Winter Haven, Florida
Winter Haven is a city of 55,200 people in Polk County, Florida, founded in 1884.
Why visit Winter Haven
Townapedia lists 38 museums and landmarks, 36 parks and trails, 147 places to eat, 13 places to stay and 7 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include CMX Cinemas Grand 10, Valhalla Farms Wellness, Auburndale City Hall and Cypress Gardens.
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 93°F; January lows average 52°F.
Weather in Winter Haven
Forecast from the National Weather Service. Full forecast
About Winter Haven
Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is located about 51 miles (82 km) east of Tampa and about 47 miles (76 km) southwest of Orlando, with neighboring Lakeland located to its west. The city's population was 49,219 at the 2020 census, making it the second most populous city in Polk County after Lakeland. It is a principal city of the Lakeland-Winter Haven, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From the Wikipedia article Winter Haven, Florida (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Things to do7
Museums and landmarks38
Auburndale City Hall
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.7 mi
City hall in Auburndale, Florida
Cypress Gardens
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 4.6 mi
Botanical garden and theme park near Winter Haven, Florida that operated from 1936 to 2009
Auburndale Citrus Growers Association Packing House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.7 mi
Building in Florida, United States
Downtown Winter Haven Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.7 mi
Historic district in Florida, United States
Ephriam M. Baynard House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 3.8 mi
Auburndale, Florida, NRHP-listed
Holland Jenks House
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 6.3 mi
Historic house in Florida, United States
Interlaken Historic Residential District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.3 mi
Historic district in Florida, United States
Pope Avenue Historic District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.5 mi
Historic district in Florida, United States
Winter Haven Heights Historic Residential District
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.6 mi
Historic district in Florida, United States
Woman's Club of Winter Haven
Monument and historic site · National Register of Historic Places · 1.5 mi
Art on Fire Studio
Museum · 4.6 mi
500 Cypress Gardens Boulevard
Su-Fr 13:00-18:00; Sa 10:00-18:00
26 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds36
Legoland Florida
Sports field and stadium · 4.5 mi
Vacation resort in Winter Haven, Florida
1 Legoland, Winter Haven
Lions Park
Park · 2.4 mi
Board walk Playground for kids Picnic area
820 Ave L SW, Winter Haven, FL 33880
Mo-Su 06:00-20:00
24 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes147
Beijing Restaurant
Restaurant · Chinese · 4.4 mi
3005 Cypress Gardens Road
Mo, We-Sa 11:00-21:30; Su 11:00-21:00
Domino's
Restaurant · Pizza · 0.4 mi
1200 Havendale Boulevard Northwest
Su-Th 10:30-00:30; Fr-Sa 10:30-01:00
Duke's Brewhouse
Restaurant · 3.0 mi
A sports bar and restaurant serving wings and pub fare.
1708 6th Street SE
Mo-Th, Su 11:00-00:00; Fr, Sa 11:00-01:00
Glory Days Grill
Bar and pub · American · 4.8 mi
6005 Cypress Gardens Boulevard
Su-Th 11:00-23:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-00:00
Golden Corral
Restaurant · American, Buffet · 4.5 mi
5722 Cypress Gardens Boulevard, Winter Haven
Mo-Th 11:00-21:00; Fr-Su 08:00-21:00
Harborside
Restaurant · Fish, Seafood · 3.3 mi
2435 7th Street Southwest, Cedar Key
Mo-Th 11:30-21:00; Fr 11:30-22:00; Sa 10:00-22:00; Su 10:00-21:00
Hibachi Express
Restaurant · Japanese · 4.8 mi
6011 Cypress Gardens Boulevard
Mo, We-Th 10:30-21:00; Tu 11:00-21:00; Fr-Sa 10:30-22:00; Su 11:30-21:00
Olive Garden
Restaurant · Italian · 2.9 mi
405 Cypress Gardens Boulevard
Su-Th 11:00-22:00; Fr-Sa 11:00-23:00
135 more on the map.
