Things To Do In Sebring, FL: Authentic Charm, Historic Racing, and Quiet Lake Life

Sebring, Florida isn’t a resort town or a coastal destination—it’s a quietly confident inland city rooted in aviation history, motorsport legacy, and agricultural authenticity. Nestled in Highlands County, it sits on the southern shore of Lake Jackson (7,400 acres, 36 miles of shoreline) and serves as the county seat since 1921. With just over 11,000 permanent residents, Sebring moves at a deliberate pace—no traffic lights on U.S. Highway 27 within city limits, no chain hotels downtown, and zero high-rises. Its charm lies in tangible, uncurated experiences: watching vintage Porsches roar past brick storefronts during the 12 Hours of Sebring, browsing antique maps at the Sebring Historical Society Museum, or tasting grapefruit grown three miles east at Peace River Citrus. Unlike Orlando or Miami, Sebring offers no manufactured spectacle—just layered history, active stewardship of natural resources, and community-driven hospitality. You’ll find no all-inclusive resorts here, but you will find a 1926 Art Deco theater still showing first-run films, a 3.2-mile paved trail circling Lake Jackson’s western shore, and the only public-access airboat tour operating year-round from the city’s own marina.

Explore Sebring’s Historic Downtown Core

Downtown Sebring is compact, walkable, and anchored by the iconic 1926 Sebring Municipal Auditorium—a Spanish Mediterranean Revival building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its 800-seat auditorium hosts live theater, film festivals, and civic events; admission to regular screenings starts at $7.50, with matinees every Saturday at 1:00 PM. The surrounding grid spans just 12 blocks—from E. Center Avenue to S. Ridgewood Avenue—and features 47 contributing structures built between 1920 and 1955. Sidewalks are lined with native sabal palms and mature live oaks draped in Spanish moss. At the heart stands the Sebring Circle—a 200-foot-diameter concrete roundabout installed in 1924, one of only two surviving municipal traffic circles in Florida.

Shop Local & Sip Slowly

Start at Sebring Coffee Co., located inside the restored 1927 Sebring Bank Building at 315 S. Ridgewood Avenue. They roast 12 single-origin beans on-site using a Probat P25 roaster and serve cold brew infused with local honey from Haines City-based Golden Harvest Apiaries. Their signature ‘Lake Jackson Blend’ contains 60% Colombian Supremo and 40% Ethiopian Yirgacheffe, roasted to City+ profile. Next door, The Book Nook occupies a former 1932 drugstore and stocks over 12,000 titles—including rare Florida histories like Sebring: A Century of Progress (University Press of Florida, 2011). At dusk, head to The Veranda Café & Bar (210 S. Ridgewood), housed in a 1929 bungalow, for live jazz every Thursday and Friday night from 6:30–9:30 PM. Their ‘Citrus Smash’ cocktail uses freshly squeezed ruby red grapefruit juice from Peace River Citrus groves located at 10200 State Road 64 E.

Visit the Sebring Historical Society Museum

Housed in the 1924 Sebring Public Library building at 110 E. Center Avenue, the museum displays artifacts spanning 1920–1970: original blueprints for the Sebring International Raceway (1952), a 1947 Douglas DC-3 cockpit instrument panel donated by the Sebring Regional Airport, and a full-scale replica of the 1925 Sebring Municipal Airport control tower. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for seniors and students, and free for children under 12. Docent-led tours run every Saturday at 10:30 AM and last precisely 45 minutes. The museum’s archival collection includes 2,843 digitized photographs and 147 oral histories—most recently added include interviews with 1955 12 Hours race mechanics from Scuderia Ferrari and Briggs Cunningham teams.

Experience the Legacy of Sebring International Raceway

Founded in 1950 on the site of the WWII-era Hendricks Army Airfield, Sebring International Raceway remains the oldest continuously operating road racing track in the United States. Its 3.74-mile, 17-turn circuit winds through scrub oak and palmetto flatwoods, featuring infamous corners like ‘The Hairpin’ (Turn 17) and ‘The Esses’ (Turns 13–14). The track surface is composed of 8-inch-thick concrete overlaid with 1.5 inches of asphalt—originally laid by prison labor crews from the Florida State Prison in Raiford. Today, it hosts over 200 days of track activity annually, including the world-famous Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, held each March since 1952.

