The Polk County courthouse (Bartow location) is in downtown Bartow. It happens to be one of (if not the) tallest buildings in the city and therefore is fairly recognizable from afar. There is currently construction going on around the courthouse so giving yourself some extra time for traffic would be wise.
Once you get ready to park you have your choice of several parking lots. The “green lot” is the closest parking lot to the main entrance but fills up quickly. The “red lot” is behind the green lot and usually has more available parking. There are security guards and x ray machines to maneuver in order to get to the main lobby.
Once in the main lobby you may feel slightly overwhelmed. There will be a main information desk directly in front of you. Restrooms are on either side of the building (ladies to the left and gentlemen to the right). Above the information desk are television screens streaming case names, numbers, assigned judges and room numbers. There are arrows directing you to which elevator you need to take to get to the correct floor. Make sure you go to the correct color (red or blue) elevator bank so you don’t get lost. For most cases you won’t know what courtroom to go to until the day before. The Judges are constantly rotating through the courtrooms so it is wise to call the clerk of court the day before your hearing and/or check the television monitors when you arrive. To the right of you is a small cafeteria area where you can go to wait for your party to arrive or grab something small to eat. To the left of you is a long corridor with the clerk of court and other administrative offices.