Where to stay13
Howard Johnson by Wyndham Winter Haven FL
Motel and hotel · 2.6 mi
1300 3rd Street Southwest, Winter Haven
Churches and places of worship29
Calvary Baptist Church
Church · Baptist · 4.8 mi
2101 Overlook Drive, Winter Haven
Immanuel Lutheran Church and School
Place of worship · 2.2 mi
1449 34th St NW #1903, Winter Haven, FL 33881
Baha'i Center of Polk County
Place of worship · 2.2 mi
1165 Lake Shore Way, Lake Alfred
Shopping38
Gas and EV charging14
Schools, colleges and libraries57
Winter Haven Public Library/Kathryn L. Smith Memorial Librar
Library · 1.5 mi
325 Avenue A Northwest, Winter Haven
Discovery Academy of Lake Alfred
School · 4.3 mi
1000 Buena Vista Dr N, Lake Alfred
Healthcare39
Map of Winter Haven
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Climate by month
Monthly table
| Month | High | Low | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 72°F | 52°F | 2.5 in |
| Feb | 76°F | 55°F | 2.4 in |
| Mar | 80°F | 58°F | 3.0 in |
| Apr | 85°F | 63°F | 2.5 in |
| May | 90°F | 69°F | 2.7 in |
| Jun | 92°F | 74°F | 7.4 in |
| Jul | 93°F | 75°F | 7.4 in |
| Aug | 93°F | 76°F | 6.5 in |
| Sep | 91°F | 74°F | 5.3 in |
| Oct | 86°F | 68°F | 2.2 in |
| Nov | 80°F | 60°F | 1.4 in |
| Dec | 74°F | 55°F | 2.7 in |
U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020 for Winter Haven Gilbert Ap (2 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
Winter Haven Municipal Airport (GIF) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 2 miles away.
- Inwood 2 mi west, about 3 min by car
- Cypress Gardens 4 mi southeast, about 6 min by car
- Jan Phyl Village 4 mi southwest, about 7 min by car
- Eagle Lake 5 mi south, about 8 min by car
- Auburndale 6 mi northwest, about 10 min by car
- Wahneta 6 mi south, about 10 min by car
- Lake Alfred 6 mi north, about 10 min by car
- Lake Hamilton 7 mi east, about 11 min by car
- Haines City 8 mi northeast, about 14 min by car
- Fussels Corner 8 mi west, about 13 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
- Downtown Winter Haven, Florida, Ultrahip, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Glass Orb - Winter Haven Outdoor Sculptures, Josh Hallett from Winter Haven, FL, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Building in 1st Street North, Winter Haven, Florida, Jenna at AYELawCo, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 0105CypressGardens17, Bruchey at English Wikipedia, Public domain
- Auburndale FL city hall01, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Winter Haven Downtown Hist Dist street01, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Winter Haven Res Hist Dist19, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Winter Haven Interlaken Hist Dist01, Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 2.5
- Kayaks at Lake Silver, Ultrahip, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Calm before Hurricane Irma, Waywornartist, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Patapon, Josh Hallett, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Nikon D80 and D300, Josh Hallett from Winter Haven, FL, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Kodak DC290 (2799970415), Josh Hallett from Winter Haven, FL, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
- Ducati 999 in yellow 03, Josh Hallett from Winter Haven, FL, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Ducati 999 in yellow 06, Josh Hallett from Winter Haven, FL, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Ducati 999 in yellow 02, Josh Hallett from Winter Haven, FL, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Ducati 999 in yellow 01, Josh Hallett from Winter Haven, FL, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Ducati 999 in yellow 04, Josh Hallett from Winter Haven, FL, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Ducati 999 in yellow, Josh Hallett from Winter Haven, FL, USA, CC BY 2.0
- Ducati 999 in yellow 05, Josh Hallett from Winter Haven, FL, USA, CC BY 2.0
- World's First Publix - panoramio, James Roberts (Jampp…, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Front of 105 Building, Jenna at AYELawCo, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 105 Building and 103 Extension, Jenna at AYELawCo, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tropical Smoothie (207195862), Josh Hallett from Winter Haven, FL, USA, CC BY 2.0
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