As an emerging Florida tourism destination, we welcome media and those who specialize in the travel space to experience and showcase this unique and special area of South Central Florida known as Sebring. Whether you specialize in print, online, broadcast or freelance, we invite you and your storytelling talents to explore and share everything the Sebring area has to offer. Simply fill out the form below with at least 3 weeks’ notice for a press trip or 7-10 business days for all other inquiries, and a member of our team will get back to you as soon as possible. If you wish to stay up to date on upcoming events and other Sebring-related information, sign up for our newsletter here.
Media and Travel Trade Inquiries
Information Request
This form is designed for members of the media and travel industry to request information about the Sebring region as well as support for media familiarization trips. Please note that if you are not a member of the media or travel industry, you can visit our homepage to learn more about Sebring and its surrounding areas or to plan your next trip.
Past Media Mentions
Use the collapsible content sections below to explore past media mentions of Sebring, Avon Park and Lake Placid, organized by category.
Sebring shows off HGTV improvements at Summer Jubilee Event (ABC Action News)
Ben And Erin Napier Talk Filming New Season Of ‘Home Town Takeover’ In Sebring (Southern Living)
Ben & Erin Napier Wrap Filming HGTV Show (Heavy.com)
Florida town getting a ‘Home Town Takeover’ from HGTV (WFLA)
Erin & Ben Napier Reveal Home Town Takeover is Heading to Sebring, Fla. for Season 3 (People.com)
Discover Lake Placid: The Caladium Capital of the World | Florida Road Trip Season 10
Ben And Erin Napier Talk Filming New Season Of ‘Home Town Takeover’ In Sebring (Southern Living)
In Search of a Laid-Back Nature-Packed Florida Vacation (Chatelaine.com)
Best Days Trips from Orlando, Florida (Fodor’s Travel)
Erin & Ben Napier Reveal Home Town Takeover is Heading to Sebring, Fla. for Season 3 (People.com)
15 Best Things To Do In Sebring, Florida (Southern Living)
Underrated Places to Visit in Florida (Afar Magazine mentions Lake Placid, FL & Sebring, FL)
21 Best Weekend Getaways in Florida (Conde Nast Traveler)
12 Florida winter destinations with direct flights from Minneapolis-St. Paul (Star Tribune)
20 Hidden Gems in Florida That Only Locals Know About (tripmemos.com)
9 Awesome Things To Do In Sebring, FL (tripmememos.com)
Florida Beyond Theme Parks and Beaches: Try These 10 State Parks (USA Today)
Caladiums Invade FOX 13 Studios
Sebring, Florida. Early Example Of Professional City Planning (florida-backroads-travel.com)
Mike Miller shares details of the City of Sebring’s history, as well as a few current attractions and activities.
The Florida Gems That Few Tourists See (Wall Street Journal)
Read of one journalist’s experience on the popular Cypress Swamp trail in Highlands Hammock State Park
Sebring Soda Fest on FOX 13 Tampa Bay
Watch Visit Sebring’s own Casey Hartt share samples of just a few of Sebring Soda Festival’s 200+ featured sodas with FOX 13 Tampa Bay and discuss the 5th Annual Sebring Soda Festival.
