Bok Tower Gardens

About

Bok Tower Gardens is a 250-acre garden and bird sanctuary on Iron Mountain, one of the higher points in peninsular Florida, just north of Lake Wales. Frederick Law Olmsted Jr. laid out the gardens between 1924 and 1928, and architect Milton B. Medary designed the 205-foot Singing Tower, a Gothic Revival structure that houses a 60-bell carillon. President Calvin Coolidge dedicated the tower on February 1, 1929, and the site is a National Historic Landmark.

A visit centers on walking the garden paths to the reflection pool and tower, where recorded carillon concerts play at set times through the day. Garden admission also includes the Pine Ridge Preserve hiking trail, a 3.5-mile route through native sandhill habitat. For an added ticket, a docent leads tours of El Retiro (also called Pinewood Estate), a 20-room Mediterranean Revival mansion built in the early 1930s for Bethlehem Steel executive Charles Austin Buck; El Retiro is closed on Mondays.

As of 2026, the Gardens are open daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., with last admission at 5 p.m.; the Visitor Center, Blue Palmetto Cafe, and Shop at Bok keep shorter hours, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Gardens close on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Adult garden admission is $20, children ages 6 to 17 are $10, children 5 and under are free, and dogs are $10. Adding the El Retiro tour costs $30 for adults and $15 for children. Active-duty military get free admission with discounted tickets for up to four guests.

Lake Wales sits in Polk County, roughly midway between the Orlando and Tampa metro areas, which puts the Gardens within reach of both without requiring an overnight stay.

Accessibility

Bok Tower Gardens is accessible near the Visitor Center but not evenly across the grounds. The Visitor Center and the Shop at Bok are wheelchair accessible, and the main paved path from the Visitor Center to the reflection pool and the Singing Tower can be crossed by wheelchair, though it climbs a steep grade. Other garden paths are covered in heavy mulch, which is hard to push a wheelchair through, so many wheelchair users do better with someone along to help.

Mobility carts can be rented at the Shop at Bok for $10 an hour, $30 for a half day, or $60 for a full day (2026 rates). A limited number of manual wheelchairs are also available on request at no charge. Ask at the shop when you arrive; the Gardens do not publish how reservations work on busy days, so calling ahead is worth doing.

The Gardens are recognized as an Autism Friendly business through a partnership with the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) at the University of South Florida. The Visitor Center front desk keeps a Sensory Kit, noise-canceling headphones, crayons, paper, and fidgets, available first come, first served, and a picture-book Social Experience Guide that previews the visit is available at the desk or as a download.

The Gardens have not published details on accessible parking spaces, accessible restroom locations, door widths, or a service animal policy. Call (863) 676-1408 ahead of your visit if any of these will affect your plans.

Checked by Accessible America, September 2026. Report a change

More accessible places in Florida

• Adventure Island (Tampa)
• The Dalí Museum (St. Petersburg)
• Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden (Coral Gables)
• Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (Sarasota)
• ZooTampa at Lowry Park (Tampa)
• Big Cypress National Preserve (Ochopee)

Photo credits

• Bok Tower rises above a reflecting pool and lawn under a bright blue sky.: Bbphotos, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)
• Visitors walk a paved path toward Bok Tower framed by moss-draped oak trees.: Averette, CC BY 3.0 (source)
• Bok Tower and its stained glass windows reflect in a lily pad covered pond.: Milesb1217, CC BY-SA 4.0 (source)