🌺 Gardens & wildlife

Bok Tower Gardens

Lake Wales, FL · Central Florida

About

Bok Tower Gardens crowns Iron Mountain, one of the highest points on the Florida peninsula, with a 205-foot art deco and neo-Gothic Singing Tower rising above 50 acres of woodland gardens in Lake Wales. The tower's 60-bell carillon plays daily concerts, its sound carrying over a reflecting pool that mirrors the whole spire. Visit in late winter for peak camellia and azalea bloom.

Highlights

The 205-foot Singing Tower, a National Historic Landmark, with a 60-bell carillonDaily carillon concerts at 1 and 3 p.m. with hourly clock selectionsReflecting pool that mirrors the full towerPinewood Estate, a 20-room 1930s Mediterranean-style mansion you can tourFifty acres of camellias, azaleas, and live oaks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.

Getting there

1151 Tower Boulevard, Lake Wales, FL 33853

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