Snuggled along Lake Mirror in downtown Lakeland, Hollis Garden is an urban beauty spot and a must-stop for any garden enthusiast passing through Lakeland.
Resources
Overview
Location: Lakeland
Trailhead: 28.042107,-81.951035
Address: 614 E. Orange St, Lakeland
Fees: Free
Land Manager: City of Lakeland
Phone: 863-834-2280
Closed Mondays. The gardens open at 10 AM all other days, and close between 4 and 6 PM, depending on the season.
Directions
The garden is in downtown Lakeland between Orange Street and Lake Mirror, 3.4 miles southeast of Interstate 4 via US 98. A large parking area along Orange Street provides access to both Hollis Garden and Barnett Family Park.
About the Gardens
Although it only encompasses 1.2 acres, this formal Neo-Classical garden in Lake Mirror Park seems much larger when you walk through it. Part of that is the illusion cast by having many different garden rooms, each with its own theme.
At the top of the hill, closest to the entrance, a secretive fern and waterlily grotto provides a place for contemplation. Nearby is an arboretum of historic trees.
As the gardens flow down towards the lake, they become increasingly ornate, with color-themed rooms centered on sod squares and accented with sculpture and fountains.
The swan theme of Lakeland – based on swans presented to the city by Queen Elizabeth in 1957 – appears as the gardens reach the restored 1920s walkway around the lake.
Explore More!
Slideshow
See our photos of Hollis Garden
Nearby Adventures
More worth exploring while you’re in this area.
Circle B Bar Reserve
For fabulous birding and more alligators than you can count, roam the marshy edge of Lake Hancock on miles of causeways through Circle B Bar Reserve in Lakeland
Holloway Park
With day hiking and cross country trails, Holloway Park & Nature Preserve is a slice of nature inside the city limits of Lakeland, just off the Polk Parkway.
Fort Fraser Trail
Paralleling US 98 between Bartow and Lakeland, the Fort Fraser Trail is along an urban greenway with connectivity to Circle B Bar Reserve
Marshall Hampton Reserve
Sample a colorful corner of more than 1,100 acres of conservation land along the eastern shore of Lake Hancock on a hike combining oak hammocks and wetlands for birding