Last Updated on December 10, 2023
Bok Tower Gardens Christmas Celebrations are some of the most beautiful you will experience in Central Florida. Read on to find out what they have to offer this holiday season.
Bok Tower Gardens Christmas
Bok Tower Gardens is a favorite Authentic Florida destination any time of year, but at Christmastime, there is a special allure.
The gardens are alive with colorful holiday displays of poinsettia, bromeliad, and amaryllis. Additionally, the Carillon Tower resonates with the carols of the season. It’s a place where heaven and nature sing.
Special activities include concerts, winter walking tours, decorating workshops, family activities, and more.
All ages will find something to enjoy during Christmas at Bok Tower Gardens. Many visitors return to see the holiday displays year after year.
For those who have never experienced Bok Tower Gardens, this is one of the best times to visit the National Historic Landmark. Events and festivities take place into early January.
Where is Bok Tower Gardens?
Located in the heart of Central Florida, between Tampa and Orlando near Lake Wales, the Bok Tower Gardens includes 157 acres of luscious gardens.
It also includes a 205-foot art deco Singing Tower Carillon, and the 20-room 1930’s Mediterranean-style Pinewood Estate.
Who was Edward Bok?
It all started with Edward Bok, a Dutch immigrant who came to the U.S. in 1869 at six with his family.
Unable to speak English as a young boy, Bok worked tirelessly, starting as an office boy in the Western Union Telegraph Company and eventually becoming 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.
Guided by his family’s philosophy of “leaving the world more beautiful”, Bok was inspired to create a magnificent space for serenity, beauty, music, and peaceful contemplation. The result – Bok Tower Gardens.
The Bok Tower & Carillon
One special spot is the Bok Tower’s magnificent reflection pond at the base of the tall structure. Surrounded by ferns, palms, shady oaks, pines, and an abundance of flowers, the picturesque canvas of flora and fauna transforms with every season.
The 205-foot bell tower is comprised of pink and gray Georgia marble and Florida coquina rock. It’s equipped with 60 bronze bells. Considered one of the finest carillons in the country, Christmas 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 plays from a keyboard while the bells remain stationary (within a frame) and play as the player depresses the keys. The keys connect to clappers by wires.
The Pinewood Estates
This 20-room 1932 Mediterranean-style home is a real charmer all decked out in its holiday splendor.
Built for Charles Austin Buck, an associate of landscaper Olmstead and a Bethlehem Steel Vice President, the 13,000-square-foot home has all the amenities with a barrel-tile roof, carved doors and woodwork, and beautifully designed ironwork.
The architecture, landscape, and period furniture make it worthwhile, even with the additional entrance fee. Landscape designer William Lymar Phillips, the creator of the Fairchild Tropical Gardens, created a stunning tropical oasis and a haven for the Bucks.
Do yourself a favor and get in a holiday mood by visiting this truly special Authentic Florida place.
Bok Tower Gardens Schedule and details:
Bok Tower Gardens is open 365 days a year from 8 am – 6 pm, with the last admission at 5 pm. (The Gardens open at 10 am on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day).
The Visitor Center, Blue Palmetto Cafe, and Shop at Bok are open daily from 9 am – 5 pm.
Adult admission is $20, Children (ages 5-12) are $10, Children under 5 are free, and Dogs are $10.
According to their admissions page, Bok Tower is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day this year.