Avon Park has two central shopping districts and numerous retail centers, as well as the "Mile-Long Mall" antique district with other unique shops and restaurants. Close by on US 27 are two enclosed malls: Lakeshore Mall to the south, and Eagle Ridge Mall to the North.

Back to Top

The Avon Park area offers a wide variety of recreational opportunities...from fishing in our 30+ lakes...golfing on one of the 11 area golf courses...hiking and biking trails...shuffleboard or tennis...for the youngsters, The Children’s Museum of the Highlands offers a unique "hands-on-experience...or just relaxing and enjoying the magnificent sunsets. The Avon Park Air Force Range has approximately 82,000 acres open for public access on a regular basis for hiking, hunting, fishing, camping, and other related activities. We welcome you to come and enjoy!

More than 30 service and civic organizations welcome new members and participants for enhanced community support and involvement. A list of Avon Park organizations are available at the Avon Park Chamber of Commerce office located at 28 East Main Street.

Back to Top

The 1,500-seat auditorium of South Florida Community College is the setting for the annual Cultural Series which often includes such professional programs as Broadway musicals, ballet, and outstanding concerts by well-known artists. SFCC also offers a Senior Enrichment Series (on Tuesday afternoons during the winter months) for residents and visitors 55+. The Series features headline performers, as well as arts groups from area schools, churches, and civic groups. The Music Department also provides many performances throughout the year featuring the highly acclaimed SFCC Vocal Jazz Ensemble, Chorale, the Sweet Adelines, and the Highlandaires.

In 1988 the Avon Park Public Library became part of a county-wide system. The Avon Park Branch offers more than 30,000 volumes, audio and video tapes, large print books and a genealogy reference collection. The Highlands County Library System has joined with DeSoto, Hardee, and Okeechobee counties to form the Heartland Library Cooperative offering an interlibrary loan service which provides access to extensive library collections.

The Learning Resource Center, a part of South Florida Community College, has more than 41,000 books plus 100 journals and 14 national computer data bases. The Learning Resource Center is available to residents when they purchase a library card (good for one year) for only $5.

The annual "Springtime on the Mall" Arts & Crafts Festival held in late March brings vendors from around the country and draws over 15,000 in attendance for the two-day event. The Avon Park Chamber of Commerce is proud to have sponsored this event for almost 20 years.

Back to Top

Avon Park area schools enroll nearly 4,000 students at five public schools: three elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. In addition there are two private schools—Walker Memorial Jr. Academy (K-10) and Community Christian Academy (Preschool-12).

South Florida Community College occupies a 211-acre campus (just south of Avon Park) and is a fully accredited two-year public community college. Affiliated with the Florida Community College System, SFCC offers associate in science degrees, vocational certifications, and adult and community education everything from background for a liberal arts degree to classes in law enforcement, agriculture, nursing, automotive repair and more.

Also near Avon Park are Warner Southern College, a four-year Christian liberal arts college, and Webber College, a four-year, independent, coeducational college.

Back to Top

Two major hospitals serve the residents of Avon Park. Florida Hospital Heartland Division is a member of Adventist Health System Sunbelt, a not-for-profit Christian healthcare organization operating 25 hospitals in the Southeast. Florida Hospital Heartland (formerly Walker Memorial Hospital in Avon Park) opened a new state-of-the-art facility in the fall of 1997 at the corner of US 27 and Sun ‘n Lake Blvd. in Sebring, just south of Avon Park. All of the 101 beds in the new facility are in private rooms. The facility also houses the area’s largest hospital-based laboratory and radiology services, plus comprehensive diagnostic and treatment facilities.

Highlands Regional Medical Center is located at the heart of Highlands County, in Sebring, at the intersection of US 27 and Highlands Avenue. The 126-bed general, acute-care community hospital, long a part of the Highlands County community, has recently undergone many exciting changes. State-of-the-art equipment has been installed, services have been expanded, a new Outpatient Surgery Center has been added, and the emergency room has been entirely renovated. The hospital has also added more physicians and medical staff, providing patients a greater variety of physicians and specialists.

Back to Top

The Avon Park Community Redevelopment Agency, working hand-in-hand with the City of Avon Park and the Avon Park Chamber of Commerce, strives to provide a mix of residential, commercial, and industrial development within an aesthetically pleasing, balanced economy. The Planning, Building, and Zoning Departments are involved in the long and short range planning and work with Code Enforcement to create an image of the city’s future as the citizens want it to be and work toward accomplishing those goals

Back to Top

Special events take place in the city throughout the year, many are sponsored and coordinated by the Avon Park Chamber of Commerce in cooperation with various civic organizations and community volunteers: "Springtime on the Mall" Arts & Crafts Festival, an annual event for almost 20 years, held the end of March; the Annual Christmas Parade with 150+ entries each year, the Lipizzan Stallion Shows in November; golf tournaments; fishing tournaments; and much more.

Back to Top