Mom’s been to Florida every winter for the last eight years. Dennis and I have joined Mom and Tom for one week each of those years. This is first year that they have selected an inland area to stay. Actually, with Tom’s Alzheimers, mom makes all of the decisions and plans. The main reason she picked this spot in Sebring is the incredible deal she got for RV park rental this season. She cut her costs in half or more by moving inland. Since none of us had never been here before I spent some time researching online for her. (Remember the commercial about the MAC and the PC? She has a PC & her Internet browser is all screwed up! She can’t do anything online! I have a MAC so I got her the info she needs!)

Sebring, Florida is located in Highlands County which has 84 lakes. My brother Lynn asked, “so does that mean it’s 10 feet above sea level?” Actually it is 100 feet above sea level! 53% of Highland County is water and only 47% land. I found a good description online and it describes Highlands County as a mountain paradise!!! I must say, maybe it is a mountain paradise for someone who has never seen a real mountain, but for this well-traveled Kentucky girl these are not mountains, maybe bumps in the road, but not mountains, not even foot hills! Here’s the description of Highland County from homesearch.com:

“Highlands County is one of Florida’s best kept secrets. The county was named for its terrain. At one hundred feet above sea level, it is a mountain in paradise. It is located in the heart of South Central Florida. The main cities are Sebring, Avon Park and Lake Placid. The county population of approximately 100,000 are all happy, friendly people enjoying the good life that south central Florida has to offer. Our county offers an active adult lifestyle to many of our residents who have fled the crime and congestion of the larger cities, but yet we are close enough to south Florida’s major metropolitan areas. Tampa, Orlando, Daytona, Vero, West Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, Ft. Myers and Sarasota are all within a two hour drive. In fact 60% of Florida’s population is within 100 miles of Sebring.

The climate in our area is exactly what you would expect in the sunshine state, there is a large percentage of warm, sunny weather. The average July high temperature is 91 and the average low temperature in January is a balmy 48. Our moderate climate allows its population to enjoy the beautiful outdoors practically every day of the year. Highlands County is inland and normally offers protection from severe weather conditions experienced in the coastal areas. A wealth of recreation of all kinds can be found here.

For the water lover, there are many small tributaries and 73 recreational lakes in the area, providing the very best in water sports. Many of our residents enjoy boating and fishing and air boating on the lakes. Lake Denton is a deep clear water lake known by scuba enthusiasts as an excellent training location. Being in the center of the State you are an easy commute to both coasts and can enjoy a day trip to the Atlantic Beaches or the Gulf of Mexico. Lake Istokpoga is Florida’s third largest lake and provides over 28,000 acres of fishing. Lake Okeechobee is a short drive down US 27.”

I also researched the temperature details on theweatherchannel.com and found:

• Jan Feb March: avg high: Jan 73 Feb 75 March 79. Avg lows: Jan 48, Feb 50, March 55. The widest range of temperature on record: Jan 18/90, Feb 23/94, and March 23/94.