You may recognize the 60 iconic swan statues found around Lakeland but do you know where they came from? While our real local swans arrived 100+ years ago, their fiberglass counterparts flocked to Swan City in 2002.
The statues first arrived during Swansation, a public art project held to raise funds for Explorations V Children’s Museum, now known as Florida Children’s Museum.
Businesses originally paid $3,000-$20,000 for the swans, then had artists and students decorate each snaw in a unique style. They were displayed downtown before being auctioned off and relocated in 2003.
Readers have submitted swans all the way from Lakeland Regional Health to SPCA Florida, and even one in Winter Haven. Today, you can find them all over town, and we’ve even created a map to help you track them down but there are only 40 entries so far. Do you know where any others are? Snap a photo and add it in. Good luck, Swan City.