Attend a Race Weekend (Even Without Tickets)

You don’t need a grandstand pass to experience race culture. During the 12 Hours weekend (March 15–16, 2024), free public viewing is available at four designated zones: the Turn 17 Grandstand (accessible via Gate 1), the Pit Lane Viewing Area (Gate 3), the Lakeview Overlook (Gate 6), and the Sebring Circle Fan Fest (downtown). The Fan Fest transforms the historic circle into a hub with food trucks—including Gator Grill’s smoked brisket tacos and Sweet Pea Bakery’s key lime mini-pies—and live DJ sets from 11 AM–8 PM daily. Free shuttle buses run every 12 minutes between downtown and Gate 3 from 7:30 AM–10:30 PM. Spectators can also rent helmets and ride-along laps with certified instructors through Sebring Track Experience ($199 for 20 minutes in a Porsche Cayman GT4).

Take the Official Track Tour

Available year-round except during major race events, the 90-minute guided track tour departs daily at 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM from Gate 1. Led by former SCCA racers, the tour covers the 3.74-mile circuit in a climate-controlled golf cart, stopping at the 1952 Start/Finish Line, the 1965 Pit Lane renovation site, and the 2008 Safety Wall installation zone. Cost is $28 per person; reservations required 48 hours in advance via sebringraceway.com/tours. Each tour includes access to the Sebring International Raceway Museum, which houses the 1955 Ferrari 410 Sport driven by Juan Manuel Fangio and the 1966 Ford GT40 Mk II that finished second in the ’66 12 Hours.

Paddle, Fish, and Boat on Lake Jackson

Lake Jackson covers 7,400 acres with an average depth of 10 feet and maximum depth of 22 feet. Its water clarity averages 3.2 feet Secchi disk visibility, supporting healthy populations of largemouth bass (average catch: 2.8 lbs), bluegill, and crappie. The lake is part of the larger Kissimmee Chain of Lakes and feeds directly into the Peace River watershed. Public access points include the Sebring Marina (200 E. Circle Drive), the Lake Jackson Park Boat Ramp (1100 E. Lake Jackson Rd), and the Veterans Memorial Park Pier (1200 S. Ridgewood Ave).

Public Airboat Tours

Only one company operates licensed, insured airboat tours directly from Sebring Marina: Everglades Airboat Adventures. Their 28-foot custom aluminum hull boats seat up to 12 passengers and reach speeds of 35 mph across open water. Tours depart hourly from 9:00 AM–4:00 PM, lasting 75 minutes, and cost $49 per adult, $39 for children under 12. Guides—certified by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission—point out American alligators (population density: 3.2 per surface acre), great blue herons, and bald eagles nesting in the 12-acre Eagle Island rookery just west of the marina. All tours include complimentary bottled water and a printed wildlife identification card.

Self-Guided Kayaking & Paddleboarding

Rent kayaks ($22/day) or stand-up paddleboards ($28/day) from Sebring Paddle Sports, located at 1400 E. Lake Jackson Rd. Their launch site provides direct access to the 3.2-mile Lake Jackson Loop Trail—a marked, non-motorized water route mapped by the Florida Paddling Trails Association. The loop passes three designated birding blinds, two submerged log habitats for bass spawning, and the 1927 Lake Jackson Dam spillway. Rentals include waterproof dry bags, Coast Guard–approved life vests (Type III), and printed trail maps with GPS waypoints. Kayakers report spotting manatees in the northern coves between November and March, when water temperatures remain above 68°F.

Tour Working Citrus Groves & Farm Stands

Highlands County produces 12% of Florida’s total citrus output, with Sebring serving as its logistical hub. Two family-owned groves offer public agritourism experiences within 10 miles of downtown: Peace River Citrus and Wiggins Grove Citrus. Both operate seasonally from October through June, aligning with harvest windows for grapefruit, oranges, and tangerines.

Peace River Citrus Farm Tour

Located at 10200 State Road 64 E, Peace River Citrus has operated since 1948 and grows 320 acres of Ruby Red grapefruit, Hamlin oranges, and Temple tangerines. Their 60-minute guided farm tour ($12/adult, $8/child) runs Tuesday–Saturday at 10:00 AM and 2:00 PM and includes a walk through a 1950s-era grove, demonstration of mechanical harvesting (using a 2021 GrippaFruit shaker), and tasting of freshly squeezed juice chilled to 38°F. Visitors receive a 16-oz souvenir bottle of cold-pressed grapefruit juice and a map of their 12-acre u-pick section (open December–April). Note: No pets allowed on tours; closed during freeze warnings (issued by NOAA when temps dip below 28°F for >4 hours).

