Bok Tower and its gardens are located about an hour outside of Orlando in Lake Wales, Florida. I had been to visit years and years ago, so long ago that I barely remember it and had thought for all these years that the tower was a lighthouse and not a carillon.
The carillon bells play ever half hour and the sounds resonate throughout the gardens, which are the best in Florida for getting a glimpse of native Florida flora and fauna. Edward Bok (the editor of Ladies Home Journal) built the tower and gardens in the early 1900s. The tower is one of the most well crafted buildings I've seen in terms of detail and design work.
Here's some more pictures from around the garden. I hope that it can entice you to visit next time you're in our area. It's a great way to spend half a day and play with your camera!
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| My dad and I at the entrance. |
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| These old Florida trees were everywhere and dripping with beautiful moss. |
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| Close-up of the singing tower. |
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| John and I at the reflection pond. |
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| The first waterlily I've ever seen. |
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| Heavy brass doors lead into the tower...tell the story of Adam and Eve. |
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| The koi in the pond were ginormous, and very hungry. I almost touched one... :) |
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| These lily pads were huge (about 3 to 4 feet across) and covered with spines underneath. |
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| This mushroom was straight out of a fairytale. |
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| Rows and rows of Florida citrus trees. |
Which is your favorite picture from my day at Bok Tower?
I love the waterlily photo!
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures Hannah!!! The fish one creeped me out a little, lol :)
ReplyDeletethat is absolutely gorgeous! its fun to discover places like this in florida which i didnt know existed! i love the photo with the spanish moss hanging from the trees. i find spanish moss to be so peaceful and beautiful for some reason!
ReplyDeleteThat place looks amazing! It reminds me of Shrek for some reason! lol
ReplyDeleteThe door, with the reflection on the water is my favorite. ... Breathtaking. If I am ever in FL, I will definitely make it a point to come see Bok Tower Gardens!
ReplyDeleteThat fish is HUGE! Wow! What pretty pics!
ReplyDeleteAmy and Jenna- I'll pass that on to my husband. He took a lot of these pics and was so excited about it! We had just gotten our new 55-200 zoom lens and he had a blast playing with it!
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos! I love the door reflecting photo the most. Wish I could see the tale it tells.
ReplyDeleteOmigosh, this is like my DREAM spot. Wow! I didn't know that there was a place like that anywhere in the U.S.! That's almost worth the trip to Florida by itself.
ReplyDeleteTrivia for the day: Waterlilies and lotus flowers look very similar but have a few important differences; the most noticeable being that waterlilies float on the surface of the water while lotus flowers are emergent, meaning the flowers and leaves come up from under the water to the surface. Just learned that last week!
I don't know if I can pick a single picture as my favorite but those lily pads don't even look REAL! Wow.
Wow that mushroom is crazy! And I really like the giant lily pads! But you have all great pictures :)
ReplyDeleteThose gardens are just dreamy!!! I love all the hanging moss, so gorgeous!!! Beautiful photos.
ReplyDeleteHa, that fish's mouth is huge!! Funny and kinda scary at the same time. And I love the pic of moss dripping off the trees. Beautiful!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! And this totally looks like it should be some where other than the US. What a neat find!
ReplyDeleteRachel- The weirdest thing about those koi fish is that they have no teeth at all!
ReplyDeleteTHAT IS LIKE A LILLIE PAD ON STEROIDS!!!!!
ReplyDeletethat tree looks really cool! and haha yeah koi is fun eh they just keep eating and eating, great pics!
ReplyDeleteWow! This place is really dreamy!
ReplyDeleteI'd like to go there someday!
Beautiful pics!
xoxo
S
http://s-fashion-avenue.blogspot.com
Stunning photos! The hanging moss pic is definitely my favourite! I would love to see what it looks like at night with a full moon!
ReplyDeleteWow, these are gorgeous pics. The hanging moss and the brass door are my two fave pics. Great blog!!!!
ReplyDeletelove the koi photo- never heard of this place but I'll add it to my places to visit.
ReplyDeleteGiant lily pads and koi fish - what a magical place!
ReplyDeletewow, beautiful photos!
ReplyDeletethis place looks amazing and those water lilies are huge, the mushrooms too! thanks for sharing your photos. meg
ReplyDeletethat fish picture is SO COOL!!!! it made me laugh and i love it.
ReplyDeleteThese images are beautiful!! I love the koi fish and the waterlilly!
ReplyDeleteSO happy you tried the blueberry bread and liked it! :)
these gardens look amazing! i never knew lily pads could grow to be so large and that koi fish is something else!
ReplyDeletegreat detail shots, those door that tell the story of adam and eve remind me of the ... well the doors on the bapitism in florence, italy that tell the story of... the bible? eh, details are hazy but i love doors like that
ReplyDeletethe koi fish's mouth looks so funny!
I grew up near there and went when I was a kid but didn't remember much. You took some great photos and I'd love to go back!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely place! I love the moss on the trees and the lily pads...just so magical :)
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful views!
ReplyDeleteSuch gorgeous pictures!! I love the fish one. Wow. And those lily pads!!
ReplyDeleteWow, I'm orginally from Florida, but I've never been here.. it's beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThat large lily pad that (personally) reminds me of a dinosaur is called a Santa Cruz lily. We don't have them naturally in Erie, but if/when you get back up to Erie, you should go kayaking in the lagoons of Presque Isle. You will see all sorts of water lilies, other water plants, and lots of creatures.
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