24 Best Weekend Getaways in Florida (Travel + Leisure)
See Travel + Leisure highlight Sebring at No. 14 of the Best Weekend Getaways in Florida
The Murals of Lake Placid, Florida | coastalbreezenews.com
Visit These 12 Incredible Charming Small Towns In Florida – Sebring in April
The Best Small Towns in Florida Are Big on Charm (Country Living)
Travel Awaits – Best Things To Do
Author Melody Pittman attended the 2019 Soda Fest FAM and frequently includes the Sebring area in her media outlets
Florida Rambler – Sebring Soda Fest
Florida on a Tankful: Sebring Soda & Ice Cream Works
Channel 13 (Orlando) & Bay News 9 (Tampa)
Florida on a Tankful: Maxwell Groves offers an old Florida front porch
Video: Florida on a Tankful: Maxwell Groves offers an old Florida front porch
Florida on a Tankful: American Clown School
Channel 13 (Orlando) & Bay News 9 (Tampa)
Local Color: Lake Placid Festival is about a vivid plant
Florida on a Tankful: Town of Super Sized Art
Florida on a Tankful: A Carousel of Lights in Sebring
Florida on a Tankful: Art lesson in polymer clay
Video: Florida on a Tankful: Art Lesson in polymer clay
Florida towns claim to fame: We are #1
52 excuses to visit Florida’s Highlands County
A weekend getaway in Sebring promises a peaceful escape
Explore History, Charm, And A Scenic Drive To The Town Of Sebring In Florida
Sebring, Florida: A Central Florida Town Everyone Will Want to Visit
Edible South Florida: Sebring and Surroundings
Florida Travel: Welcome to Highlands Hammock State Park
Crazy Family Adventure Blog: Highlands Hammock State Park
Florida Rambler: Ancient oaks caress the soul at Highlands Hammock
Gillette Outdoors: Highlands Hammock State Park
Florida Travel Life: Sebring Soda Festival
Drugstore Diva: Everything You Need to Know about the Sebring Soda Festival
Local sodas are back at Sebring Soda Festival, April 3-4, 2020
Floridian Magazine: Sugar Sand Distillery
Florida Travel: Handcrafted Rum, Vodka, Moonshine and Whiskey at Sugar Sand Distillery in Lake Placid
Trans Am to open 2024 season in Sebring
2023-24 Public Events at Sebring International Raceway
Kotchasanmanee Wins Citrus Golf Trail Ladies Invitational – eSouthernGOLF
Turbo Charged: Racing at Sebring International Raceway
Sarasota Magazine
Sebring: Still Crazy After All These Years: 1969
Sebring International Raceway: Where America Endurance Racing Was Born
Pictures: Sebring 12 Hour Race through the years
Sports Car Illustrated: In 2019 it will be the 12 Hours of Sebring times two
Discover Lake Placid: The Caladium Capital of the World | Florida Road Trip Season 10
I’ve Lived in Florida for 27 Years – and These Are The Best State Parks to Visit (Travel + Leisure)
12 Best Airboat Rides in Florida (AuthenticFlorida.com)
Florida Beyond Theme Parks and Beaches: Try These 10 State Parks (USA Today)
Caladiums Invade FOX 13 Studios
7 Florida Day Trips: National, State and Local Parks (Florida Backroads Travel)
Flower Blooms/Caladiums – The Best Places to See Flowers Bloom
Garden Destinations Magazine
Florida on Tankful: Hammock offers peace
Video:Florida on a Tankful: Hammock offer peace
Florida on a Tankful: Archbold Biological Station gives clues to the past
Video: Florida on a Tankful: Archbold Biological Station gives clues to the past
Road Trip: Scrub jays, indigo snakes and the Brooklyn Bridge
Miami Herald: Florida discoveries: Embracing the scrub at Archbold Biological Station
Florida Trend: One for the birds
Florida by Bicycle; Lake Placid, FL
Florida Roads Less Traveled: Highlands County
Ancient oaks caress the soul at Highlands Hammock
Scenic roads: A drive in Old Florida cow country
Florida Family Nature Blog: Hiking and Camping at Highlands Hammock State Park
25 Best Bass Lakes in the Southeast
Arbuckle Creek…Paddling in Highlands County
Kayaking Arbuckle Creek: Unexpected beauty at a bombing range
Abundant Old Florida Treasures Await in the Shadow of Mickey
Florida on a Tankful: Tales of Bass Fishing in Sebring
Video: Florida on a Tankful: Tales of Bass Fishing in Sebring
Enjoy Summer Savings With A Citrus Golf Trail Passport
The Citrus Golf Trail – Florida’s Best Value
Visit Sebring – Citrus Golf Trail
Golf Sebring Florida – The Citrus Golf Trail
Discover Florida’s Affordable Citrus Golf Trail
Sebring Municipal Golf Course – Now Part of the Citrus Golf Trail
Want good affordable golf with history mixed in? Give Sebring a try
23 Florida Historic Hotels: National Register of Historic Places (florida-backroads-travel.com)
7 Historic Florida Hotels Everyone Should Stay at Once (InsideHook)
Jacaranda Hotel: Affordable historic spot in Avon Park (floridarambler.com)
The Best Family-friendly Campgrounds in the U.S.
