Lake Placid is part of Highlands County, the ''Caladium Capital of the World'' and producer of 99 percent of these leafy plants. Caladiums have been grown in Lake Placid since the 1940s, where they thrive thanks to the terrain. Lake Placid sits on a peat bog which is little more than mucky, acidic soil -- the ideal breeding ground for caladium bulbs.

SEND IN THE CLOWNS

Surprisingly, Lake Placid has the most resident clowns of any town in Florida. My stroll took me past Toby's Clown School, which has graduated more than 800 clowns since 1990, and to a mural on Main Avenue depicting three of its alumni: Keith Stokes, Ora Mae Meggitt, and Dick Meggitt.

Leaving Lake Placid, I headed into Sebring to visit Highlands Hammock State Park. One of Florida's first state parks, this verdant forest has nine nature trails including an elevated boardwalk through a cypress swamp dotted with the oddly-shaped stumps known as ''Cypress Knees.'' Near dusk, I was lucky enough to spot a family of deer near the main road. The park is also home to otter, foxes, and the rare Florida black bear.

Looping around the Frontier and heading west, I came to the most surreal and whimsical of its attractions. Solomon's Castle is a shining aluminum structure that's part fairy tale, part artistic experiment, and completely unexpected in its quiet surroundings in Ona.

Small as castles go, it is testament to the fact that one man's junk is another man's treasure. In sculptor Howard Solomon's case, this booty consists mainly of recycled car parts and odds and ends. Solomon has made a career out of molding scrap metal into works of art.

As he guided us past a pair of white and black suits of armor (Knight and Day) to his sculpture galleries, he pointed out creations from mummified mermaids to Solomon's take on Picasso.

I next drove southeast to State Road 70 to Arcadia, an old railroad town now known for its antiques shops and well-preserved colonial architecture. I spent a pleasant half-hour strolling West Oak Street and admiring buildings like the pink Arbor Reception Hall, which was built in 1926.

Continuing on SR-70, I came to quiet, oak-lined LaBelle. Located on the banks of the Caloosahatchee River, the town is home to Fort Denaud Bridge, one of the last remaining swing bridges in Florida.

THE SWEET LIFE

From here, it was a straight shot east on Route 80 to Clewiston, known as ''America's Sweetest Town'' thanks to the sugar industry, which has been in operation here since 1929. Clewiston's fortunes are in the midst of a great change. U.S. Sugar has reached a deal to sell its fields to the state for Everglades restoration. The residents of Clewiston, whose lives have been intertwined with sugar for more than 70 years, now find themselves in a state of reinvention.

Fortunately, the town has at least two sound resources to build around: the stately Clewiston Inn, and the ''Big O.'' I spent a cozy night at the inn, enjoying the heavy polished wood furniture and throwback décor of the building, which was built in 1938 and has been meticulously restored by new owners Floyd Salkey and Yasir Khan.

The next morning I went out on Lake Okeechobee with captain Terry Garrels of Big O Airboat Tours. We spotted osprey, roseate spoonbills, and even a bald eagle, along with dozens of sunbathing alligators.

My tour of the Freshwater Frontier introduced me to a network of close-knit communities that have struggled but survived the roller-coaster evolution of the state. Its agricultural bounty, small-scale tourism and Old Florida spirit have seen it through lean years and repeated reinvention. And its combination of wild marshlands, glittering lakes, and charming towns makes it uniquely appealing to anyone who likes to meander off the beaten path.

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