Lake Wales, Florida
Lake Wales is a city of 16,785 people in Polk County, Florida, founded in 1911.
Why visit Lake Wales
Townapedia lists 21 museums and landmarks, 17 parks and trails, 33 places to eat, 10 places to stay and 4 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Tractor Supply Co., Regal Cinemas Eagle Ridge Mall 12, El Retiro and Roosevelt School.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 93°F; January lows average 50°F.
Weather in Lake Wales
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Lake Wales
Lake Wales is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 16,361 at the 2020 census.
From the Wikipedia article Lake Wales, Florida (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do4
Museums and landmarks21
El Retiro
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.7 mi
House in Florida, United States of America
Roosevelt School
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 0.7 mi
School in Florida, United States of America
Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Depot
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.9 mi
Railway station in Lake Wales, the United States of America
B. K. Bullard House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.2 mi
Historic house in Florida, United States
C. L. Johnson House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.4 mi
Historic house in Lake Wales, Florida
Casa De Josefina
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.2 mi
Historic house in Florida, United States
Dixie Walesbilt Hotel
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.4 mi
Historic hotel in Lake Wales, Florida (USA)
G. V. Tillman House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.4 mi
Historic house in Florida, United States
Lake of the Hills Community Club
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 2.4 mi
Building in Florida, United States of America
Lake Wales Commercial Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.5 mi
Historic district in Florida, United States
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Lake Wales Historic Residential District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.5 mi
Historic district in Florida, United States
Lake Wales MPS
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.4 mi
Multiple listing in the U.S. National Register of Historic Places
9 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds17
Bok Tower Gardens
Park · National Register of Historic Places · 1.8 mi
Garden and bird sanctuary in Florida, United States
5 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes33
Blue Palmetto Cafe
Diner · American · 1.9 mi
1151 Tower Blvd, Lake Wales
09:00-05:00
Marcos Pizza
Restaurant · Pizza · 2.9 mi
23801 Hwy 27
Mo-Th 10:00-23:00; Fr-Sa 10:00-12:00; Su 11:00-22:00
Melanie's Seafood Company
Restaurant · Seafood · 1.4 mi
120 East Park Avenue, Lake Wales
Mo 12:00-15:00, Tu-Sa 11:00-20:00
Al's Place
Diner · American · 0.4 mi
1530 North Scenic Highway, Lake Wales
Crazy Fish Bar & Grill
Restaurant · Seafood · 1.6 mi
802 Henry Street, Lake Wales
Junior's Fish Market
Restaurant · Seafood · 3.1 mi
1341 State Road 60 E, Lake Wales
L'incontro Restaurant
Restaurant · Italian · 1.8 mi
35 State Road 60 W, Lake Wales
Lake Wales Family Restaurant
Diner · American · 1.7 mi
109 State Road 60 W, Lake Wales
Norbys Steak & Seafood
Restaurant · Seafood, Steak House · 3.6 mi
2425 State Road 60 E, Lake Wales
21 more on the map.
Where to stay10
Churches and places of worship9
Church of the Holy Spirit
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 2.8 mi
First Baptist Church
Church · National Register of Historic Places · 1.7 mi
First United Methodist Church of Lake Wales
Church · Methodist · 1.5 mi
230 North 5th Street, Lake Wales
Shopping14
Gas and EV charging10
Schools, colleges and libraries18
Chain of Lakes Elementary School
School · 5.4 mi
7001 State Highway 653, Winter Haven
Spook Hill Elementary School
School · 1.2 mi
321 Dr Ja Wiltshire Ave E, Lake Wales
Healthcare8
Lakeland Regional Health physician group
Clinic and pharmacy · 2.9 mi
23749 Hwy 27
Map of Lake Wales
144 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Snow |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 75°F | 50°F | 2.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Feb | 78°F | 53°F | 2.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Mar | 82°F | 56°F | 2.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Apr | 86°F | 61°F | 2.4 in | 0.0 in |
| May | 90°F | 66°F | 3.6 in | 0.0 in |
| Jun | 92°F | 71°F | 8.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Jul | 93°F | 72°F | 7.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Aug | 93°F | 73°F | 8.1 in | 0.0 in |
| Sep | 91°F | 72°F | 6.9 in | 0.0 in |
| Oct | 86°F | 66°F | 3.2 in | 0.0 in |
| Nov | 80°F | 58°F | 1.8 in | 0.0 in |
| Dec | 76°F | 53°F | 2.5 in | 0.0 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Mtn Lake (1 mi away), NOAA NCEI.
People and cost of living
American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, U.S. Census Bureau. Estimates have margins of error, larger for small towns.
