Avon Park
Avon Park is a city in the Florida Heartland.
Get in
By car
Avon Park lies along US 27, a major north-south artery of the Florida peninsula, and US 98. These highways, which run concurrently through Avon Park, provide easy access to southeast Florida and to the Orlando area. SR 64 is a rural 2-lane highway providing access to Bradenton on the west coast. Avon Park is approximately one hour south of the Orlando metro area (including Kissimmee).
By train
The Amtrak station in Sebring (Code: SBG) is the closest Amtrak station. The Sebring station is served by the Amtrak Silver Star and Silver Meteor routes, which both connect Miami with New York City, following different paths through the Carolinas.
By plane
- 🌍 Avon Park Executive Airport (AVO IATA) (about 2 mi (3.2 km) west of town). General aviation.
The nearest airports with regular, commercial flights are Orlando International Airport (MCO IATA) and—slightly further away—Tampa International Airport (TPA IATA) and Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport (SRQ IATA).
Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL IATA) in Lakeland is capable of handling regular, commercial flights, but is only served by air taxi. Nearby Sebring Regional Airport (SEF IATA), 7 mi (11 km) southeast of Sebring, is no longer served by air taxi.
Get around
Avon Park has no transportation services, so travel must be done by private vehicle.
See
- 🌍 Avon Park Historic District.
- 🌍 Lake Adelaide.
- 🌍 Avon Park Air Force Range (MacDill Air Force Base Auxiliary Field).
- 🌍 South Florida State College. This campus has two concert halls and offers concerts, many of them featuring nationally known artists. The campus has a number of baseball fields and is home to the college's baseball team, the Panthers.
Do
- Springtime on the Mall Arts and Crafts Festival. Held every spring on Main Street.
- 🌍 Noah's Fall Festival, Avon Park High School Football Field, 700 E. Main St. (go east on Main Street thru the downtown and past Lake Verona; the high school is three blocks east of the traffic light east of downtown), ☏ +863 273-9152. 5-9 PM the last Sa of October. Noah's Fall Festival was started about 1994 as a Christian alternative to Halloween. It has been held almost every year and has been held at the same location for a number of years. Games and activities are provided for children. This festival, which has become a fairly large event, is run by volunteers from a number of area churches. Free.
Eat
Avon Park has a number of restaurants. Excluding fast food restaurants, this is a fairly complete list:
- 🌍 China Buffet, 816 US Highway 27 S, ☏ +1 863 453-8080. Su–Th 11AM–10PM, F–Sa 11AM–11PM. Serves lunch and dinner.
- 🌍 The Depot Restaurant, 21 W Main St, ☏ +1 863 453-5600. Serves lunch.
- Dutchers Diner, 1012 W Main St, ☏ +1 863 453-8824. Serves breakfast and lunch.
- Olympic Restaurant, 504 US Highway 27 N, ☏ +1 863 452-2700. Serves lunch and dinner.
- Taqueria Merlo, 1004 W Main St, ☏ +1 863 452-1811. Serves lunch and dinner. Authentic Mexican.
- 🌍 Avon Park Diner, 610 US Hwy 27 S, ☏ +1-863-657-2343. None posted, but open from breakfast thru lunch. American-style food.
Sleep
Avon Park has a number of decent-quality places to stay while passing through town or visiting:
- 🌍 Econo Lodge, 2511 US Highway 27 S, ☏ +1 863 453-2000. Has pool. Well maintained.
- Hotel Jacaranda, 19 E Main St, ☏ +1 863 453-2211, jacinfo@southflorida.edu. Has pool. Has restaurant, serving only lunch. Hotel and restaurant run by South Florida State College.
- Oak Tree Inn, 700 US Highway 27 S, ☏ +1 863 453-3165. Has pool. Offers basic service, but needs maintenance.
Go next
- South a few miles to Sebring
| Routes through Avon Park |
| Ocala ← Frostproof ← | N S | → Sebring → Miami |
| Lakeland ← Frostproof ← | N S | → Sebring → West Palm Beach |
| Haines City ← Frostproof ← Merge ← | N S | → Sebring |
| Bradenton ← Zolfo Springs ← | W E | → END |