Hotel at a Glance: Inn On The Lakes

Both Inn On The Lakes and Chicanes—its lakeside restaurant—have earned TripAdvisor’s 2014 Certificates of Excellence. Not for nothin’, either: The inn has lovely manicured gardens and beautifully appointed common areas, and it’s right near downtown. Chicanes, meanwhile, serves up juicy steaks, fresh seafood, and rustic Italian pastas that you can pair with a California or New Zealand wine. Says one writer from local pub The Highlands Today: “Chicanes…is Sebring’s best choice for dining out if you are hoping for quality, ambience, professional service and delicious food – all creatively presented.”

• Go for a swim in the outdoor pool, which is surrounded by colorful flowers and gardens. You can also relax in the sun on the pool deck or enjoy a snack in the shade of many outdoor tables.
• Comfortable rooms appointed with microwaves and fridges
• Explore downtown Sebring, a dedicated U.S. historic district boasting 22 historic buildings. These are filled with antique shops, boutiques, museums, and restaurants.
• Tee off at one of the area’s 11 nearby golf courses, or let the inn’s staff create a custom golf package for you.
• Nearby activities: Go shopping at Lakeshore Mall, see a race at the Sebring International Raceway, or go hiking in Highland Hammock Park, all located within 10 miles of the hotel.

Sebring, Florida: Championship Golf Courses and National Parks

The town of Sebring is located in central Florida, along the shores of Lake Jackson and about 10 miles from Lake Placid. It’s perhaps best-known for Sebring Raceway, former site of the United States Grand Prix and one of the oldest continuously operating race tracks in the country. You can still catch a race on the famously rough track, which was built on old sections of World War II-era landing fields from a now-defunct training base. Watch Ferrari and Maserati drivers test their endurance at the 12 Hours of Sebring race—an important leg of many national and international endurance racing series—or at the Legends of Motorsport and Historic Sportscar Racing series.

Though it’s hard to imagine now, Florida was once covered in swamp; you can get an idea of what it used to be like at Highlands Hammock State Park, one of the oldest parks in Florida. Here you can walk along an elevated boardwalk through an old-growth cypress swamp and see the undeveloped scenery that prevailed in the days before Florida was conquered by Mickey Mouse. There’s some equally lovely scenery at the area’s 11 championship golf courses, where you can chip and putt amidst moss-covered oak trees and lush nature preserves.

There’s a vintage charm to Sebring’s downtown area that makes it popular with families. The town boasts 22 historic buildings, alongside quaint antique shops, boutiques, and a small museum or two. After a day out boating or fishing on Lake Jackson to fish and go boating, groups often head to a local diner for chocolate malts afterward.

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