To celebrate, we took a day-trip to Bok Tower and Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida. We have a family tradition of visiting historic homes. We have been to Frank Lloyd Wright's houses, Falling Waters and Kentuck Knob in Pennsylvania. Mallory, Michelle and I made a detour on a trip from Ohio to Florida to tour the Biltmore. In my home town, Akron, there is Stan Hywet. All of these places are living works of art that inspire.
Sheldon Cooper, from The Big Bang Theory, said...
If outside is so good, why has man spent thousands of years perfecting inside?
Bok Tower and Gardens, along with Pinewood Estates, displays man's ability to perfect the inside and the outside.
The Bok Tower and Gardens were built by Edward W. Bok in 1929. Mr. Bok was inspired by the tranquility of the area and wanted to create a place that would "touch the soul with its beauty and quiet". And he succeeded. The gardens were designed by Fredreick Law Olmsted Jr., who designed the White House gardens and worked with his father on the Biltmore Estate.
I could bore you with more details, but instead I will share some pictures and encourage anyone visiting Central Florida (i.e., Disney World, Universal Studios, etc.) to take a day and visit Bok Tower.
You get in the mood as soon as you walk up to the Visitor's Center.
Some of the inspiration is in the details, like the handmade tiles in the base of the pillars...
The courtyard ...
The River of Stone pathway...
The air plant display ...
After the Visitor's Center, we walked to the Tower and I couldn't stop taking pictures.
The Bok Tower houses a 60-bell carillon and has concerts twice a day. What is a carillon, you ask? It is a group of bells played by striking a keyboard of batons and pedals. The Bok Tower bells range in size from 16 pounds to 12 tons!
Our next stop
was the Pinewood Estate. This was a nearby
estate built in 1930 by Charles Austin Buck, a Bethlehem Steel VP. Mr. Buck was also a nature lover and had the
gardens designed first and then the house.
