Bok Tower Gardens, Lake Wales, Florida

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Bok Tower Gardens is located on the peninsula, the highest point in Florida. She has a beautiful 205-meter high tower with 57 bells that play to the public every day. The tower itself is a fairytale landscape of over 200 acres of woodland and gardens, plants that have a good selection of tropical and offers visitors the opportunity to see some animals of central Florida.

A good guide can be obtained at the gate and this will help in the search for peace and detenteSpace for those seeking peace and solitude, while at the same time enjoy the bells of the tower. The garden is a white background for weddings, there is a grove of oak trees and a reflecting pool that mirrors the tower itself. Only a bench to sit quietly and admire the breathtaking views.

With 20 rooms, Hotel Pinewood's Estate as one of the finest examples of Mediterranean architecture was Revival.

The tower and gardens have nonprofit statusas an educational institution. It operates a program for students and a fourth adult Garden Campus with 60 programs offered to the public. Includes slide-day visits, courses, seminars and conferences.

There are also buy a coffee and a souvenir shop your souvenirs.

The address of the Bok Tower Gardens 1151 Tower Boulevard, north of Lake Wales, Florida 337 853. There is also a National Historic Landmark, which is on the National Register of Historic whosePlaces.

History

It was in 1869 that a young Edward William Bok was born (died 1863-1930) arrived in Brooklyn, New York, from Den Helder in the Netherlands. At the tender age of 13 he left school to work as a runner and freelance writer, earning money to fight his family. He has written many articles and edited a church newsletter. Until he reached the age of 22 years, called his company Bok Syndicate Press, was the sale of the characteristics of women in newspapers. In 1889, at age 25was hired as editor of popular women's magazine called The Ladies Home Journal. It 'was here that he enjoyed a distinguished career of 30 years period. At the turn of the century, his was the most popular magazine in the country and Mr. Bok had amassed a fortune.

He retired in 1919 and 1922 he bought a large piece of bush and Pine Land at Iron Mountain, an advantage of 298 meters near Lake Wales. Youth advice from her mother to "the world better or morebetter because he lived in it, "Mr. Bok had become so much time and money to make wishes of his mother. It was his desire to do nothing less than to create an American Taj Mahal. His book of the same name This brings devotion to the tower's designer: "For Milton B. Medary, for its architectural design to create a tower without old former medieval or modern and higher beauty, authenticity and originality ... "

Gardens

Frederick Law Olmsted, Junior designedthe beautiful gardens of Bok Tower. It has acres of ferns, palms, oaks, pines, plants and wetlands. We must also remember that Mr. Olmsted also designed to be New York's Central Park. The plantations also Bunya Bunya, camellias, tree ferns, creeping fig yaupon, dahoon and Holly, Asian jasmine, a Justice crinum.and spider lily, wax myrtle, date and Sabal Plame, papyrus, Philodendron, blue plumbago and tail Horse Peak. The site is a haven for more than a hundred species of birdsmost prominent of which is the group of swans tend to stay near the pool of reflection.

Although the gardens offer a range of wildlife, including birds, reptiles and butterflies, the gardens are also known for a large population of squirrels, who show no fear of humans and can often be fed by hand.

Singing Tower

The Singing Tower is the center of the garden, and was designed by Milton Medary. It was the highest point of constructionPosition allows south of a pool of reflection, water reflecting its full picture. A carillon bell is 60 meter high tower 205 Gothic Revival. The construction of the tower began in 1927 and was for the inauguration of the garden, completed in 1929, when it was dedicated by President Calvin Coolidge. The tower is 51 feet square at its base, changing shape to 150 feet, to an octagon with sides 37 feet, sculptures by Lee Lawrie designed. The tower is surrounded by a 15Foot trench that serves as a koi carp pond. It is built of stone, marble and limestone Etowah Creole gray marble, quarried in Tate, Georgia, Florida and a native of Daytona Beach, Florida.

Although the tower, the interior is not open to the public, including the Anton Brees Carillon Library, said to be the largest carillon library in the world.

Inside the tower is a games room which houses a piano or keyboard that is used to play the carillon.Whereas every day of the carillon of 60 bells given set.

Pine Ridge Trail

The Pine Ridge Nature Preserve and Trail is a turkey Longleaf Pine habitat. be used Pine community like this to cover millions of hectares in the southeast United States. But over the years, this gradually disappeared and are now in danger of disappearing completely. However, a small portion of Pine Ridge has been to preserve nature.

This habitat is characterized by an ecosystemthe overstory of Longleaf Pine and a dense ground cover of perennial grasses. Visitors to this natural habitat, a distance of three quarters of a mile, starting at the window to the lake and ends at the parking lot of experience. There are many shaded benches along the route, which serve as places of rest and time to think. Along the way you see a bog garden, a clearing and a sand hill forest community that one of the most endangered ecosystems in the world.

PinewoodWell

1930-1932 Pinewood was the original name of the built-in "El Retiro".

Taking a tour of the beautiful Mediterranean pinewood Summer may be the opulent lifestyle of C. Austin Buck, an industrialist, 20 Century vice president of Bethlehem Steel Co. in Pennsylvania was. Pinewood was his winter home.

The property includes about eight acres of Bok Tower Gardens and is appreciated by thousands of visitors every year.

The residence has 30Rooms and is included in the National Register of Historic Places. This is Florida as one of the best examples of Mediterranean-style architecture. From time to time, special features musical performances at Pinewood Estate.

Events

During the year there are many events to attract visitors to the gardens. These events include concerts with folk music, jazz, orchestra, and the carillon tower. The most popular is theSemester expiration dates of concerts under the stars, because the evening, once in the fall and once in the spring. The event attracts hundreds of visitors on the lawn in front of the tower for a picnic outdoors and music offered by the symphony orchestra and chimes.

Bok Sanctuary is open every day and pay a membership fee. It consists of gardens, the Singing Tower with its carillon, Pine Ridge Trail, Pinewood Estate and a visitor center.

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