Music, beautiful gardens, knowledgeable staff, and a setting that will take your breath all work together to make Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales a worthwhile visit. While you’re there, it’s well worth learning about their rare plant conservation program, and you may want to consider a membership as well. The Gardens have frequent special events, and provide a beautiful spot to breathe and enjoy splendid scenery in a national historic park.
Edward Bok was an immigrant to the United States from the Netherlands, and grew up to be an author and very successful editor. He edited Ladies Home Journal for 30 years, and then retired. He was an anti-suffragist, believing that women belonged in the home and should neither vote nor be educated. I won’t belabor that point, but did find it very interesting that a man so well-regarded held these antiquated views. I suppose they were not antiquated in his time.
The gardens are located on the Lake Wales Ridge. Many years ago, when most of our state was under water, the Lake Wales Ridge was a series of islands. Now, the ridge comprises some of Florida’s oldest habitat, and stretches from Clermont south to Sebring. Because it is land that is high and dry, by Florida standards, the land is highly regarded by developers. The view from Bok Tower Gardens is highly unusual because there are still large expanses of undeveloped and grove lands.
In 1921, Mr. Bok bought the land at the top of the area known as Iron Mountain, and retained Frederick Law Olmstead, Jr., to design the garden. Work began digging the trenches that would house irrigation pipes, and thousands of loads of rich soil were brought in to create the right conditions for this subtropical garden. Interpretive signs throughout the garden tell the story of how the gardens and the Singing Tower came to be. The park was originally named Bok Mountain Lake Sanctuary and Singing Tower.
The tower houses a 60 bell carillon with the bells ranging in weight from 16 pounds to over TEN TONS! Every day at 1 and 3 pm, a concert is presented, and on the hour and half hour, short selections are played. Live concerts by carilloneur Geert D’hollander can be heard from October to May on Thursday-Sunday. There is a viewing area where you may watch video of D’hollander playing, but you can hear the music throughout the entire 250 acre park. The concerts include Americana, standards, and contemporary selections.
The visitor center houses great exhibits providing background on the construction of the gardens, Bok’s career and philosophy, and plant conservation. There is also a good exhibit on the carillon tower and how it works.
On the day we visited, the furry buds of Japanese Magnolia (pictured above) had opened into glorious pink blooms. These flowers demand that you walk a bit slower and breathe a bit deeper to fully appreciate their beauty and aroma.
There is much more to explore at the Gardens. There is a native plant area, a children’s area with the coolest sandbox ever (it’s a snake!), an outdoor kitchen that is often used by UF/IFAS to present classes. . .oh, and the Exedra. The Exedra is, I think, my favorite feature. An Exedra is an outdoor seating area, usually semicircular in shape. The Bok Exedra is marble, and was a gift to Bok from neighbors who appreciated his garden.
The Exedra is a great place to enjoy a shady interlude. I’ve always thought it would be fun to bring a book or some needlework and sit here for several hours. It also looks like a good spot from which to enjoy a sunset.
You are welcome to picnic on the grounds, or you can get a good lunch at the Blue Palmetto Cafe. There is a 3.5 mile hiking trail on Bok property, but outside the gardens. I’ve not yet hiked it, but it’s part of the plan for my next visit.
I may not like Bok’s view of women, but I appreciate his view of Florida and the wonders of Iron Mountain. Bok Tower Gardens is one of my favorite places to visit again and again.