•	Bok Tower
•	Busch Gardens
•	Cypress Gardens
•	Florida Aquarium
•	M.O.S.I.
•	Kennedy Space Center

Bok Tower Gardens & Highlands Hammock

"Make you the world a bit better or more beautiful because you have lived in it" So it was with this lifelong lesson that Edward W. Bok, a world-renowned publisher and writer, dedicated his garden to the American people in 1929. Bok Tower Gardens, 157 acres of woodland gardens, rare plants, oak hammocks and water features, offers the visitor a retreat from the hectic pace of the theme parks. A 57-bell carillon housed in a tower of pink and gray marble is the centerpiece of the gardens. Recitals are heard daily at 3:00 p.m. with clock music on the half-hour starting at 10:00 a.m.

Highlands Hammock State Park, located near Sebring, adds a perfect ending to a day at Bok Tower Gardens. The park boasts some of the best easy hiking trails in Florida, including a boardwalk trail through a cypress swamp. Abundant wildlife and diverse plant communities give the visitor an opportunity to enjoy the best of the flora and fauna in the state.

Itinerary:

Leave Orlando - 9:00 a.m.

Arrive Bok Tower Gardens- 10:00 a.m.
Take I-4 west to Exit 23, US-27. Turn right onto US-27 and travel 19-8/10 miles to CR-17A. Turn left onto CR-17A and travel 1-8/10 miles to US-27 ALT. Turn right onto US-27 ALT and travel 3-5/10 miles to Burns Avenue. Take a slight left onto Burns Avenue and travel 1-4/10 miles to Tower Blvd. Turn onto Tower Blvd. and travel 1/10 mile to the entrance.

Tour the Gardens - 10:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Stroll the many pathways leading to the Carillon Tower. Surrounding the tower, statuary, ponds and stone garden benches invite you to relax and enjoy the serenity of the morning. A one-mile trail through an ancient sandhill and pine forest offers a view of rare native plants, and Window by the Pond is a great place for bird watching. Almost all of the plants are marked with their common and Latin names, and several are for sale at the Garden Gift Shop. You can enjoy a very nice lunch at the Carillon Café, which features salads and sandwiches as well as ice cream and other sweet goodies. A definite must on your visit, the afternoon Carillon recital fills the air with sublime music that can be heard for miles.

Leave Bok Tower Gardens - 3:30 p.m.

Arrive Highlands Hammock - 4:30 p.m.
Leaving Bok Tower Gardens, turn right onto Burns Ave and travel 1-4/10 miles to US-27 ALT. Turn left onto US-27 ALT and travel 3 miles to Hunt Brothers Rd. Turn right onto Hunt Brothers Rd and travel 8/10 mile to US-27. Turn left onto US-27 and travel 29-7/10 miles to CR-634. Turn right onto CR-634 and travel 3-6/10 miles to the park entrance.

Enjoy the Park - 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.
Make sure to get a trail directory from the park ranger's office. The Ancient Oak Hammock Trail, which winds through thousand year old oak trees, and the Cypress Boardwalk Trail, which travels through a blackwater cypress swamp, should definitely be at the top of your list. Both trails are easily walked, and take one half-hour or less at a leisurely stroll.

Leave Highlands Hammock - 6:30 p.m.

Arrive Orlando - 8:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
You may wish to have dinner in nearby Sebring. In addition to the usual fast food and franchise restaurants, the Kennilworth Lodge is a great place for an evening meal. The lodge has been a Sebring landmark since the 1930's. Leaving Sebring, take US-27 north 55-7/10 miles to I-4. Take I-4 north to the Orlando area. Total travel time back to Orlando is approximately 1-1/2 hours.

Hours of Operation

Bok Tower Gardens is open 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. daily. Highlands Hammock is open 8:00 a.m. to sundown daily.

Information

Bok Tower Gardens
1151 Tower Boulevard
Lake Wales, FL 33853
(863) 676-1408

Highlands Hammock State Park
5931 Hammock Road
Sebring, FL 33872
(863) 386-6094