Disaster history
Polk County has had 30 federal disaster declarations since 2000, most often for hurricanes.
- 2024-10-11: Hurricane Milton (Hurricane)
- 2024-10-07: Hurricane Milton (Hurricane)
- 2024-08-10: Hurricane Debby (Tropical Storm)
- 2024-08-03: Tropical Storm Debby (Tropical Storm)
- 2023-08-31: Hurricane Idalia (Hurricane)
- 2023-08-28: Tropical Storm Idalia (Tropical Storm)
OpenFEMA disaster declarations summaries.
Getting there and nearby towns
Bartow Executive Airport (BOW) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 11 miles away.
- Cypress Gardens 8 mi northwest, about 13 min by car
- Haines City 13 mi north, about 21 min by car
- Bartow 14 mi west, about 22 min by car
- Highland City 17 mi west, about 28 min by car
- Davenport 17 mi north, about 28 min by car
- Auburndale 18 mi northwest, about 29 min by car
- Lakeland Highlands 22 mi west, about 35 min by car
- Lakeland 24 mi northwest, about 38 min by car
- Avon Park 24 mi south, about 38 min by car
- Fuller Heights 24 mi west, about 39 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB, the NEMICO news database.
Reviews, tips and questions
Loading what members have shared...
Sources and licences
- NCES EDGE (Public domain): public schools
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 (Public domain): climate by month
- OpenFEMA (Public domain): disaster declarations
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- U.S. Census Bureau (Public domain): population, income, housing, education, commute
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Bok Tower rear, Averette, CC BY 3.0
- Details of top of Bok Tower, Lake Wales, FL, KW (15707214096), traveljunction, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Bok Tower through the Orange Grove, Lake Wales, FL, KW (15707214236), traveljunction, CC BY-SA 2.0
- 147 E Orange Ave, Lake Wales, Florida, Pokemonprime, CC BY 4.0
- A.H. Clark Bldg, 144 E Orange Ave, Lake Wales, Florida, Pokemonprime, CC BY 4.0
- Greetings from Lake Wales, Florida - Large Letter Postcard (4638804724), Steve Shook from Moscow, Idaho, USA, CC BY 2.0
- 140 E Park Ave, Lake Wales, Florida, Pokemonprime, CC BY 4.0
- Dixie Walesbilt Hotel, Lake Wales, Florida, Pokemonprime, CC BY 4.0
- Dixie Walesbilt Hotel (Lower Floor), Lake Wales, Florida, Pokemonprime, CC BY 4.0
- Dixie Walesbilt Hotel (Upper Floors), Lake Wales, Florida, Pokemonprime, CC BY 4.0
- Park Avenue Construction, Lake Wales, Florida, Pokemonprime, CC BY 4.0
- 237 E Park Ave, Lake Wales, Florida, Pokemonprime, CC BY 4.0
- Rhodesbilt Arcade, Lake Wales, Florida, Pokemonprime, CC BY 4.0
- 245 E Park Ave, Lake Wales, Florida, Pokemonprime, CC BY 4.0
- Fletcher Electric Service (Side), Lake Wales, Florida, Pokemonprime, CC BY 4.0
- Fletcher Electric Service, Lake Wales, Florida, Pokemonprime, CC BY 4.0
- Bok Tower, Lake Wales, FL, Robert L. Jaffe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lake Wales El Retiro01, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lake Wales FL Roosevelt School02, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lake Wales LotH Comm Club01, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Casa de Josefina, Harriet Duncan, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lake Wales Bullard House01, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Lake Wales Holy Spirit Church01, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Lake Wales FL North Ave HD01, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lake Wales 1st Baptist Church01, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Lake Wales Comm Hist Dist Rhodesbilt01, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lake Wales Res Hist Dist 233 Sessoms01, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lake Wales Johnson House01, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Hotel Walesbilt facade, Rybrown1, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Lake Wales Tillman House01, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lake Wales ACL depot01, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Lake Wales Spook Hill north03, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Mountain Lake Estates Entrance Bok Tower view 2008 December, Nerdomatic, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Lake Wales old city hall01, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Chalet Suzanne (Lake Wales, Florida) 001, Leonard J. DeFrancisci, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Tradescantia roseolens 184464929, Daniel Estabrooks, CC0
- Trichostema bridgesii-orzellii 314217329, Alex Abair, CC BY 4.0
- Trichostema bridgesii-orzellii 314217306, Alex Abair, CC BY 4.0
- Scutellaria arenicola stem and cauline leaves, Alex Abair, CC BY 4.0
- Florida's Natural Water tower - panoramio, Corey Coyle, CC BY 3.0
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