Winter Haven is a popular city located on the east side of Lakeland, roughly halfway between Tampa and Orlando. Filled with palm trees and dotted with lakes, Winter Haven is a picture-worthy city filled with terrific destinations like Legoland Florida Resort, Cypress Gardens, and numerous lakefront parks. Winter Haven contains more than 50 lakes, including the spectacular "Chain of Lakes." This aquamarine strand of 18 lakes connected by canals includes Lake Lulu, Lake Roy, Lake Shipp, Lake Cannon, Lake Eloise, Lake Hartridge, and several more. The Chain of Lakes Trail is a paved, 3.2-mile trail ideal for walking, jogging, bicycling, and inline skating.
With so much water to enjoy, popular outdoor activities naturally include water skiing, boating, kayaking, fishing, and swimming. Rowdy Gaines, a three-time gold medal winning Olympic swimmer, grew up in Winter Haven -- and so did Kenneth Brokenburr, a gold medal Olympic sprinter.
