Lake Wales, Florida

On my third day in Florida I went to Bok Tower Gardens which is about an hour South of Orlando. borrowing from Wikipedia…

Bok Tower Gardens is a 250-acre (100 ha) contemplative garden and bird sanctuary located atop Iron Mountain, north of Lake Wales, Florida, United States, created by Edward Bok in the 1920s. Formerly known as the Bok Mountain Lake Sanctuary and Singing Tower, the gardens’ attractions include the Singing Tower and its 60-bell carillon, the Bok Exedra, the Pinewood Estate now known as El Retiro, the Pine Ridge Trail, and the Visitor Center.

Bok Tower Gardens is a National Historic Landmark. The 205-foot (62 m) Singing Tower was built upon one of the highest points of peninsular Florida, estimated to be 295 feet (90 m) above sea level,[4] and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[3] The national significance of the gardens and its tower come from their associations with Edward W. Bok and his team of designers.[3] The adjacent Pinewood Estate is separately listed on the National Register as El Retiro.

It is more impressive in-person. If you find yourself in central Florida with a day to spare, I highly recommend visiting these gardens. There are a lot of trails to explore and I passed quite a few fellow photographers. Based on the lenses attached to their cameras, most were at the gardens for birds and/or butterflies. I did meet an unexpected resident…

I was also very happy to find the azaleas were in bloom. I’m now very excited for these to bloom around Columbus.

As I was exploring around the tower at the heart of these gardens I met another group of visitors. I had my zoom lens with me and quietly changed to it. The group was foraging through the grass but were on the move. I was able to get around and in front of their path. I’ll admit I got a little lucky…

Of course, I can’t pass up a good reflection…

I was a good day. I will be going back to Bok Tower on a future visit to Florida.