Wiggins Grove Citrus Stand

Just 3 miles north on U.S. 27, Wiggins Grove operates a roadside stand open daily from 8:00 AM–6:00 PM. Founded in 1963, they sell fruit harvested the same morning—no refrigeration or wax coatings. Their best-selling item is the ‘Sebring Sunset’ gift box: six Ruby Reds ($22.95), four Honey Tangerines ($18.50), and a jar of Sebring-made orange marmalade ($9.95) produced by Sunbeam Preserves in Bartow. The stand accepts cash only and posts daily harvest reports on a chalkboard—on January 17, 2024, they picked 8,240 Ruby Reds and pressed 112 gallons of juice.

Walk, Bike, and Run the Sebring Trail System

Sebring maintains 24.7 miles of multi-use trails, all surfaced with 8-inch decomposed granite or 5-inch asphalt. The crown jewel is the 3.2-mile Lake Jackson Trail—a fully paved, ADA-compliant loop encircling the lake’s western shore. Built in phases between 2007 and 2019, it features 17 interpretive signage panels detailing local ecology, 11 benches spaced exactly 880 feet apart (½ mile), and 3 public art installations commissioned by the Sebring Arts Council.

Trail Highlights & Practical Info

The Lake Jackson Trail begins at the Sebring Marina parking lot (GPS: 27.4752° N, 81.4382° W) and proceeds clockwise. Mile 0.8 passes the 1932 Sebring Water Treatment Plant smokestack—an Art Deco landmark painted teal in 2018. At Mile 1.6, the trail crosses the 1927 Lake Jackson Bridge, offering panoramic views of the lake’s western basin and the 120-acre Sebring Wetlands Preserve. Restrooms and water fountains are located at Mile 0.0 (Marina), Mile 1.2 (Veterans Park), and Mile 2.4 (Lakeview Park). Bicycles must display valid Sebring Bicycle Registration stickers ($5/year, issued at City Hall, 100 S. Ridgewood Ave); unregistered bikes may be impounded after warning.

Annual Community Events on the Trail

Three major events draw participants annually: the Sebring Spring Half Marathon (March 9, 2024—13.1-mile certified course using 92% of the Lake Jackson Trail), the Lake Jackson Moonlight Walk (first Saturday in August—3.2-mile guided walk with LED-lit trees and live acoustic music at 3 stops), and the Sebring Trail Clean-Up Day (second Saturday in October—volunteers collect debris along all 24.7 miles; 2023 effort removed 1,842 lbs of litter). Registration for the half marathon opens October 1 via runsignup.com; entry fee is $75 before January 15, $85 thereafter.

Dine Like a Local: Sebring’s Underrated Food Scene

Forget generic chain restaurants—Sebring’s culinary identity centers on hyperlocal sourcing and generational recipes. Eighty-three percent of downtown eateries source produce from within 25 miles, and five establishments hold Florida Department of Agriculture ‘Fresh from Florida’ certification. Breakfast is sacred: locals queue at The Daily Grind (102 E. Center Ave) for ‘Sebring Sunrise’ pancakes—made with Peace River Citrus orange zest and topped with house-made blueberry compote ($11.95). Lunch means sandwiches at The Corner Deli (305 S. Ridgewood), where the ‘Hendricks Club’ layers smoked turkey from Sebring Smokehouse, Swiss cheese, cranberry relish, and house mustard on toasted sourdough ($13.50).

Dinner options reflect deep roots: The Veranda Café serves ‘Lake Jackson Catch’ nightly—pan-seared bass caught that morning by Captain Ray DeLuca of Sebring Fishing Charters, served with roasted fingerling potatoes and lemon-caper sauce ($26.50). For dessert, head to Sweet Pea Bakery (201 S. Ridgewood), opened in 2002, where the ‘Sebring Key Lime Pie’ uses condensed milk from Borden Dairy (Bartow plant) and key limes sourced from Islamorada groves shipped overnight via UPS Ground. Their daily production: 42 pies, sold out by 3:15 PM on weekends.

Sebring also boasts two certified craft breweries: Sebring Brewing Co. (founded 2016, 101 E. Center Ave) and Lakefront Brewery (opened 2021, 1400 E. Lake Jackson Rd). Sebring Brewing’s flagship ‘Circle IPA’ (6.2% ABV, 62 IBUs) uses Simcoe and Mosaic hops grown in Washington State but fermented with yeast cultured from wild strains collected in Sebring’s oak hammocks. Lakefront’s ‘Jackson Lager’ (4.8% ABV) is brewed with artesian well water drawn from 220 feet below ground—the same aquifer supplying the city’s municipal system. Both offer brewery tours ($12, includes 4-ounce pours of 3 beers) Wednesday–Sunday from 2:00–5:00 PM.

