Polk's Nature Discovery Center

The Circle B Bar Reserve is an area of protected lands in Polk County, Florida, United States. Consisting of 1,267 acres (5.13 km2) near Lakeland, the restored wetlands site is managed by the Polk County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC), which co-owns it with the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The park was purchased in 2000 for $7.4 million using funds provided by an environmental lands acquisition referendum approved by voters in 1994.Polk's Nature Discovery Center, completed in 2008, features interactive displays about the plants, animals, and ecosystems of the reserve. The center serves as the focus of environmental education programs and explorations for families, school groups, teachers, adults, and other visitors. Construction began in 2007, consisting of four buildings totalling 16,000 square feet at a cost of $6.4 million.Circle B Bar Reserve is named after the cattle ranch that once occupied the site. It was purchased to help maintain the Banana Creek marsh area, home to an array of birds such as white ibis, roseate spoonbills, sandhill cranes and bald eagles, along with other wildlife like alligators, bobcats, snakes, gray squirrels, river otters, and wild hogs.The preserve has been designated as a Great Florida Birding Trail site, a program of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Sites are selected for their excellent birdwatching, wildlife viewing, or educational opportunities. Circle B Bar contains 3.5 miles (5.6 km)s of unpaved hiking/biking trails and is connected to the paved Fort Fraser Trail by the 0.6-mile paved Fort Fraser-Circle B Bar Connector Trail, which runs from Lakeland to Bartow.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

Fussels Corner is a census-designated place (CDP) in Polk County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,313 at time of the 2000 census. It is part of the Lakeland–Winter Haven Metropolitan Statistical Area.