Road Food: The Garden Café, a downtown oasis in Sebring
Jacaranda Hotel: Affordable historic spot in Avon Park
Florida on a Tankful: Garden Center turned café
Florida on a Tankful: Historic Avon Park hotel decked out for the holidays
Sebring Area Fact Sheet
The Sebring area is becoming a popular vacation destination. Located just 60 miles south of Disney World and centrally located within a 2-hour drive from most major Florida cities, Sebring is home to the world-famous Sebring International Raceway, Highlands Hammock State Park, the Sebring Soda Festival and the Citrus Golf Trail, along with the nearly 100 freshwater lakes.
Sebring is a city in Highlands County nicknamed “The City on the Circle”, in reference to Circle Drive. The “Sebring area” also includes the City of Avon Park and the Town of Lake Placid, both in Highlands County.
Population
As of the 2017, census the population for the Sebring area/Highlands County was 102,883.
Land Area
The Sebring area, which includes all of Highlands County, comprises an area of 1,106 square miles.
Weather
Sebring’s climate is a humid, subtropical climate with hot, humid summers and mild, dry winters. Unlike most places with a similar climate classification, Sebring’s rainfall is clearly seasonal, with about 57% of the total rainfall occurring in June–September.
History
Founded in 1912, Sebring was named after George E. Sebring, a pottery manufacturer from Ohio who developed the city. He had a circular plan as the focal point for the city. It was chartered by the state of Florida in 1913 and was selected as the county seat of Highlands County when the county was created in 1921. The village of Sebring, Ohio is also named for George E. Sebring (1859-1927) and his family.
Avon Park is the oldest city in the area and was named after Stratford-upon-Avon, England. The first permanent settler in Avon Park was Oliver Martin Crosby, a Connecticut native who moved to the area in 1884 to study the wildlife of the Everglades. By 1886, enough people had followed that the town of “Lake Forest” was founded. As president of the Florida Development Company, Crosby recruited settlers to the area, many of whom were from England, including many from the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, who gave the town its name.
Lake Placid has two nicknames: “Town of Murals” & “Caladium Capital of the World.” The town has nearly 50 murals painted on buildings throughout the downtown, and 98 percent of the world’s caladium bulbs come from Lake Placid.
It was called “Lake Stearns” and was chartered in 1925. Dr. Melvil Dewey, inventor of the Dewey Decimal System and the founder of the Lake Placid Club in Lake Placid, NY proposed that Lake Stearns change its name to “Lake Placid.” In 1927, the community was chartered as the town of Lake Placid.
Taxes
7.5% sales tax; 4% hotel tax
Hotel Rooms
About 1,000
Travel to Sebring
- By Car – Sebring is just 2-3 hour drive from most major Florida cities (Tampa, Orlando, Ft. Myers, Palm Beach, Miami)
- By Plane – Four airports within 100 miles of Sebring (Orlando, Tampa, Southwest Florida & Sarasota/Bradenton)
- By Train – Amtrak has a station in Sebring (SBG)
- By Bus – Greyhound has a station in Sebring
Sebring International Raceway
Sebring is known as the birthplace of American endurance auto racing. It’s home to the Sebring International Speedway and its famous 12 Hours of Sebring endurance race. The Raceway is one of the oldest continuously operating racetracks in the U.S., its first race being run in 1950.
Learn More about Racing in Sebring
Highlands Hammock State Park
A 9,000-acre park that opened in 1931, four years before the Florida state park system was created. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and home to the Civilian Conservation Corps Florida Museum.
Learn More about Highlands Hammond State Park
South Florida State College
A public college in Florida with its main campus in Highlands County. It is part of the Florida College System. South Florida State College was founded in 1965 and serves around 16,000 students/year.
Visit the South Florida State College Website
Citrus Golf Trail
A collection of nearly 10 golf courses, many of them with citrus groves around them, that have been dubbed the Value Golf Capital of America. Many of them designed by well-known golf architects such as Donald Ross, Don Dyer and Ron Garl.
Learn More about the Citrus Golf Trail
Agritourism/Culinary
Despite its small size, the Sebring area boasts a surprising variety of dining options and unique gastronomic offerings such as Sugar Sand Distillery, Henscratch Winery, Maxwell Groves and the Sebring Soda & Ice Cream Works. It is also home to the Hookiemelt, a unique local dish served at Jaxson’s.