Davenport (Florida)

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Davenport is a small town of about 2,000 people in the North eastern section of Polk County, in Central Florida, near Lake Tohopekaliga and Lake Marion. Its close proximity to Walt Disney World makes it a very popular destination for tourists wanting to visit the famous theme park. The greater area of Davenport includes the area up to the southern border of Lake County and the western border of Osceola County. The actual city of Davenport is quite small and has very little commercial enterprise. The greater Davenport area has several hotels/motels and restaurants and is growing rapidly.

Davenport is located only 10 miles (~16 km) from Walt Disney World Resort, along Interstate 4. It’s situated about 30 miles (~48 km) West of Orlando, and 54 miles (~87 km) East of Tampa, both of which have international airports.

  • Nearby Colleges - all within a short driving distance of Davenport:
    • Polk Community College
    • Webber College
    • Florida Southern
    • Warner Southern College
    • Valencia College

[edit] Climate

Davenport has a relatively warm climate, located in Central Florida's subtropical zone, and is warm and humid during the summertime with small, scattered thundershowers almost daily. These storms tend to pass quickly, giving way to that typical Florida sunshine before long. Davenport has high temperatures (F) ranging from the low 70’s to the mid 90’s, and low temperatures ranging from the upper 40’s to the low 70’s. The months June to September have average highs in the 90’s as a rule, and those are also the months with the highest average precipitation. The average precipitation for the months June to September is around 7 inches (~178mm) per month, whereas for the rest of the year, the rainfall average is around 2.75 inches (~70mm) per month.

[edit] Get in

[edit] By plane

  • Davenport is within easy driving distance of 3 larger airports:
    • Orlando International (about 30 miles from Davenport (~48 km))
    • Lakeland Linder Regional (about 32 miles from Davenport (~51 km))
    • Orlando Sanford (about 49 miles from Davenport (~79 km))
  • And also 3 other public-use airports:
    • Jack Browns (~3 miles from Davenport (~5 km)) in Winter Haven
    • Winter Haven's Gilbert (~13 miles from Davenport (~21 km))
    • Kissimmee Gateway (~15 mile from Davenport (~24 km)) in Orlando

[edit] By train

  • There are 3 Amtrak stations near Davenport:

[edit] By car

    • Interstate 4 is the nearest Interstate and connects Davenport to many of central Florida's main cities and attractions.

[edit] Get around

Since Davenport is such a small city, it is very easy to get around in by car, on foot, or by bicycle.

[edit] By car

  • The easiest way to get around Davenport and Central Florida is by car. If renting, it is substantially less money to rent a car outside of the airport. The city is set up on grid system, and is fairly easy to navigate.

[edit] By taxi

  • There are several taxi companies in Davenport, to make getting around very easy, though it’s generally more expensive than other modes of transportation. With Davenport being such a small city, it’s not out of range for most people though.
    • Orlando Cab Co. (Davenport Division) [1]
    • Shooting Star Taxi
    • Skip's Transportation & Tickets (43824 US Highway 27)

[edit] By bus

  • It is hard to find information about public transportation within Davenport, though I have seen that over 95% of commuters in Davenport tend to drive, rather than take the bus. If you have any information about public transportation in Davenport, please add it here.

[edit] By bicycle

  • Davenport is a very small town, and getting around on a bike is very easy. There seem to be several bike shops in Davenport, but it’s unclear whether any of them rent bikes for day trips or by the week, etc.

[edit][add listing] See

Davenport is generally a place to visit if you’re looking for a smaller, relaxed town to stay in while visiting some of the many attractions nearby. Davenport itself doesn’t have any notable attractions, other than the Highlands Reserve Golf Club [2] and the Ridgewood Lakes Golf & Country Club (200 Eagle Ridge Drive). Most often, visitors to Davenport use the town as a jumping-off point to visit places like Walt Disney World, Epcot, MGM Studios, Animal Kingdom, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, Sea World and Wet ‘n’ Wild Water Park, all located in Orlando, just a short drive away.

[edit][add listing] Do

As noted above, there is not a lot to do in Davenport, unless you want to play some golf, or just relax in a quiet little town.

  • There are, however a few minor attractions in the area:
    • Lake Wales Museum, 325 S. Scenic Hwy. Lake Wales which aims to be the historical record of Lake Wales and is also known as Depot Museum.
    • Historic Bok Sanctuary, 1151 Tower Blvd. in Lake Wales), featuring an estate with gardens and bell tower. The grounds were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.
    • Lake Kissimmee State Park, featuring boating, camping, canoeing, fishing, nature trails, horse trails, and picnicking
  • Sports
    • Golfing is a fairly well represented sport in Davenport, with two large golf courses:
      • Highlands Reserve Golf Club [3]
      • Ridgewood Lakes Golf & Country Club, 200 Eagle Ridge Drive.

[edit][add listing] Buy

Most people visiting Davenport don’t do so for the shopping. While there are shops and stores in Davenport, the main shopping experiences on a trip to Davenport are to be had in some of the nearby larger centers, such as Orlando, Tampa, and Kissimmee.

[edit][add listing] Eat

You will find many of the most common national restaurant chains in Davenport, as well as a few local eating establishments.

  • Davenport Cafe, 110 W Orange St., (863) 422-1770.
  • The Pub, [4].

[edit][add listing] Drink

As with places to eat in Davenport, there are several national chains located in Davenport, along with some local bars and pubs:

  • Tuscana Tavern, 1395 Tuscana Ln, (407) 390-9826.
  • Linksters Taproom, 201 Ambersweet Way, (863) 420-7446.
  • Brass Rail Lounge, 43356 US Highway 27, (863) 420-2278.
  • Liquorup, 1111 Holly Hill Rd, (863) 422-8585.
  • 19th Hole Bar & Grill, 102 Polo Park Boulevard, (863) 424-7277.
  • The Pub, [5].

[edit][add listing] Sleep

There are plenty of motels and hotels in and around Davenport.

There are also many where you can rent someone’s home for a stay from 1 week (or sometimes less) to 1 or more months. Davenport is such a popular town for vacation rentals, with many tourists using the town as a central location to visit many of the area’s attractions, most notably, Disney World in Orlando.

See Also: Orlando, Kissimmee, Lake Buena Vista.

  • Bahama Bay Resort, 400 Gran Bahama Boulevard , Tel: (863) 547-1200, [6]. A exclusive resort located just minutes away from Disneyworld and the fabulous city of Orlando.
  • Southern Select Villas, 148 Heather Lynn Drive, +1 863 420-1488, [7]. beautiful three to six bed homes minutes from Disney and all have private pools! Exclusively offering Five Star Concierge Service that offers discounts on theme park tickets, FREE shuttles, and much more!

[edit] Contact

[edit] FM Radio Stations

  • There are around 20 FM radio stations within range of Davenport. Here’s a short list:
    • WPCV (97.5 FM)
    • WLVF-FM (90.3 FM)
    • WXXL (106.7 FM)
    • WSJT (94.1 FM)
    • WJRR (101.1 FM)

[edit] AM Radio Stations

  • There are around 15 AM radio stations within range of Davenport. Here’s a short list:
    • WFLF (540 AM; 50 kW)
    • WQTM (740 AM; 50 kW)
    • WHOO (1080 AM; daytime; 35 kW)
    • WDYZ (990 AM; 50 kW)
    • WHNR (1360 AM; 5 kW)

[edit] Get out

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