Walking Club: Exploring Lakeland’s Se7en Wetlands

Many of us are looking for ways to be active while also staying socially distanced from others. That is why Sarah Phinney started a ‘Walking Club’ to highlight some hidden, and some not so hidden, trails across the Tampa Bay area that are great places for you and your family to check out.

Se7en Wetlands is the newest City of Lakeland park. It is unlike any other place we visited so far on Walking Club. The former phosphate mining site is now a constructed treatment wetland. It opened to the public in 2018. You can now enjoy miles of trails with beautiful views of lakes, swamps and marshes. Here is what you need to know before you try it out.

What’s the backstory?

The history of Se7en Wetlands dates back a century. It was a phosphate mine beginning in the 1920s. Operations ceased in the early 1980s. The City of Lakeland purchased the land in 1985 to turn it into a constructed treatment wetland. It essentially provides final polishing for all of the City’s wastewater.