"It truly is the only Frank Lloyd Wright planetarium in the world, and indeed the universe that we're aware of," Florida Southern College president Jeremy Martin told LkldNow in September. The planetarium went up in the 1950s. It closed roughly two decades ago when its projection system failed, and it opened to the public again on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026.
That reopening is the headline of Lakeland's year, and it fits a pattern. Look down the list of places that opened in town since spring, and most of them moved into rooms Lakeland already knew: a 20-year-old dance hall on Highway 98, a former bistro on South Florida Avenue, a Lake Morton patio, a downtown music room. This year's new map of Lakeland sits on top of the old one.
The dome that waited twenty years
The Miller Planetarium is part of Wright's "Child of the Sun" collection on the Florida Southern campus. That collection went through a multi-year renovation starting in 2022 to fix structural problems, and the pandemic delayed the work. The restoration cost several million dollars. Part of the money came from Save America's Treasures, a National Park Service program.
The building looks the same, and the equipment inside is all new. Air conditioning is now built into the structure. A COSM digital projection system and a Bowen spatial sound system replace what LkldNow called the "eight-track technology" the dome used two decades ago. The college has six licensed shows and plans to rotate them about once a month. Each runs 23 to 30 minutes.
Here's what you need to know for an October visit:
- When: Shows run Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 3:30 p.m.
- What's playing: Oasis in Space plays Tuesdays and Saturdays, Oct. 6 through Oct. 31. God, Science & Search for Meaning is listed on Oct. 8, 11, 15, 18, 25 and 29.
- Tickets: Florida Southern lists tickets at $20 per person, or $15 per person for families and groups of four or more. LkldNow also reported an $18 senior price and free admission for Florida Southern students. Buy tickets online through the Florida Southern ticketing site. The opening Saturday sold out, so check availability before you go.
- Where to go: Check in at the Sharp Family Tourism and Education Center, 840 Johnson Ave. Staff walk visitors from there to the Polk Science Building. Visitor parking is across the street.
Programs for schools and organizations start in January.
Six addresses, six second acts
The planetarium is the oldest of this year's second acts. The rest follow the same pattern on a smaller scale.
| Address | What it used to be | What it is now | Opened |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4951 U.S. Highway 98 N. | Wild Greg's Saloon | City Limits Dance Hall | June 26 |
| Downtown, former Lkld Live space | Lkld Live | RecRoom's four duckpin lanes | June 15 |
| 850 S. Tennessee Ave. | Patio 850 | La Piñata | Weekends since late summer |
| 4715 S. Florida Ave. | Ovation Bar & Bistro | Margarita's Cocina Mexicana | July 17 |
| 1037 Dixieland Mall Ln. | Good Thyme | Wingnutz | May 14 |
| Florida Southern campus | Miller Planetarium, closed about 20 years | Miller Planetarium | Sept. 26 |
Margarita's opened quietly. Wingnutz opened after months of anticipation in the space behind Dixieland Mall. The other three are worth a closer look, because each new owner kept something from the old tenant.
What the new tenants kept
City Limits Dance Hall carries on what was already there. Daniel and Caroline Gay already ran the UPS Store in the same plaza. They bought the business from Greg Urban, who had run Wild Greg's locations around Florida for more than a decade. Their stated plan is to build on the country dance halls that have filled the building for about 20 years. The venue still has two rooms under one roof. The Dance Hall stays focused on line dancing, and The Outskirts now books live bands. Between 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., The Outskirts is open for drinks, pool and darts. Live music plays Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, a DJ takes Fridays, and Thursday is Ladies Night with dance lessons. The changes are mostly behind the scenes: a new sound system, new lighting, renovated restrooms, new bar equipment, and fresh paint and flooring.
La Piñata is a homecoming. Vincent Nacimos, 23, is one of the partners. He grew up in the area and used to eat at Patio 850, the restaurant that held the space before him. LkldNow called it "a full circle moment." The Michelin-trained team ran a series of outdoor pop-ups first, then started opening on weekends while they finished the space. The restaurant's website lists Saturday and Sunday hours of 4 to 9 p.m.
RecRoom made its new attraction fit a room built for something else. The duckpin space downtown used to be Lkld Live. The four lanes came with another full bar, bathrooms, seating and arcade games. Co-general manager Rosie Robinson explained the game: "your lanes are a little bit shorter, your balls are smaller and lighter, and your pins are on strings." She said she hopes the lighter balls will bring in more families. Weekday hours run from 4 p.m. to 2 a.m.
Downtown buildings still waiting
The same pattern explains two downtown buildings that haven't reopened yet. Both are waiting for their next tenant.
The Hartsell-Lohr Building at 108 E. Main St. changed owners on April 30, 2026. The new owner has talked about retail, a food hall and possibly a boutique hotel. As of June, those plans were still ideas.
A block away, the former Dart World at 201 E. Main St. is being renovated as Island Breeze Tiki Bar. Back in 2025, the owner aimed to open in spring 2026. A Sept. 17 restaurant roundup still listed it as "coming soon," and we couldn't find a newer opening date.
The exceptions built from scratch
A couple of this year's openings did start fresh, and both sit on the south side of town. The Makers Market & Farmacy opened in June at 4604 Cleveland Heights Blvd. By August it had more than 80 independent vendors. Concord Coffee opened July 1 inside Orlando Health Watson Clinic Lakeland Highlands Hospital, 4000 Lakeland Highlands Road. A new building got a new coffee bar.
The October calendar runs through familiar places too
The rest of the fall calendar happens in the same historic places: Munn Park, Lake Mirror, the Polk Theatre and Gandy Pool.
- Saturday, Oct. 10, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Downtown Lakeland plant pop-up sets up in Munn Park next to the Downtown Farmers Curb Market.
- Friday, Oct. 16, 5 to 9 p.m. The city's Great Pumpkin Splash comes to Gandy Pool, with a movie at 7 p.m.
- Friday through Sunday, Oct. 16 to 18. The Lake Mirror Classic runs three days: a hot-rod event Friday, the car show Saturday and a road tour Sunday.
- Oct. 24, 5 to 9 p.m. The Fall Night Market fills Kentucky Avenue with artisan vendors, food and live entertainment. The event page lists Oct. 24, but one calendar description says Saturday, Oct. 25, so confirm the date before you go.
- Oct. 30 and 31. The Lipstick Players host the Rocky Horror Picture Show Experience at the Polk Theatre. Doors open at 9 p.m., and the movie starts at midnight.
- Nov. 6. Downtown's First Friday theme is "Goin' Country."
If you want to hit both reopenings in one Saturday, you can do it in October. Catch the 3:30 p.m. Oasis in Space show at the planetarium, then drive to La Piñata, which opens at 4 p.m. on weekends.
Every opening in this post started with someone seeing value in a building Lakeland already had. If you'd like to know what your own Lakeland address is worth this fall, Omar Sanchez can walk you through it in English or Spanish. Start with a free home valuation, and Omar will follow up personally.
