Family-Friendly
All the Fun Under the Sun
Steeped in nature-filled adventures, a laid-back lifestyle and timeless communities full of history, South Central Florida is a place you’ll be proud to raise a family. Want to take the kids out for a day of adrenaline-pumping fun on the speedway? Maybe teach them the proper way to hold a bow or a rifle while out on a 106,000-acre range? Exciting opportunities await you around every corner in the Florida Heartland, but the region also boasts experiences for the more reserved types, such as horseback riding and hiking at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park.
- Outdoor Adventures
- Events & Festivals
Tranquility to the Maximum
Don’t let them fool you — getting into nature is not the same as living in it. In the Florida Heartland families live lives surrounded by hundreds of citrus groves, trailheads and the second largest lake in the U.S. — Lake Okeechobee. Chart a boat on the lake and go bass fishing or go canoeing along the fossil-rich Peace River. Go quail, hog and turkey hunting at the 106,000-acre Avon Park Air Force Range in Highlands County. You can even take the kids stargazing at Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park, which was recognized as Florida’s first Dark Sky Park by the International Dark Sky Society in 2016.
It’s Always Party Time Here
While there’s plenty of opportunity for solitude in South Central Florida, the communities are what make the region thrive. Attend the many car shows, parades, music and street festivals in Arcadia, including the city’s annual Watermelon Festival in May. The Heartland Cultural Alliance hosts a events throughout the year in support of the local art community, including the Art & Culture Fusion Fest. The City of Okeechobee also hosts several festivals throughout the year at Flagler Park, including the annual Speckled Perch Festival in March. And you wouldn’t be a true Florida Heartlander if you missed the Arcadia All-Florida Championship Rodeo — the granddaddy of all rodeos that’s been operating for almost a century.