Village Profile Home Page | About our Company | Sales Opportunities | Community eStore | vpmobile.us

Sebring Parks and Recreation

Endless opportunities for recreation are a strong element of the high quality of life enjoyed in the Sebring area and throughout Highlands County. The mild climate invites residents and visitors alike to enjoy a wide variety of outdoor activities on a year-round basis.

There are over 80 named lakes in Highlands County, many with access for fishing, boating, water skiing or swimming. In cooperation with county government and area agricultural and business interests, the Highlands County Lakes Association, supported by a full-time County Lakes Manager, constantly works to maintain water quality levels while advocating high sensitivity toward the part these lakes play in the overall ecosystem of this part of Florida.

Birdwatchers often find the shores of these lakes an excellent place to watch and count the hundreds of species that call this area home, as well as those that return year after year as seasons change in northern climates.

Lake Istokpoga, located just south of the Sebring area, is internationally acclaimed as an excellent natural resource for largemouth bass fishing. Professional fishing guides abound in the area and are usually quite successful in satisfying the client’s desire to catch this great sport fish. Most guides advocate “catch and release.” Lake Jackson, around which Sebring was developed in the early 1900s, is also known for its share of “Big Bass,” although the lake also serves as a primary water recreation area as well.

Arbuckle Creek and the Kissimmee River, along with 15 county parks and 39 county maintained boat ramps, all provide residents and visitors with diverse opportunities for fishing, boating, swimming and other related water sports. City owned and maintained beaches on Lake Jackson are also popular spots for family recreation.

Residents and visitors alike can enjoy a round of golf at one of the area’s 13 golf courses, most of which are championship ranked. No two golf courses are alike, as each has been designed to complement the environment that surrounds it. Each course is staffed with a teaching golf professional and each offers a fleet of well-maintained carts and other equipment essential to the game. Fully stocked pro shops provide the visiting golfer with rental clubs and other necessities of the game. While advanced tee-times are suggested at most courses, it is rare not to be able to find a playing time that suits the individual’s schedule at nearly any time of year. Area hotels and resorts offer attractive golf packages for visitors on a year-round basis, which accounts for thousands of individuals and groups who come here just for golf each year from other parts of the state.

Through school and other community programs, team sports such as football, basketball, baseball, softball, soccer, swimming and golf excite both spectator and participants. Area high school and college teams boast district or state championships in several of the team sports. Other organized sports such as Little League baseball and Pop Warner football, along with a variety of excellent programs offered by the ever-expanding Highlands County Family YMCA, provide area youth with many developmental recreation opportunities, as well as a venue for participation by parents and other interested adults. The city and county-supported Max Long Complex located adjacent to the YMCA, features a variety of excellent playing fields for all ages. Tennis, racquetball, bowling, horseshoes, horseback riding and canoeing are also popular sports enjoyed by many in the area.

Nature lovers have numerous choices, including Highlands Hammock State Park, where hiking trails and boardwalks abound, some of which are wheelchair accessible. The first park established in Florida’s state park system, Highlands Hammock offers camping and picnic areas, as well as a narrated tram tour through miles of well-preserved native wilderness, and provides a first-hand view of what this part of Florida was like prior to any development. Other hiking trails are available through the Water Management District and the Archibold Biological Station located just south of the town of Lake Placid.

Bicycling throughout Highlands County has become a popular sport and form of recreation in recent years. Bicyclists of any skill level can find a perfect route to enjoy a ride including the surrounding countryside. Some of these routes feature on-road and off-road leisure level routes through the ever-popular Highlands Hammock State Park, as well as road routes around the community from 10 miles to over 100 miles in length, all complemented by a mountain bike route through The Preserve. Sebring has become a South Central Florida bicycling mecca of late as a local bicycle club, The Highlands Peddlers, serves residents and visitors, in addition to more than a half dozen organized riding events held by out-of-town clubs each year. More than 1,000 bicyclists participate in these organized events that are usually held over a three-day weekend.

Birdwatchers and nature enthusiasts will be pleased with an abundance of opportunities throughout Highlands County. Highlands Hammock State Park maintains an excellent birding list in addition to serving as a home for alligators, deer, bear and other native wildlife. The park was the location of the last known sighting of the Ivory-billed Woodpecker, a now extinct species. In and around Sebring and Highlands County, observers will see the Florida Scrub Jay, Swallow-tailed Kite, Florida Sandhill Cranes, Osprey and Bald Eagles all in their native habitat. The Highlands County Audubon Society provides additional information for those who enjoy such pastimes.