Haines City Travel Guide

 
by noidiotsplease
  •   Haines City
    by noidiotsplease
  • View of Haines City from the Old Hotel Penthouse
      View of Haines City from the Old Hotel...
    by atufft
  • Haines City Farmer's Market
      Haines City Farmer's Market
    by atufft
  • Haines City Farmer's Market
      Haines City Farmer's Market
    by atufft
  • Haines City Railyard Square
      Haines City Railyard Square
    by atufft

Explore Haines City

Things to Do  

Old Residental Homes in Haines City

Old Residental Homes in Haines City, Haines City

 atufft Says:  The town has only a few residential homes of architectural interest and many of these have fallen into disrepair as they are occupied by unemployed, drug using, residents of the central core in the city. 

Old Presbyterian Church

Old Presbyterian Church, Haines City

 atufft Says:  The Landmark Baptist College also purchased the Old Presbyterian Church building. I believe the Presbyterian Church has moved into newer facilities elsewhere in town. The old church typifies the style of architecture of southern USA churches. 

Polk Hotel: Views of the City

Polk Hotel:  Views of the City, Haines City

 atufft Says:  The penthouse suite of the Polk Hotel has sweeping views of Haines City. Unfortunately, I had to shoot these images through the glass windows, so the colors are a bit brownish. 

Polk Hotel: Interior Views

Polk Hotel:  Interior Views, Haines City

 atufft Says:  The Hotel was named after the Haines city father who built it, but today the once delux interior is party obsured by the business of the modestly endowed Bible college. Thanks to my hosts however, I was able to take these images. Four of these are from the first floor lobby... 

Polk Hotel: Exterior Views

Polk Hotel:  Exterior Views, Haines City

 atufft Says:  The Polk Hotel is now occupied by the Landmark Bible College. The building is the tallest in the central Haines City area and is off both architecture and historic interest. The 9 story Italian Rennaisance building attracted my eye early on in my walk, so the opportunity to... 

Lake Eva and the City Park

Lake Eva and the City Park, Haines City

 atufft Says:  Lake Eva and Lake Tracy are about the same size, but Lake Eva seemed much larger. I couldn't walk around it in the time that I had. Lake Eva has a nice sand beach and park on the north end. Elsewhere the lake is mostly bordered by large residential properties, and private... 

Walk by Lake Elsie

Walk by Lake Elsie, Haines City

 atufft Says:  Lake Elsie is a small pond off business hwy 17 in central Haines City. There's an interesting sign that says "Don't feed the alligators", but the pond seemed too small for any to live there. 

Walk Around Lake Tracy

Walk Around Lake Tracy, Haines City

 atufft Says:  Lake Tracy is one of many lakes in the Sand Ridge region, and one of two sizeable large ones, where boating is possible, close to the old center of Haines City. I pretty much walked all sides of this lake, which is between Hwy 17 and the old downtown. Residential homes... 

Walk Around Railyard Square

Walk Around Railyard Square, Haines City

 atufft Says:  Around the central square where the farmer's market is held are a number of two story commercial buildings of mostly ordinary architecture that date back to before the 1920's when Haines City was a booming agricultural industry town and rail depot. In the square itself is a... 

Peal an Orange at the Farmers Market

Peal an Orange at the Farmers Market, Haines City

 atufft Says:  Haines City is the Heart of Florida for being within the Sand Ridge area where the original Florida oranges were grown. In recent decades, serious hard frosts killed most orchard trees further north, while to the south larger corporate farms were created from the low level... 

Hotels  

Westgate Grenelefe

 7 Opinions

Rodeway Inn & Suites

 31 Opinions

Restaurants  

Homestyle Chicken and Fish: Great Fried Catfish and Okra Take-out
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Fried Catfish Filet Dinner To GO
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I walked for awhile before I could find a local restaurant worth considering, and that was open. Homestyle Chicken and Fish did come highly recommended though. I ordered a 3 piece catfish filet meal that included cold slaw and french fries. I also asked for a small order of fried okra, and then included an unsweetened ice tea with lemon as my drink. This was plenty of food. I could have simply ordered the 2 piece dinner. I walked to the central plaza near the railroad depot to eat my food. The catfish wasn't greasy, as the corn batter was slightly on the dry side like I like it. The french fries were sizeable and not greasy either. The little balls of deep fried okra were just OK, nothing special here. Hours: M-Th & Sat 9:30am - 10:00pm, Fri 9:30am to 11pm.

Updated May 12, 2008

Phone: 422 0734

Related to:
 Arts and Culture
 Budget Travel
 Food and Dining

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Transportation  

Citgo Truck Plaza

Citgo Truck Plaza, Haines City

 atufft Says:  The Citgo Truck Plaza on Hwy 17 is where I left my big rig. There's a good restaurant buffet here, but I didn't use the showers. The bathrooms were down half the time I was there. Anyway, this place provides a good landmark for finding your way back into the old downtown off... 

W.H.A.T. transport

W.H.A.T. transport, Haines City

 atufft Says:  There's a local bus system that runs around town called W.H.A.T (Winter Haven Area Transit). I didn't use it as I walked just within the old central core of the city. Some locals may not even be aware of the system but it's there and I did see a bus go by. I think it costs... 

Local Customs  

Haines City Redevelopment
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Haines City Redevelopment Plan
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Apparently, the city has managed to attract redevelopment money for the center of the city based partly on its ability spread out suburbs around it. These images are about a project near Lake Eva. I have also among these images a detail of the bank building that once financed the boom town days.

Written May 12, 2008

Related to:
 Architecture
 Historical Travel
 Arts and Culture

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Warnings and Dangers  

Careful About Your Residential Walk
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Warning Sign in Haines City

As I walked through a neighborhood of Haines City, poor white young adults eyed me suspiciously. I was told at the Bible College that drug use and unemployment are serious problems in the Haines City center area. Overall though, I didn't see anything to fear during my walk, except the horrible spelling I found on this sign :-)

Written May 12, 2008

Related to:
 School Holidays
 Study Abroad

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Map of Haines City