Bok Tower (Lake Wales)

 

 

Bok Tower and Gardens is an interesting day trip from the Space Coast.  The tower itself is built on one of Florida's few high points called Iron Mountain.  The tower houses a 60 bell carillon and is known as the singing tower.  There is a reflecting pond near the tower with swans and beautiful flowers. 




The rest of the gardens is a constantly changing, blooming flower garden and bird sanctuary.  It is worth a nice walk around on any sunny day. 

Events are being held at the gardens year round.  Many involve musical concerts.  Some are for children to learn and explore.  Others involve learning gardening techniques.  Whatever your interest, you are likely to find an event at Bok Tower and Gardens.

It is also a beautiful venue for a wedding or other event.  The information for renting their facilities is available on their website.  There is also a café that caters and a gift shop on the property.

Along with hiking trails, gardens, and bird watching, there are several opportunities to geocache on the property.  Geocaching is a popular outdoor treasure hunting game using GPS-enabled devices (you can get an app for your smart phone to participate). Participants navigate to a specific set of GPS coordinates and then attempt to find the geocache (container) hidden at that location.
The rules are very simple:

1. Take something from the cache.
2. Leave something in the cache.
3. Write about your find in the log book.
4. Log your experience at www.geocaching.com

I enjoy geocaching as it provides an opportunity to see a place I might have overlooked in just walking around an area, including in these gardens.

Tips:  Check the website events calendar before you go.  The gardens are open every day, but you might be able to see something extra special with a little planning.

Bring water to drink and pack a picnic lunch!  There are specified picnic areas on the grounds.

Pets are not allowed in the gardens; however, they do have a place for pets to stay during your visit.

Most areas of the park are accessible and a shuttle is available during specific times of year.

Website:  https://boktowergardens.org/