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Business Florida 2022 - The Regions
South Central
DeSoto • Glades • Hardee • Hendry • Highlands • Okeechobee
Life & Leisure
We’re Baaack!!!
Looking for a clue as to when life might return to normal following the pandemic? Just circle the month of March on your 2022 calendar. That’s when three of South Central’s most iconic events return in full force.
Up first is the four-day Okeechobee Music & Arts Festival at Sunshine Grove, a non-stop music fest reminiscent of Woodstock featuring a multitude of musical acts and some 25,000 spectators.
Next up is the 94th annual Arcadia All Florida Championship Rodeo at Mosaic Arena with a full complement of rodeo events.
And finally, the 70th annual Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring endurance race and four-day car-themed party. Can’t make this particular race? Not to worry — activities at Sebring International Raceway include 175 individual events on more than 250 days throughout the year.
Need an Excuse to Celebrate?
If there’s one thing the people of Florida’s South Central region love, it’s a good festival. Animals, vegetables, flowers, fruit, fish – you name it. Among the annual “honorees” are: catfish (January in Moore Haven); sour oranges (January in Lakeport); speckled perch (January in Okeechobee); watermelon (May in Arcadia); caladium (July/August in Lake Placid); and newly hatched baby alligators (August in Palmdale).
So Much of the Wild to See and Do
Here are some suggestions for interesting things you can see and do at little or no cost:
• Take a long walk around Okeechobee — the second largest freshwater lake in the U.S.
• Try hunting for fossils — mammoths are known to have once lived in these parts.
• Keep your eye out for the elusive Florida panther; best viewing times are dawn and dusk.
• Get to know some real Floridians at Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation ... maybe even spend the night in an authentic chickee hut.
• Gaze up at a sky full of stars. Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park near Okeechobee is remote enough to make a visit worth your while.
