Last Updated on August 15, 2023
Visiting Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida is a must for your next Florida road trip or getaway. This place is more than just a beautiful garden between orange groves.
It’s the perfect place for kids and adults of all ages to unplug from the day-to-day grind and enjoy a leisurely walk.
Visiting Bok Tower Gardens
Located in the heart of Central Florida, between Tampa and Orlando near Lake Wales, Bok Tower Gardens includes 50 acres of luscious vegetation and a 205-foot art deco Singing Tower Carillon.
Bok Tower Gardens also has a Mediterranean-style home called the El Retiro / Pinewood Estate.
Your Visit to this Historic Landmark
Authentic Florida’s Garden of Eden is apparent from the moment you drive through the entrance gate, passing acres of orange groves and nature preserve with hiking trails.
The Bok Tower Gardens Visitor Center provides an excellent property overview to begin your journey.
Docents are eager to share information, furnish a map, and direct you to the theatre for a short background video.
On your way to the gardens, you’ll see the “What is Blooming” display with cuttings from flowers you’re likely to notice during your walk – complete with their common and botanical names.
After roaming through the gardens, make sure to return to the exhibit hall, the gift shop, garden shop, and the restaurant.
The Gardens
The self-guided tour begins with the River of Stone, a pebble pathway through the center. It showcases 30 species of epiphytes, commonly known as air plants, because they receive moisture and nutrients from the air.
A display of air plants strung with transparent wire creates a beautiful “floating” effect.
From here, it’s a perfect time to “decompress” and take it “down a notch.” The pathway leads you through beautiful flora and fauna; all you have to do is stroll along and take it all in.
Be sure to sit down at a few of the many benches along the way, take deep breaths, and relax. Or bring a book with you.
You’ll get to the Tower in plenty of time – and the periodic music from the carillon makes your slow pace even more enjoyable. Stick around if you want to meet the Carillonneur.
Meander along the pathway to the reflection pool that mirrors the tower. It’s a great place to take a photo.
It’s surrounded by huge oaks, draping palms, and plenty of native plants that add to the authentic Florida ambiance.
The pathways, the tower, the pool, and the reflections of the trees and sky make a postcard-perfect photograph.
Nearby is the Exedra, a shady sitting area and the location for Bok’s inspiration to develop the property while viewing sunsets.
You might also take the time to enjoy the diversity of birds (126 species) found in the garden.
The Bok Tower Carillon
The centerpiece 205-foot bell tower comprises pink and gray Georgia marble and Florida coquina rock. It is equipped with 60 bronze bells.
It is considered one of the finest carillons in the country. The concerts are at 1 and 3 pm daily.
So What is a Carillon?
According to the Bok Tower website, a “carillon is a musical instrument consisting of at least 23 cast bronze bells that are precisely tuned and arranged in chromatic progression so that music in any key can be played”.
The carillon is played from a keyboard while the bells remain stationary (within a frame) and play as the player depresses the keys connected to clappers by wires.
The Tower is not available for public tours, but its spectacular artistic and detailed design is worth admiring from the outside.
You’ll want to circumnavigate the tower and the garden areas to admire the vistas.
Be sure to find a seat to pause momentarily in the rural setting. It’s so peaceful and serne.
Inside the tower are several floors connected by an elevator.
At various levels, the building has antique furnishings, a fireplace, elaborate ceramic tile flooring, a library and archives, a recording studio, and a space dedicated to the bells.
On the north side is the stunning Great Brass Door engraved with a detailed depiction of the Book of Genesis.
On the opposite side of the reflecting pool is the sundial or “gnomon,” which indicates the time by casting a shadow on the dial face with the hours marked by the 12 signs of the zodiac.
Window by the Pond
Sacred and chapel-like, this covered setting overlooks a pond filled with wildlife. Enjoy the birds, reptiles, butterflies, and more in this natural habitat.
Endangered Plant Garden
This features a display of Florida’s rare flora that is becoming increasingly threatened due to habitat loss.
El Retiro/Pinewood Estate
The 20-room 1930’s Mediterranean style home is open for tours and is a real charmer.
Built for Charles Austin Buck, an associate of landscaper Olmsted and a Bethlehem Steel Vice President, the 13,000-square-foot home has all the amenities with a barrel-tile roof, carved doors, woodwork, and beautifully designed ironwork.
The architecture, landscape, and period furniture make it worthwhile, even with the additional entrance fee.
Landscape designer, and associate of Olmsted, William Lymar Phillips, creator of the Fairchild Tropical Gardens, developed a stunning tropical oasis and a haven for the Bucks.
Make sure to visit the “El Retiro” (aka Pinewood Estate) during the holiday season. It gets a holiday overlay to make it even more special to see.
Visiting El Retiro has a separate fee.
