Bok Tower Gardens

Bok Tower Gardens, a National Historic Landmark near Lake Wales about 30 minutes south of Winter Haven, is one of the most quietly beautiful places in Florida. The 60-metre neo-Gothic and Art Deco tower rises from the highest point on the Florida peninsula — the dramatic Iron Mountain, a full 98 metres above sea level — and is surrounded by 50 acres of gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., son of the man who designed Central Park.

The carillon inside the tower holds 60 bells ranging from 16 kg to 11 tonnes, and recitals are performed daily at 1pm and 3pm. The sound rolling across the gardens and reflecting off the nearby lake is extraordinary. The gardens themselves are full of azaleas, camellias, magnolias, and native Florida plants. This is an underrated destination that most Orlando visitors never discover.

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A story
Bok Tower was a gift from Edward Bok, a Dutch-born publisher who won the Pulitzer Prize and became one of the most influential editors in American journalism. He donated the tower and gardens to the people of the United States in 1929, saying: "Make you the world a bit more beautiful and better because you have lived in it." The tower was dedicated by President Calvin Coolidge three days before the stock market crash of 1929, and the carillon has played daily ever since.