One Of Florida's Best-Kept Secrets Is An Awe-Inspiring Giant Tower Surrounded By Lush Gardens

Netherlands-born scholar Edward Bok and New York City architect Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. are the powerhouse duo who created one of the most majestic gardens in Central Florida: the enchanting Bok Tower Gardens. To this day, it remains a popular destination amongst visitors who know about it; the proof is in the reviews, with more than 2,470 critics giving the property an aggregate rating of 4.5 stars on TripAdvisor and honoring it as a 2024 Traveler's Choice. It's so impressive and beautiful, it should be added to the list of the best botanical gardens in America.

In addition to the tower, the property also sports a 20-room Mediterranean-style mansion, El Retiro, which translates to "The Retreat" in Spanish, sitting on the area's 7.5 acres of real estate. It looks as though it could be hidden on a hill overlooking Lake Como in 'the balcony of the Alps'. While it used to be home to Bethlehem Steel Executive Charles Austin Buck, these days, tourists are welcome to admire its preserved 1930s beauty.

The Singing Tower is the main attraction, a magnificent 205-foot structure whose architecture displays biblical meaning. Adam & Eve, along with different representations of life, including animal silhouettes, are etched in the structure's impressive stained-glass details. While it's a celebration of life, ironically, Edward Bok is buried at the base of the tower. But while the Singing Tower certainly stands out, there are many more attractions to be explored on the premises.

The Singing Tower has more to offer than its bright orange exterior. It's eight stories high, the top being the Bell Chamber, home to 60 bells that sound daily at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. You can see the ringing instruments from the seventh floor in the Playing Cabin, where a winding staircase leads down to the Carillon Studio. Below this is the Anton Brees Carillon Library, which has more than 7,500 literary and audio-visual pieces of media on its shelves. The fourth and third floors house the maintenance room and water cisterns, and the second floor is home to the research archives, where you can find artifacts like Bok's scrapbooks and correspondence between himself and Olmsted Jr. Finally, the first floor (pictured above) is the Founder's Room.

Step outside the tower and you'll find nature trails, their colorful flora and lush green fauna surrounding a pond full of lily pads, which results in an aesthetic similar to a Japanese botanical garden. A Japanese lantern sculpture was gifted to the Gardens in memorial of Bok from one of his former staff members, Usaburo Tsujita of Tokyo. The lantern symbolizes hope for world peace.

Seasonally, azaleas, camellias, and magnolias brighten the landscape and provide shelter for 126 bird species. While the Garden has Japanese inspiration, it also teeters the line of an "Old Florida" aesthetic, with mossy ancient oak trees similar to those found in Eden Gardens State Park on the Emerald Coast. The peaceful garden is the ultimate zen spot in Lake Wales.

Bok Tower Gardens is filled with history for visitors hungry to learn. It was created and curated in the '20s and '30s and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1993. You can find news articles and press releases from this period on the second floor of the Singing Tower, where you can also explore digital collections in the Bok Tower Gardens Digital Archives. Not only can you learn about the tower and the Olmsted Garden, but there are also collections from the El Retiro Estate that explain the furniture and home goods that made the mansion what it was back then.

The Park has a strong plan for conservation and renovation efforts, so guests can continuously revisit the property and learn how it came to be. The 2024 Garden's Project Activities is a full-fledged proposal devised to spruce up the area. Staff is currently making progress on the plan by leveling the 1928 seating fountain and restoring acres of weed plants to keep the area preserved and maintained like new.

Bok Tower Gardens might not be the first attraction you think of when visiting Florida, as the Sunshine State is mainly known for its sandy shores and crystal blue waves, but it's a slice of paradise that will keep you connected to nature. It's a place to shut off all distractions and quiet your mind. Additionally, you'll leave there having discovered another piece of the puzzle that makes Florida what it is today.