Admission is $7 per adult ($5 children ages 5-12), and general admission to Bok Tower Gardens is required.
It is open from 10 pm to 4 pm, Tuesday through Sunday from November 1st to April 30th. It’s closed on Mondays.
From May 1st to October 31st it is open 11 am to 3 pm, Tuesday through Sunday. It’s closed on Mondays.
NOTE: El Retiro has stairs leading to the home’s second floor and is not fully accessible by wheelchair or stroller. Due to the nature and design of the house, an elevator is not available.
Pine Ridge Preserve Nature Trail
Long ago when most of Florida was underwater, the Lake Wales Ridge (298 feet above sea level) was above water.
As a result, many plants and animals became unique to the ridge. They can only be found here and nowhere else.
The ecosystem of longleaf pine and sandhill plants also makes this walk a “real Florida” ¾ mile hike.
Spring is the best time to see the Azaleas, Camellias, and Magnolias! However, there are not really any bad times as the gardens are blooming year-round.
During the holidays, the grounds and home are beautifully appointed with decorations making it a delightful time to visit.
What clearly sets Bok Tower Gardens apart from other “real” Florida adventures is that the property is exquisitely maintained. It welcomes visitors through its beauty and tranquility.
This legendary Central Florida icon will not disappoint and is worth a day’s visit.
Tips for your trip:
- Allow at least 4 hours for your time at Bok Gardens.
- If you also want to bring your lunch, it is a superb place to enjoy a picnic!
- The Blue Palmetto Café provides delicious meals and has expanded its space.
- An unattended “pet pen” is on-site for a nominal fee.
- No pets are allowed in the gardens (except on special days).
Hammock Hollow Children’s Garden
Several gardens have opened up in the past few years, including the much anticipated Hammock Hollow Children’s Garden.
The Hammock Hollow Children’s Garden features a multi-sensory experience for children.
Children can climb on a spider web, act on their stage, play music, splash in the water, and so much more.
If you plan a trip to the gardens with your children, plan time for them to play in this area.
History of Bok Tower Gardens and Edward Bok
It all started with Edward Bok, a Dutch immigrant who came to the U.S. in 1869 at the age of six.
Unable to speak English as a young boy, Bok worked tirelessly and fastidiously as an office boy in the Western Union Telegraph Company.
Bok eventually became the publisher of the popular magazine Ladies Home Journal.
He was also a Pulitzer Prize-winning author advocating for the environment and world peace.
A dedicated humanitarian, he wanted to “give something back” to the country that gave him so much.
While growing up, Bok visited Central Florida’s Lake Wales, often hiking to the nearby Iron Mountain, a 298-foot hill, where he enjoyed a panoramic vista from one of Florida’s highest elevations.
He cherished his strolls through the tall pines and the Florida sandhill scrub during the evening.
He particularly enjoyed the peace, tranquility, stunning Florida sunsets, and the plethora of birds and wildlife.
Guided by his family’s philosophy to “make the world more beautiful,” Bok was inspired to create a magnificent space for serenity, beauty, music, and peaceful contemplation.
Bok eventually purchased the property and envisioned a Carillon tower surrounded by luscious gardens.
Such a place would remind him of the musical sounds of his native Holland while incorporating the natural beauty of his new homeland into a serene and beautiful garden.
To realize his dream, he employed Frederick Olmsted, Jr., a landscape architect. Olmsted, Jr transformed the property by creating a subtropical garden in a woodland setting with scenic vistas and calming areas for personal reflection.
Bok Tower Gardens Tickets and Hours of Operation
Bok Tower Gardens is open 365 days a year from 8 AM to 6:00 PM.
The visitor center, cafe, and shop are open daily from 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM.
Ticket pricing is as follows:
- Adult Admission – $17
- Child Admission (ages 5-12) $5
- Children under 5 are free
- Dogs are $5
Active duty military with proper I.D. (Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Marines, National Guard, and Reserve members) receive free Gardens general admission every day of the year.
In addition, active military members may bring four additional friends and family members who will be admitted at half-price.
Tickets include:
- Single-day admission to select Garden areas
- 3.5-mile Pine Ridge Preserve hiking trail.
- (Access to Garden areas is subject to change without notice.)
TIPS:
- If you drive an electric vehicle, they have power stations.
- The Front Desk in the Visitor Center also has a free Sensory Kit which is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Sensory Kit includes noise-cancelling headphones, crayons, paper, and fidgets.
- Mobility carts are available for rent from The Shop at Bok for $10 hr/$30 half day/$60 full day.
- A limited number of wheelchairs are also available upon request.
- To reserve a mobility cart or wheelchair, inquire at The Shop at Bok upon arrival.
Bok Tower Gardens is committed to making the Garden experience accessible to all who visit.
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