Last Updated on July 6, 2022
We are huge fans of Bok Tower Gardens, a special Florida sanctuary, located in Central Florida less than an hour from the large theme parks. A visit to Bok Tower feels like taking a giant step back in time and is incredibly enjoyable for people of all ages. Bok Tower Gardens includes 50 acres of luscious vegetation as well as a 205-foot art deco Singing Tower Carillon, and a Mediterranean-style home called the Pinewood Estate.
During the heyday of the COVID-19 pandemic, you could enjoy a carillon concert from Bok Tower Gardens from the comfort of your home no matter where you live. We shared a lot of these concerts on our Authentic Florida Facebook page.
Although the virtual carillon concerts are not happening as often now that things have returned to a new, post-pandemic “normal”, we wanted to encourage you to follow the Bok Tower Gardens Facebook page and/or subscribe to the Bok Tower newsletter on their website to stay on top of future concerts. We hope they will bring back their “Name That Tune” concerts.
Who was Edward Bok
Edward Bok was 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. He eventually became publisher of the popular Ladies Home Journal. He was also a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and an advocate 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. He often hiked to the nearby Iron Mountain, a 298-foot hill, where he also enjoyed a panoramic vista from one of Florida’s highest elevations. During the evening, he cherished his strolls through the tall pines and the Florida sandhill scrub. He particularly enjoyed the peace, tranquility, stunning Florida sunsets, and the plethora of birds and wildlife.
Bok was inspired to make the world more beautiful
Guided by his family’s philosophy to “make the world more beautiful”, Bok created 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, who transformed the property by creating a subtropical garden in a woodland setting with scenic vistas and calming areas for personal reflection.
The Bok Tower & Carillon
The centerpiece 205-foot bell tower is pink and gray Georgia marble and Florida coquina rock and is equipped with 60 bronze bells. Considered one of the finest carillons in the country, the Bok Tower carillon concerts are at 1 and 3 pm daily.
Bok Tower and Reflection Pond
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 Bok Tower Carillon concert is played from a keyboard while the bells remain stationary (within a frame) and played as the player depresses the keys, which are 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 and perhaps find a seat to pause for a moment in the bucolic setting.
Inside the tower are several floors connected by an elevator. Within the building at various levels are antique furnishings, a fireplace, elaborate ceramic tile flooring, a library and archives, a recording studio, and space dedicated to the bells.
Great Brass Door, The Bok Tower
On the north side is the stunning Great Brass Door. It is engraved with a detailed depiction of the Book of Genesis. On the opposite side of the reflecting pool is the sundial or “gnomon”. This indicates the time by casting a shadow on the dial face with the hours marked by the 12 signs of the zodiac.
Bok Tower & Carillon
What clearly sets Bok Tower Gardens apart from other “real” Florida adventures is the exquisitely maintained property. It welcomes visitors through its beauty and tranquility. Overall, this legendary Central Florida icon will not disappoint and is well worth a day’s visit.
Tips for your trip: Allow 4 hours for your time at Bok Gardens. If you want to bring your lunch it is a superb place to enjoy a picnic. The restaurant, the Blue Palmetto Café, also provides delicious meals. Lots of healthy options.
There is an unattended “pet pen” that is on-site for a nominal fee. No pets are allowed in the gardens (except on special days).
NOTE: Bok Tower Gardens offers FREE summer days via a partnership with Wawa, but those days sell out fast which is exactly what happened in 2022.