You’ll spend the first hour on I-4, a highway that feels like Florida’s spine—slightly chaotic, very alive, and dotted with billboards for alligator parks and all-you-can-eat buffets. Do not skip the exit for Plant City, especially between February and May. Grab a strawberry milkshake from a roadside stand; it’s the region’s unofficial welcome drink.
As you pass Lakeland, keep an eye out for the Dali-esque sculptures of Mickey Mouse and a giant orange. It’s a visual cue that you’re leaving the comfy suburbia of the west and entering theme park country—even if you’re not stopping at Disney World, the cultural residue of The Mouse is everywhere.
