by James Coulter
One year passed since I moved out of Polk County. Recently, my editors were kind enough to finance a business trip allowing me to return to the county and visit for a week. These are some of the highlights of my trip.
Sat. Apr. 5 and Sun, Apr. 6, 2025 (Lakeland)
It was the weekend of Rockin’ on the Chain in Winter Haven and PreHistoricon in Mulberry. I already wrote articles on both events, so read those for more information.
Instead, I’m going to be sharing what I did in Lakeland on both days.
After covering both events, I drove to Munn Park in Lakeland for dinner at The Joinery. Took me a while to find a parking space. That evening must have been prom or homecoming, as there were a lot of high school students dressed in fancy clothes. Finally found a parking space several blocks away. It allowed me to stroll through Downtown Lakeland, so that was a plus for me.
I went to The Joinery twice that weekend. Had a bowl of ramen both times at Sabu Ramen. The first night, I had pork tonkatsu with chili sauce. The next night, spicy miso with marinated egg and extra spicy sauce. (Because you know me: I love my spicy food!)
I met the woman who runs the food stall. She remembered me from long ago. She was worried that I had stopped coming because I thought the food was terrible. On the contrary, it was because I was forced to move out of town. Otherwise, I would still be a regular customer.
I told her that, of all the ramen places I’ve ever eaten at, none of them have come close to serving ramen as good, if not better, than Sabu Ramen. She thanked me and told me the reason was most likely because they made all of their ingredients homemade. Even their broth are made fresh from scratch, most other places make theirs from powder. (Yup! That sounds about right.)
On Sunday, I visited Bonnet Springs Park. Hard to believe there’s an entire park in the middle of Lakeland the size of Magic Kingdom. (Bonnet Springs is 168 acres, while MK is only 107.) It’s almost like Central Park in New York City only without the zoo.
However, Bonnet Springs Park has a lot to do, and most all of it is free! Several dozen playgrounds. Outdoor workout equipment. Slides built into the side of hills. Play rivers where you can pump your own water. A treehouse with a slide built into it. And several beautiful trails to walk: one that goes through the wetlands, and another that goes high into the trees.
It’s a pity more cities don’t have similar places to visit. A place people can go to escape the hustle and bustle of the city to enjoy and get lost in the tranquility of nature, and where they can enjoy diverse activities that don’t cost a dime. You can even hop a free tram from one side of the park to the other. I wish there was a similar place up in Virginia. I know my great-nephew and niece would love it.
