Mulberry Between Phosphate, Culture, and Nature

Mulberry brings together phosphate history, culture, and nature, offering different reasons to visit. The Mulberry Phosphate Museum offers both an informative introduction to phosphate and an activity involving prehistoric finds. Bone Valley ATV Park showcases reclaimed phosphate-mining land, while the Mulberry Cultural Center, Janie Eason Park, and Se7en Wetlands offer other thematic highlights. If you’re looking for a hotel in Mulberry, you can first consider which of these places you’d like to shape your stay.

Phosphate and Landscape

Bone Valley ATV Park spans more than 500 acres of reclaimed phosphate-mining land. At the Mulberry Phosphate Museum, the Phosphate Gallery explains phosphate and its importance for growing food and restoring natural landscapes. The subject is presented once as reclaimed land and once as the topic of an exhibition. Comparing the two connects the park’s actual landscape with phosphate’s role in agriculture and landscape restoration.

Museum: Railroad Depot and Searching for Finds

Another glimpse into the past can be found in the Mulberry Phosphate Museum’s Fossil Gallery, housed in a historic railroad depot. At the Dragline Dig Pile, visitors can search for shark teeth and remains of prehistoric animals. The two offerings have different focuses: the historic railroad depot is a defining feature of the gallery, while searching for actual finds is the main activity at the dig pile. This lets you experience the museum through both its distinctive exhibition space and a hands-on activity.

Art and Activities at the Mulberry Cultural Center

The Mulberry Cultural Center is a community exhibition and classroom space. It aims to raise awareness of and encourage interest in art and humanities topics in the community. Exhibitions by local artists typically change every two months. Public activities take place in the classroom; crafts are also made there with groups as part of guided tours. In this way, the center combines changing art exhibitions with community and hands-on activities. If a particular exhibition could influence your travel plans, check in advance what will be on display during your travel dates.

Wetlands, Wildlife, and Park Highlights

Janie Eason Park features a butterfly garden. Se7en Wetlands Park is part of a 1,600-acre area in Mulberry made up of marshes, swamps, and lakes. At Se7en Wetlands, visitors can observe a variety of birds, including numerous migratory species, as well as alligators, otters, turtles, deer, snakes, and wild boars. If you’re choosing a nature-focused outing, there’s a clear difference: the butterfly garden is a named feature at Janie Eason Park, while Se7en Wetlands combines several types of wetlands with the possibility of seeing a wide range of wildlife. The starting point of the Gopher Tortoise Trail at Se7en Wetlands is accessible from Loyce E. Harpe Park.

Discover more destinations: Winter Haven, Fort Meade, Polk City, Lakeland, Lake Wales, Auburndale, Davenport, Haines City.

For the broader travel overview: Polk.