Lake Placid, Florida, is a small town in Highlands Country. It belongs to the Sebring Micropolitan Statistical Area. Originally called Lake Stearns, the community changed its name in 1927 at the urging of Dr. Melvil Dewey, creator of the Dewey Decimal System for cataloging library books. Dr. Dewey felt that the local lakes made the region resemble his native Lake Placid, New York. Discount hotels in Lake Placid, Florida, cater to people who come to enjoy the lakes. There is excellent fishing here, as well as swimming and boating. Hikers, joggers and cyclists enjoy the low-volume traffic on the roads.

Lake Placid has been nicknamed the Caladium Capital of the world and the Town of Murals. Almost 98 percent of the world’s caladium bulbs come from Lake Placid. Every year flower lovers come to Lake Placid for the town’s Caladium Festival. Visitors to Lake Placid cannot help but notice the murals painted on the outside walls of buildings. There are 42 of them, and they depict a wide array of subjects. The murals include “Annie Hill – Mid-Wife”, “The Rose Man”, “The Green Dragons Basketball Team”, and “The Cracker Trail Cattle Drive”. At the Mural Society or at the Lake Placid Chamber of Commerce Visitor’s Center you can pick up a pamphlet and map to use on your own tour of the murals. As you walk around town, you’ll notice that in Lake Placid, even the garbage cans are painted.