Lake Wales sits in the rolling hills of central Florida's Polk County, surrounded by the citrus groves and lake-dotted landscape that defined this part of the state long before the theme parks arrived to the north. The town's main draw is Bok Tower Gardens, where a 205-foot Art Deco carillon tower rises from Iron Mountain — one of the highest points on the Florida peninsula — set in a Frederick Law Olmsted Jr.-designed garden that's genuinely peaceful.
Downtown Lake Wales has a quiet, small-town charm with a handful of shops and restaurants along its main strip. The Dixie Walesbilt Hotel on Park Avenue is a handsome 1926 Mediterranean Revival relic of the Florida land boom. Spook Hill, a few blocks away, is a genuine gravity hill where cars appear to roll uphill — absurd and irresistible. The surrounding area is old Florida at its most unhurried: backroads lined with live oaks, bass fishing on the nearby lakes, and a pace of life that makes Orlando feel like another planet. Lake Kissimmee State Park, fifteen miles east, is good for wildlife, birdwatching, and camping in the pine flatwoods.