LAKELAND, Fla. (WFLA) – After years of development, and a slight delay to clean up from Hurricane Ian, Bonnet Springs Park is almost ready to welcome guests.

The grand opening for the park is Oct. 22 and 23.

“Ian kind of hurt us a little bit. We lost about a week of work cleaning up the storm damage. We had some old trees that fell, unfortunately,” said Josh Henderson, CEO of Bonnet Springs Park.

The 168-acre property in the northwest quadrant of Lakeland was a railway site a century ago.

“It was abandoned and it was an environmentally damaged piece of land,” said Henderson. “If you looked around now, you would never know it.”

The park, which is free to explore once it opens, includes playground areas, a nature center, a botanical garden, a lagoon with boat access and a butterfly garden.

“We would like to be known as the Central Park of Central Florida so this is very much a regional destination. Not just for Lakeland, not just for Polk County. But we want everyone to come out and escape, engage and explore at Bonnet Springs Park.”

It is also the new home of the Florida Children’s Museum, which was previously Exploration V Children’s Museum in downtown Lakeland for 30 years.

The new facility is more than double the size of the downtown location.

“They are going to see some things here that are reminiscent of the exhibits that existed in the downtown location and some very brand new experiences,” said Julie Ward, chief learning officer at Florida Children’s Museum.

Admission to the museum is $15 per person. It opens Nov. 4.

The Carole Jenkins Barnett United Way Children’s Resource Center, and the Success by Six program, are housed in the same building as the museum.

The program offers classes to families in need, with a focus on children up to 6 years old. You can learn more about Success by Six on the United Way of Central Florida’s website.

“We just feel like it’s a wonderful opportunity for enrichment because children and families can come to our classes and programs and then attend the museum and then they can enjoy the rest of their day at this beautiful park,” said Gretchen Ceranic, director of Success by Six.

The schedule for the opening of Bonnet Springs Park, including musical performances by Hunter Hayes and The Band Perry, can be found on the official Bonnet Springs Park website.