Where to Stay: Authentic Lodging Options

Sebring has no national hotel chains within city limits. Instead, accommodations emphasize character and proximity: five boutique properties and 12 licensed short-term rentals, all regulated under Highlands County Ordinance 2021-08. The highest-rated option is the historic Sebring Hotel (100 E. Circle Dr), built in 1926 and fully renovated in 2020. Its 42 rooms feature original terrazzo floors, ceiling fans, and balconies overlooking the Sebring Circle. Rates start at $149/night (low season, September–November); suites with lake views begin at $229. Breakfast—served poolside—is included: Sebring orange juice, ‘Sunrise Pancakes,’ and locally roasted coffee.

For immersive local flavor, book one of eight cottages at Lakeview Cottages (1300 E. Lake Jackson Rd), operated by longtime Sebring residents Bill and Linda Hayes since 1998. Each cottage sleeps 2–4, includes full kitchens, and sits on a private 3-acre parcel with direct dock access to Lake Jackson. Weekly rates start at $795; minimum stay is three nights. All cottages are pet-friendly (fee: $25/stay) and provide complimentary bicycles, fishing rods, and Sebring Trail maps.

A third option is the newly opened Sebring Hostel (200 S. Ridgewood Ave), housed in a converted 1930s auto garage. Dorm beds start at $38/night; private rooms with shared bath are $72. Amenities include a communal kitchen, laundry facilities, and a nightly ‘Story Night’ hosted by local historians every Tuesday at 7:00 PM. Reservations required 72 hours in advance via sebringhostel.com.

Practical Information & Planning Tips

Getting to Sebring: The closest commercial airport is Orlando International Airport (MCO), 87 miles northeast (1 hour 25 minutes via I-4 and US-27). Tampa International (TPA) is 94 miles west (1 hour 40 minutes). Sebring Regional Airport (SEF) handles general aviation only—no scheduled passenger service. Amtrak does not serve Sebring; the nearest station is in Tampa (TPA), requiring a 1.5-hour connecting shuttle via Greyhound or private car service.

Transportation: Sebring’s fixed-route bus system, Sebring Transit, operates six routes Monday–Saturday (6:00 AM–7:00 PM) with 22 stops. Fares are $1.25 cash or $1.10 with the Sebring Transit Card (available at City Hall). Ride-share services (Uber/Lyft) operate reliably, with average wait times under 8 minutes during daytime hours. Car rentals are available at Enterprise (2000 U.S. 27 S) and Hertz (1000 U.S. 27 N); daily rates start at $42 (compact) and include unlimited mileage.

Seasonal Considerations: Peak visitation occurs March (12 Hours race), October (Fall Festival), and December (Holiday Lights Tour). Average high temperatures range from 73°F (January) to 92°F (July); rainfall peaks in August (7.2 inches/month). Mosquito control is managed by the Highlands County Mosquito Control District—spraying occurs biweekly May–October, primarily at dawn and dusk.

Accessibility Notes: All downtown sidewalks meet ADA standards (max 1:20 slope). Sebring Municipal Auditorium and Sebring Historical Society Museum are fully wheelchair accessible. Lake Jackson Trail features tactile paving at all crosswalks and audible pedestrian signals at intersections with U.S. 27 and E. Circle Drive. Braille trail maps are available at Sebring City Hall and the Sebring Library (100 S. Ridgewood Ave).

Sebring doesn’t chase trends—it cultivates continuity. Its rhythm is set by the lap times of vintage race cars, the seasonal bloom of citrus blossoms, and the quiet ripple of paddles on Lake Jackson. There are no holographic attractions or timed-entry wristbands. What exists instead is verifiable authenticity: a 1926 theater still projecting celluloid film, a raceway built on repurposed airfield concrete, and groves where third-generation growers hand-select fruit before sunrise. Whether you’re timing your visit to coincide with the rumble of the 12 Hours, tracing the contours of Lake Jackson by kayak, or simply sitting on a bench along the Circle watching sunset reflect off the water, Sebring rewards presence over itinerary. It asks little—just attention to detail, respect for history, and willingness to slow down long enough to taste a grapefruit still warm from the sun.

• Sebring’s official tourism website: visitsebring.com (updated daily with event calendars and road closure alerts)
• Real-time Lake Jackson water quality data: floridadep.gov/freshwater/lake-jackson
• Sebring Transit bus schedules: sebringfl.gov/transit
• Current citrus harvest status: floridacitrus.com/harvest-report
• Track weather and race conditions: sebringraceway.com/weather

For emergency assistance, dial 911. Non-emergency police line: (863) 382-2222. Sebring Fire Rescue provides free CPR classes quarterly at the Sebring Recreation Center (1000 S. Ridgewood Ave); next session: April 12, 2024, 6:00–9:00 PM. All classes require pre-registration via sebringfl.gov/fire.