Things to Do in Lakeland

Located on 20 tranquil acres, family-owned Fisherville Farms offers horseback-riding lessons for beginning and intermediate equestrians, ages six and up. Single, private horsecursions are about 60 minutes long and include a crash course in proper grooming and saddling techniques, in addition to riding instruction. Because Fisherville Farms' headed horsemen and women are schooled in both Western and English riding styles, students have the option of learning either as they walk, trot, and gallop over the facility's sprawling trails and rings. Originating in the traditions of Spanish conquistadors, Western riding involves a bigger saddle and one-handed rein technique, whereas English riding traditionally employs a smaller, flatter saddle, horseback tea brewing, and the donning of fashion-forward jodhpurs. As evidence of their commitment to equestrian safety, Fisherville Farms provides riders with helmets and, pending federal approval, full suits of medieval plate armor for biweekly jousting tournaments.

What kid doesn't dream of owning his or her own playground? David Zorn grew up storming the fields of Paintball Park, falling in love with the game. In college his childhood pastime turned into a semiprofessional career that took him to cities such as Chicago and Miami, where he made his television debut on ESPN's airing of the Campaign Cup tournament. Shortly after college, David jumped at the chance to purchase his old stomping grounds, where, across 18 acres of pigment-spattered fields, shooters settle good-natured scores as a trained staff ensures safety.

Colorful projectiles tear a zipper-like sound through the air across Paintball Park’s seven paintball fields, which have varying themes. In Paintball Canyon, players hunker down alongside a gorge, stashing themselves inside log forts or under bridges. The simulated nuclear-waste site at Ground Zero provides hiding places in the form of stacks of barrels and pipes; Dodge City simulates an Old West town, complete with a saloon and animatronic tumbleweeds; and players can find tournament-style play among the inflated blue obstacles of the airball field. Between games, paintballers refuel at the snack shop or at the grill pits and picnic tables scattered in the courtyard. At annual events, the staff sets up a scenario that spans all seven fields for an all-day game, designed to re-create battles from history, video games, or the time Sun Tzu’s lunch was missing from the fridge.

During the fall, Priddy Farms welcomes families to stroll through its 23 acres of farmland to enjoy picnic lunches, pick pumpkins, and bask in cool autumn breezes. Leisurely hayrides escort visitors to the farm's pumpkin patch, where they pluck orange gourds to carve or to transform into a very tiny carriage. At the play area, children can ride on a barrel train, climb aboard Noah's Ark, swing on tire swings, or run around the open area. Families equipped with flashlights can explore the grounds at night, possibly spotting deer, foxes, or farm owls. Families are encouraged to bring cameras in order to capture their own memories.

Range USA brings together the local community of shooting enthusiasts on its range and during special events while welcoming new marksmen with informative and confidence-bolstering classes. The 20,000-square-foot Memphis facility houses a shooting range divided into two climate-controlled areas—one with nine lanes at 50 feet deep, the other with 14 lanes at 82 feet deep—with one of the two areas always open to the public. Further afield, Range USA's team also operates a 10-lane shooting gallery in Jackson. Besides overseeing the ranges, the staff also teaches classes, from basic handgun and advanced tactical training to women-only and youth programs. A FAQ page anticipates visitors' questions, such as "What calibers are allowed on the shooting range?" and "Do you have ear muffs to match my belt buckle?" When spending a day at Range USA, the facility's own 1776 Deli & Eatery keeps hunger from interfering with focus.

Located in a refurbished school, patrons have flocked for years to Singleton Community Center’s facility to take over 100 different classes in everything from fitness, to arts and crafts, to dancing, music, tutoring, drivers ed., cooking, and more. Guests can work up a solo sweat or gather in the group-exercise studio for fitness classes, which include yoga, Zumba, and bench aerobics.

The facility also offers a preschool for children ages 2 to 5. Singleton Community Center also offers arts and crafts classes, such as pottery. Click here for a full list of activities available.

During spring at Jones Orchard, families gather to bound through the territory’s rows of fruit, peeling back leaves to get at the ripest morsels hidden deep within the thicket. Since growing their first peaches more than seven decades ago, the Jones family continues to ripen juicy varieties of peaches, strawberries, and other fruit on their 600-acre farm, eschewing long-distance produce shipping for local distribution, mostly available at farmer’s markets and during the orchard’s pick-your-own fruit season. Inviting families to pick fruit together is one of many ways the Jones family lures visitors to their orchard seasonally—come autumn, the farmers transform the fields into a vast corn maze. Visitors not content to wander the idyllic grounds can enjoy the orchard’s bounty at the Country Café, where matriarch Juanita Jones flavors her fresh pies and preserves with fresh-plucked fruits.