A Day Of Wonder At Bok Gardens

Nestled in the rolling hills of Lake Wales, Florida, Bok Tower Gardens has a way of slowing time down — and for our homeschooling family, that’s exactly what we needed. With kids at every stage of learning and a full calendar of events and birthdays while balancing our new farm business, we’re always looking for places where curiosity can blossom naturally. Bok Tower turned out to be one of those rare places where nature, art, and peace all come together.

The moment we stepped onto the winding pathways, the air felt different — perfumed with blooming camellias and alive with the songs of cardinals and mockingbirds. The younger kids turned the visit into a scavenger hunt, spotting butterflies and flowers for their nature journals. Our older kids dove into the North Trail, where there is currently an art installation that sparked discussions of history, culture and the meaning behind each piece of art that was brilliantly incorporated into the landscape.

While, the older kids were drawn to the architecture ,art and culture.The littles were busy making music in the gardens and climbing through spiderwebs of wonderment. We have been to many gardens over the years but Bok just is a step ahead and does an amazing job of giving you the opportunity to be still and enjoy the small but radiant things in life.

With places to picnic from some of the highest viewpoints in all of Florida in the shade of the oak trees, laying in hammocks sharing what we’d each learned. We found inspiration in tiny frogs and butterfly’s and blooms today. The weather was beautiful and this kids were smiling and this momma was so happy.

Driving home, worn from a day in the sun and some miles of walking but happy, we realized this was more than a field trip. It was a reminder that learning doesn’t always happen at a desk — sometimes it happens among wildflowers, under the sound of distant bells and a brilliant blue sky.