For the inaugural trip on Mission: Learn to Like Tampa, we ventured a little further out to Lake Wales FL to visit the Bok Tower Gardens. It’s about 90 minutes outside of Tampa but a pretty easy drive; once we left Hillsborough county, traffic and the drivers seem to mellow out considerably. The terrain remains flat but we enjoyed picking out the horses, cows, orange groves and farmlands that populate the landscape.
The trip started out with a bang, or rather a splat when I wasn’t paying close enough attention to Kei Li as she too eagerly sprang from her car seat and onto the pavement landing on her face.
That other sound you hear is the applause as I accept my 132nd award for Mother of the Year.
Luckily we’re a tough bunch of girls and after a few tears were dried we ventured into the grounds. I was immediately struck by how quiet and shady and peaceful it was. The Bok Tower Gardens are part of the late Edward Bok’s estate located on a hilly ridge adjacent to Lake Wales. Designed by Frederick Law Olmstead Jr, the gardens were built by Bok to offer refuge for the native wildlife. The crowning piece is the neo-Gothic Singing Tower that sits atop the hill (298 feet above sea level).
Between the breathtaking view of the surrounding groves and the tower’s carillon bells serenading us, we found much to occupy us during the three hour visit. There are many paths and little gardens tucked behind rows of trees and brush and the girls loved the adventure of finding the next “secret” garden. Most of our time was spent weaving in and out of the different paths (some paved, some dirt, some with mulch) looking for the next pond or garden or chasing after chattering squirrels. The girls became totally enamored with the snapdragons after one of the volunteers pointed out how to make the dragon shaped blooms “snap.”
Once we finally made it to the top of the hill we were amazed at how such a short up hill walk (if you took a direct route) rewarded us with a real view of the area. The pond had koi and swans which the girls had to feed. The swans only made one half-hearted attempt to eat Mei-Lin (insert maternal panic attack here) but then contented themselves with the entire handful of feed she hastily threw at them after getting her leg nipped. Crisis averted. If they had become more aggressive I probably would have run screaming like crazy person and some stranger would have had to rescue her from their beaks of terror. I do not mess with birds. Ever. Anyways, after the swan attack I pulled them back to run the huge lawn and rolled them down the grassy slopes.
We had a fantastic time. The serenity of Bok Tower Gardens was the perfect antidote for the spirit crushing caused by the State Fair just a few days earlier. Highly recommended.
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