Frostproof

Frostproof is a small town (pop. 3,000) in southeastern Polk County, Florida. The town's name was coined as a marketing ploy to convince potential homesteaders that the town had never and would never see a frost. This turned out to be untrue, as the town did sustain relatively minor damage during an 1894 frost that destroyed much of Florida's citrus crops.

Understand

The first non-native settlement here was Fort Clinch, which lasted just a few months in 1850. The first permanent settlers arrived in the 1880s. The name of the town was Keystone City, which was later blocked by the postal service because of its similarity to Keystone Heights in northern Florida. The man who worked to apply for a post office settled on the name Lakemont. Another man, who had earlier suggested the name "Frostproof", volunteered to deliver the new application to the post office in Fort Meade and changed the name on the application en route.

Climate

Frostproof's climate is much the same as the rest of Central Florida (except coasts). Winters are mild, with highs in the 70s and lows in the 50s (F). Lows in the 30s are common after cold fronts and there are usually a handful of lows below freezing each winter, although that requires clear skies, so it usually warms very rapidly after sunrise (30°F at 6AM, 55°F by noon is typical). Cold fronts occasionally pass by as squall lines, so tornadoes in December or January are not unusual. Snow is rare; the last measurable snowfall was in 1977, although sleet/wintry mix fell in an unusually cold January 2010. Summers are hot and humid, with highs around 95°F and lows in the mid-70s. During the summer, onshore winds from both coasts travel inland, heat up, rise and build into thunderstorms, usually along a rough line. Lying in the center of the state, the line of storms (the "seabreezes") often collide and become severe, with tornadoes (small EF0-1s...not like powerful Plains ones), over 50 mph (80 km/h) winds, and hail possible. Strong storms are usually preceded by cooler winds caused by the rain-cooled air (cold air sinks) rapidly flowing away from the storm. The temperature after a strong thunderstorm passes can drop from 95 to 75°F and since the storms can be fairly small, you can drive 5 miles and the temperature will drop from 95 to 75°F.

In 2004, Frostproof was hit by three hurricanes: Charley, Frances, & Jeanne. It was the first time in recorded U.S. history that 3 hurricanes passed through the same county (Polk County) in the same year, with Lake Wales and other southern Polk County towns lying closest to the path of these hurricanes' eyes.

Get in

By car

Frostproof lies at the junction of State Road 17 (Scenic Highway) and County Road 630. The town lies just a couple miles east of U.S. 27, which heads south to Sebring and north to Lake Wales, Haines City, and Interstate 4. It is also near Frostproof where U.S. 98, which runs concurrent with U.S. 27 to the south, splits to head west to Fort Meade. C.R. 630 heads east to join S.R. 60 near Indian Lake Estates.

By bus

Winter Haven Area Transit (WHAT, +1 863-534-5500) provides public bus service in eastern Polk County. Frostproof is the southern terminus of Route 35, which runs north through Babson Park, Lake Wales, and ends at the Eagle Ridge Mall. Route 30 connects the Eagle Ridge Mall to southeast Winter Haven (including Legoland) and downtown Winter Haven. Route 25 runs from Lake Wales Plaza to Bartow. Adult/youth fare is $1.50/ride with no free transfers. Seniors (65+) and the disabled ride for $0.75, with proof and no free transfers. Children under 7 ride free with an adult. A day pass for adults costs $3 (or $27 for a 10 pack) and is good for 24 hours from activation on bus. Senior/disabled day pass costs $1.50 (or $15 for a 10 pack). Weekly ($12) & 31-day passes ($47) are also available. A bike rack located on the front is available to put your bike at no additional charge. All regular buses are equipped with a wheel chair lift.

By train

Frostproof lies close to the Amtrak Silver Star & Silver Meteor routes, but does not have a station. The Amtrak station in Sebring (Code: SBG; 601 East Center Ave.) is the closest Amtrak station to Frostproof. It lies along the Silver Star & Silver Meteor routes.

Winter Haven (Code: WTH; 1800 7th Street S.W.; +1 863-294-9203) is also relatively close, and can be reached by public transportation. If you plan to arrive by train, you should have friends/family at the station to pick you up or have the phone number for a taxi to call when you arrive. The station is a poorly-maintained covered platform with a small office and is in a fairly unpleasant area beside a warehouse. Fortunately the trains arrive during daylight, but it's not a very great place to wait for hours. To reach Frostproof by public transportation (WHAT, see "By bus" above), you can take the 22XW route south to Bartow, then switch to Route 25 to head east to Lake Wales, and pick up Route 35 south. You could also take the 22XW route north to the downtown terminal, then Route 30 to the Eagle Ridge Mall, and Route 35 to Lake Wales.

By plane

The nearest commercial airport is Orlando International Airport (MCO ^IATA) in Orlando, about an hour away. Tampa International Airport (TPA ^IATA) in Tampa is about an hour and a half away.

Lakeland Linder Regional Airport (LAL ^IATA) in Lakeland does not have any regularly scheduled commercial flights as of March 2019.

Get around

By car

The town is fairly small, so getting around by car is easiest and really quick. To reach the nature reserves outside of town, a car is absolutely necessary. (While biking is possible, it's not very safe to bike on rural roads with no shoulder and a 55 mph (110 km/h) posted speed limit.)

