The beauty of Edward Bok's garden will capture you from the moment you drive through the front gates. Drive a winding road through an orange grove, occasionally getting a glimpse of the majestic tower.
After parking, you will walk through a beautiful open-aired welcome center. The gift shop and Blue Palmetto Cafe are also in this area.
Continue the path, coming to a decorative stone circle wall. Engraved are arrows and directions to the different areas of the gardens. Of course, I turned myself in the direction of the singing tower. Enjoy a leisurely stroll through this wonderland garden.
Admire bright, vibrant flowers and leaves the size of giant pillows. Benches sprinkled throughout the park for whenever you want to take a seat and bask in the garden's beauty.
The tower is massive! Fun fact, it is known as America's Taj Mahal. The artistic detail in every tile and depicted creature. Fish, baboons, eagles, foxes, herons, and many more. The scene of Adam, Eve, and the serpent also is depicted. Be sure to take a moment and admire it all.
A koi fish pond surrounds the castle, with feeders on each side as well. You will need a quarter to purchase the food to feed the fish.
On the back end of the tower is a sundial. Surrounding the sound dial are tiles of the 12 zodiac signs. Again the detail and the beauty of this structure is breathtaking.
The tower and the gardens reach the top of the hill, where you can overlook orange groves and spacious landscape. Forgetting for a moment that you are in Florida, maybe you could be in Italy. Another fun fact, where you stand is the highest point for many, many miles.
You are allowed to bring outside food in. So the second time I visited the gardens, we had a picnic. We found a great spot to enjoy the sunshine, the view, and the bells.
There are live concerts in the garden near the bell tower, be sure to check the website. Usually they are at 1 p.m. or 3 p.m.
Continuing your walk through the garden, once you pass the pool of water in front of the tower, you will see signs for the Pinewood Estate. This gorgeous Mediterranean inspired mansion's original name was "El Retiro." Charles Wait was the architect who designed this magnificent maison. Standing in the landscaping designed by William Lyman Phillips, allow yourself to be transported to palazzo on the Med. Normally you can tour inside the house, unfortunately it was not open when we visited.
Leaving the Pinewood Estate, follow the path, at a bit of a slope, you will arrive at the wetland portion of the garden. There is a little shed with a window the size of a wall that overlooks the pond. There are benches in there if you would like to sit and watch the living picture.
Edward Bok was a writer, philanthropist, enthusiast of architecture and botany. He worked with Fedrick Law Olmsted Jr. to create this beloved garden. An oasis for man, a garden of Eden.
Comentarios