By Sally Moe

Nestled between Florida's fabled coastlines is a whole 'nother country that some folks never see.

What a shame.

It's a sun-baked landscape of two-lane roads and ancient, sprawling live oaks laden with Spanish Moss. Of necklace-like arrangements of shimmering freshwater lakes, and orange groves as far as the eye can see.

This Florida has its own unique attractions. Winter Haven is home to Cypress Gardens, the state's first theme park, where Esther Williams cavorted back in the day. (Cypress Gardens will be making another cinematic appearance, this time in an upcoming John Cusack film.) Lake Wales is home to Historic Bok Sanctuary, with its fabulous 205-foot carillon tower-visible on the horizon for miles around-that looks like it was plucked from a Maxfield Parrish painting. And in Polk City, there's Fantasy of Flight, a one-of-a-kind aviation museum, where you can explore not only the history of flight, but the planes themselves, and maybe fly in one too, decked out in white scarf and aviator goggles, of course.

My husband Steve and I dug into these attractions during an excursion to the Best Western Admiral's Inn, in Winter Haven. All of them were surprisingly close to our hotel, but none so close as Cypress Gardens, just across the street and an easy shuttle hop away. That handy little shuttle not only saves you the hassles of driving and returning to a hot car, but a $7 parking fee as well.

Cypress Gardens Adventure Park, Winter Haven

Cypress Gardens is many things. It's a classic amusement park, with rides and coasters and snacking spots. It's Jubilee Junction, a shady, old-fashioned shopping village. It's a stunning botanical garden of native and exotic tropical flowers and plants (with a tropical bird aviary and Wings of Wonder, an enchanting butterfly arboretum). It's Splash Island, a bustling family water park for cooling, carefree summer fun. It's those dazzling water-ski shows, still going strong after all these years. And it's a concert venue for hot pop and country music acts to boot. But what the heck is that UFO thing? That would be Sunshine Sky Adventure, a slowly rotating flying-saucer-on-a-stick that takes you 160 ft. up into the sky for an eagle's-eye view-you'll see pretty much everything in the park, including the paddle boat Cypress Belle, which ferries passengers along Lake Eloise for air-conditioned, hour-long day or 90-minute dinner cruises.

Historic Bok Sanctuary

Whether it's the meandering gardens, the 205-foot sunset-hued carillon tower that falls somewhere between medieval and art deco, the pristine swans gliding in mirror-calm pools, or the ethereal harmonies of carillon music, Historic Bok Sanctuary is all about beauty. And you really haven't seen Florida until you've explored this national historic landmark in depth.

Permanent exhibits on sanctuary founder Edward Bok's accomplishments are on display at the Visitor Center, where an orientation video about the sanctuary can be viewed and tickets to concerts and docent-led tours purchased. The Tower & Garden Gift Shop and Carillon Café are next door; both are charming and worthy of a visit.

But the true miracle of this place is its gardens, the belltower and the music. This kind of beauty is life changing and it's in the middle of Florida. Who knew?

Fantasy of Flight

You can thank former two-time U.S. aerobatics champion Kermit Weeks for this art-deco treasure trove of vintage aircraft, restoration projects, flight simulators and 20th-century war and flight memorabilia. His is the largest private collection of aircraft in the world and a visit here is a delight. Be sure to catch the Backlot Tour for an in-depth exploration of just what's required to properly restore these historic flying machines. FYI: Between October and May, for around $58, you can tour the countryside from the seat of a 1929 New Standard D-25 biplane. You'll even get to don the white scarf and goggles. (For around $200, you can fly the 1942 Boeing Stearman PT-17 biplane trainer and do some of the piloting yourself. Reservations are suggested for this one.)

Weeks is passionate about aviation and his far-reaching plans for Fantasy of Flight promise a continuing evolution, so stay in touch via their e-newsletter; sign up on www.fantasyofflight.com.

And Finally, About the Hotel...

The Best Western Admiral's Inn saw some damage from the recent bounty of hurricanes, but has rebounded nicely with a number of renovations, particularly to the top floor, where our nonsmoking room was located. With its filtered light, whirlpool tub and ultra-comfortable king size bed, leaving the room occasionally required some motivation.

And we sure found it-in a luxuriously paced dinner at Antonio's Ristoranti on the hotel's second floor. In an atmosphere of posh comfort, muted candlelight and live piano music, we shared the Vegetarian Napoleon appetizer (a stack of portabello mushroom, eggplant, roasted red pepper and goat cheese). For the entree, Fruta de Mare, a mix of lobster tail, scallops and shrimp in a sundried-tomato lobster cream sauce, was as scrumptious as it sounded.

As for dessert-with such temptations as a tableside Cherries Jubilee for two (heavenly); Cappuccino Mousse in Grand Marnier; and Torte del Cioccolato, in blackberry reduction topped with chantilly cream-pacing yourself is recommended.

If you're still hungry the next morning, visit the hot Southern buffet for two at Baxter's, on the first floor. You'll find fresh biscuits, cheese grits, and sausage and eggs, as well as pastries and a waffle maker. Don't let it be said they didn't feed you!

Fortunately, there's a fitness room and an outdoor, Olympic-size swimming pool for working it off. So this visit needn't be the end of your wardrobe as you know it.

More like the beginning...of a deeper appreciation of Florida.

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