Sebring, Fla.

The city of Sebring, Fla., is the Highlands County seat. Called the city on the circle, Sebring covers about 11 square miles on the east side of Lake Jackson. Circle Drive is the center of the historic downtown Sebring area. In the National Registry of Historic Places, historic downtown contains 22 historic structures. Many streets in Sebring are named after cars and car makers. In the nearby community of Avon Park is South Florida Community College, the only higher education venue in Highlands County.

The Sebring Lakeside Golf Resort Inn is among top hotels, Blue Crab and Sebring Diner are favorite restaurants. There are several parks along the shore of Lake Jackson, the largest of 84 lakes in Highlands County. Dinner Lake and Little Lake Jackson are within the Sebring city limits.

No interstate highway here, U.S. Highway 27 is the lifeline running through the Sebring area. Several state roads connect with surrounding counties. The Amtrak railroad line running between Miami and Tampa stops in Sebring, Greyhound Bus Lines does not.

Only four miles west of Sebring is the Highlands Hammock State Park. Opened in 1931, it covers over 9,000 acres just off U.S. Highway 27. One of the original four parks when the Florida State Park System was established in 1935, it offers a network of boardwalks that meander above the old-growth bald cypress swamp. A three-mile drive around the park connects to all trails. An 11-mile trail can be used by bicycles, horseback riders and wildlife watchers. Camping, picnicking and the Hammock Inn Restaurant beckon travelers. The Florida Civilian Conservation Corps Museum is here, and the park is a stop on the Florida Birding Trail.

There is no airline service here, and the closest is at Orlando International Airport about 70 miles north. A few miles southeast of town is the Sebring Regional Airport, a former air base presently catering to private aircraft. On one side of the airport is the Sebring International Raceway, using old runways converted into race tracks. The raceway began in 1950 and is best known for the 12 hours of Sebring American Le Mans Race, which is held every March.