Lakeland is a friendly, small city conveniently located between Tampa and Orlando.  Here you can enjoy a multitude of parks, public gardens, lakes, museums, theaters, art festivals, coffee shops, Saturday Market, and a true “sense of place”.  Lakeland is an hour’s drive to some of the best beaches in the world.

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US News Living in Lakeland

Colorful lighting reignites fervor for Southgate Arch

Lights, Camera, Lakeland

Parts of Lakeland might seem familiar to you — especially if you’re a movie fan. The city’s Southgate Shopping Center and its iconic arch, served as backdrop for several scenes in the 1990 Tim Burton film “Edward Scissorhands,” starring Johnny Depp and Winona Ryder.

•  In the film, Depp is seen having his “hands” sharpened at a hardware store that still operates at Southgate.
• Restaurant scenes in “Scissorhands” were filmed in an eatery across the street from the shopping center on Lakeland’s South Florida Avenue, while neighborhood shots were captured in nearby Lutz, Fla.
• Southgate Shopping Center opened in 1957, hailed as a modern marvel in the nascent days of this automobile-centric retail concept. More recently, it was named “cool” by roadsidearchitecture.com.