008–09 school year.

Santa Fe Catholic High School is a private, Roman Catholic high school in Lakeland, Florida. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orlando. There are 310 students.

Saddle Creek Park is a 740 acre park located between Winter Haven and Lakeland in Polk County, Florida It is on the site of three main lakes and a great many other abandoned phosphate pits, providing a large area of fishable shoreline. Over 175 species of birds have been recorded at the park. The maximum depth of the pits is 30 feet.