By bus

Frostproof has a couple of stops along WHAT Route 35, but the distances are so short that it's rather impractical to use the bus to get around town.

By taxi

• Checker Cab Co., ☏ +1 863 665-8151. Serves all of Polk County. 
• Yellowcab/Maingate Taxi, ☏ +1 863 292-9166. Serves all of Polk County. 
• Polk County Taxi, ☏ +1 863 521-2924, toll-free: +1-800-829-4222. Serves all of Polk County. 

See

• Ramon Theater, 15 E. Wall St., ☏ +1 863 635-7222. Historic movie theater restored and host to various musicals, murder-mystery dinners, gospel recitals, and more throughout the year. Check website for current/upcoming events. 
• Florida Wildflower Studios, 12 E. Wall St., ☏ +1 863-206-9691. M-F 10AM-5PM. A local non-profit displaying members' works and offering art classes. Free. 

Do

Nature

Public boat ramps are accessible at Lake Arbuckle Park (off Lake Arbuckle Rd.), Lake Livingstone (off Lake Livingstone Rd.), and Lake Walk-in-Water (take Lake Walk-in-Water Rd. to Boat Landing Rd.).

There are several state parks, wildlife reserves, and other natural areas to the east of Frostproof. These lands are great for hunting, walking, mountain biking, riding All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), and wildlife viewing. Lake Wales Ridge State Forest (+1 863-635-7801) can be entered off Lake Arbuckle Road. Great for hunting.

• 1 Crooked Lake Prairie, 985 Ohlinger Rd. 6AM-6:30PM Standard Time; 5:30AM-8PM Daylight Savings Time. 
• 2 Crooked Lake Sandhill, 801 Hollister Rd. 6AM-6:30PM Standard Time; 5:30AM-8PM Daylight Savings Time. 
• 3 Hickory Lake Scrub, 1658 Scenic Hwy (from U.S. 27, head east on S.R. 17 for 1.5 mi (2.4 km); parking lot is on left). 6AM-6:30PM Standard Time; 5:30AM-8PM Daylight Savings Time. 

Golf

You know you're in Florida when such a small town as Frostproof has a golf course! Lily Lake Golf Resort (6603 U.S. Hwy. 27; +1 863-635-2676) is a 9-hole, semi-private course with a Slope rating of 102 and USGA rating of 61.8. Golf club rentals are available.

Eat

• 1 Four Seasons, 5298 U.S. Hwy. 27, ☏ +1 863 635-2951. Breakfast, lunch, & dinner daily. Four Seasons is in the Sun Ray community, south of Frostproof. Serves American-style food. Inexpensive. 
• Frostbite, 801 Scenic Hwy. N., ☏ +1 863 635-4222. Lunch & dinner daily.. 1950s-esque burger joint, serving up hamburgers, ice cream, & more. 
• 2 Johnny's Egg Works, 133 S. Scenic Highway (On Frostproof's main street), ☏ +1-863-546-6150. Tu-Su 6:30AM - 2:30PM. Serves American-style food for breakfast and lunch daily. Food served in large portions of fair to very good quality. (updated May 2018)

Sleep

Limited choices.

• Lake Reedy Lodging, LLC, 1195 S Lake Reedy Blvd, ☏ +1 863-635-1204, toll-free: +1-866-786-7291. Kitchen/efficiencies available. Pool. Pets allowed. Free Wi-Fi internet access. 

RV Camps

• Camp Inn RV Resort, 10400 U.S. Hwy. 27, ☏ +1 863 635-2500, toll-free: +1-877-622-6746, fax: +1 863 635-4822. 796 sites. Hookups, dump station, laundry, & showers available. Pool. Pets allowed. Handicapped accessible. Wi-fi internet access available (for a fee). 
• Southern Pines Resort, 1622 County Road 630 W., ☏ +1 863 635-5713. 315 sites. Hookups, dump station, laundry, & showers available. Pool. Pets allowed. Handicapped accessible. Wi-fi internet access available (for a fee). 

Connect

• Babson Park Post Office, 1200 N Scenic Hwy, ☏ +1 863 638-1272. M-F 9:30AM-12:30PM & 1:30PM-4:00PM; Sa 9:30AM-11:30AM. Post office located in small community of Babson Park, a couple miles north of Frostproof. 
• Frostproof Post Office, 1 W 1st St, ☏ +1 863 635-7393. M-F 8:30AM-4:30PM; Sa 9AM-noon. 
• Latt Maxcy Memorial Library, 15 N. Magnolia Avenue, ☏ +1 863 635-7857. M Th 8:30AM-8PM; Tu W F 8AM-5PM; Sa 9AM-noon. Small library. 

Stay safe

Polk County Sheriff: +1 863-635-7863 (Emergency: 911)

Go next

Routes through Frostproof

Ocala ← Lake Wales ←	N  S	→ Avon Park → Miami
Lakeland ← Fort Meade ←	N  S	→ Avon Park → West Palm Beach
Haines City ← Lake Wales ←	N  S	→ Merge → Avon Park → Sebring