A 205-Foot Singing Tower Set Within 250 Acres of Olmsted-Designed Gardens
$15-$20
Book direct via the vendor website
Bok Tower Gardens covers 250 acres in Lake Wales, about 45 minutes north of Streamsong Resort. The centrepiece is a 205-foot Art Deco and neo-Gothic singing tower housing a 60-bell carillon, designated a National Historic Landmark. The surrounding gardens were designed by Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. and have been maintained continuously since their 1929 dedication.
The grounds combine formal plantings with native Florida woodland, and the transition between the two is handled with restraint. Paths wind through live oak canopies, reflecting pools, and cultivated garden rooms without the commercial overlay that similar properties sometimes carry. The carillon plays daily, and hearing it from inside the gardens rather than from a recording justifies the drive on its own.
For a non-golfing companion spending a morning away from Streamsong, this is the most substantive cultural destination in the resort's orbit. Pair it with a stop in Lake Wales or a drive through the surrounding citrus country.
Adults $15 to $20; children under 5 free. Open daily 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., last entry at 5 p.m. Self-guided. 1151 Tower Blvd, Lake Wales, FL 33853, about 45 minutes north of Streamsong. Morning visits are best in summer to avoid the midday heat.