Continuing on with the mural tour is another favorite, Slice of Happiness. It is the newest mural…read moreto downtown and it was commissioned by the Lake Wales Main Street, Inc. and sponsored by Florida Natural's Growers and its Members, and The Ellis Family. The mural is 25 feet x 97 feet. It is the work of native Lakeland artist Gillian Fazio. Fazio received her Bachelors' Degree in Fine Art from the University of Florida in the Spring of 2017. About the mural Fazio has said "the butterflies reference a re-birth and new life. The mural is a nice indicator of what is happening in downtown Lake Wales. Kudos to Lake Wales Main Street and the community leaders for investing in downtown. The mural is an indicator that there are awesome things coming to Lake Wales." Slice of Happiness features Florida oranges and Fazio's signature butterflies. The mural fits in with Lake Wales theme, a city in a garden. I love the subject and bright colors. It makes the perfect backdrop for photos.

Beautiful mural that you can't miss if you're visiting Lake Wales. It really captures the Florida…read morevibes and makes for a great Insta shot. We had bookmarked it and were in the process of looking around for it, when we just walked right by. It's hard to miss if you just wander around the small downtown area for a bit. I love seeing public art like this all over Florida!

I went on a downtown mural tour of Lake Wales because there really isn't anything else to do here…read moreat 5 PM on a Monday night. This is a roll up the carpets and lock the doors at sundown kind of town. It is a shame because Lake Wales has such a cute, historic downtown. I would love to see a wine bar with some live music. Something more like downtown Winter Haven. The Downtown City Mural is one of my favorite murals. It was sponsored by Mountain Lake Community Services and Main Street. Artist Tom Freeman painted it in the mid 1990's. Freeman received his college degree in art from Florida State University and worked at General Motors, and later a tobacco company, before moving to Lake Wales in 1958. He retired as the high school principal from Lake Wales High School. Freeman painted over 24 murals over 30 years throughout Central Florida before passing away at the age of 94 in 2020. The two story 81' X 24' mural scene depicts how downtown Lake Wales looked in the 1920's and 1930's. My favorite part of the mural is the antique cars and the little boy with his dog and dripping ice cream. By the 2000's the mural was faded. Money was raised and in 2007 artist Lisa Moore was commissioned to do the restoration. After studying the mural it doesn't look like Lake Wales has changed very much from it's hey day in the 20's.

Lake Wales is a city in Polk County. In 1911 it was founded by the Lake Wales Land Company, formed…read moreby a group of businessmen who purchased 5,000 acres around Lake Wailes. Lake Wailes was named after Sydney Wailes, a land agent employed by the State of Florida after the Civil War. The lake is still spelled Wailes but the towns name is Wales. The men of the Lake Wales Land Company believed that the plentiful pine forests would form the basis of a thriving turpentine and lumber industry, the sandy soil would be ideal for growing grapefruit, oranges and other citrus, and the rolling hills would be the perfect site for a town. The first settlers arrived in 1911, the town was incorporated in 1917, and the City of Lake Wales was granted its municipal charter in 1921. Lake Wales sits on the Lake Wales Ridge, a unique geological feature that arose from an ancient beach and dune systems that stood above sea level for over a million years ago. A long, narrow ridge was uplifted about 300 feet above sea level and is one of the oldest natural scrub communities in Florida. The ridge means that Lake Wales has hills which you don't typically see in Florida. This includes Sook Hill, an optical illusion. As you roll backwards it appears that you are rolling up the hill. Another attraction is Bok Tower, a 250 acre garden with a 205 foot Gothic and Art Deco Singing Tower made of 4 million tons of Georgia marble. The tower contains 60, 61.5 tons of carillon bells. Downtown Lake Wales has a quaint downtown with beautiful 1920's architecture. There is coffee, candy, and antique shops. Many of the buildings have murals painted on the sides. Nearby attractions include Legoland and Westgate River Ranch, the largest dude ranch east of the Mississippi River. Lake Wales is a quiet Central Florida town. Almost everything is closed by 5 PM but I like the hills, lakes, parks, architecture, and friendly people.

A little historic town in the center of Florida, it is homey with a lovely, quaint down town area…read more There is a train museum, a few businesses under renovation and a whole lot of .. well, nothing, to be honest. But it was very picturesque and sweet, before the usual thunderstorm rolled through.

I have by a Floridian for over 20 years and I have never visited Bok Tower Gardens, despite the…read morefact that my friend and former coworker Bill Murphy wrote about it and visited it in his Fox 13 "On Tank Trip" book. What an amazing place! At 324 feet above sea level, it is the highest point in Florida and anywhere sixty miles away from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. It is in the middle of the state, and not Disney middle of the state so you have to decide you are going and plan the day. As you make the turn to the attraction, you go through an orange grove, kind of like you are going back in time. While the tower is at the top of the hill, the paved paths make it easy to get up the hill. It would be perfect for anyone with scooters or strollers to get up there as well. What struck me the most was that I have never seen so many butterflies in one place! They were everywhere! The gardens are so beautiful, even in a drought year the plants were blooming beautifully. I would recommend bringing a picnic lunch because it is an amazing place to just chill. Also, the tower has a half hour concert at 1pm and 3pm every day so make sure you time your visit to coincide with one of them. I had such a great afternoon, I want to come back for some of their special events. If you are a plant nerd like me, you cannot sleep on this spot! I am a big botanical gardens person, and this one is special.

This is perhaps the best botanical garden in the world--we haven't gone to any outside of Florida…read morethough so take that how you will. We got engaged here! 8.28.26! So take that how you will! The tower itself is a masterful design, everyone is friendly and will answer any questions you have! The cafe is stellar and the wine and tap selection will appease anyone who partakes! This was our third time going, so many gift shop goodies and plants we've taken home!

One of the fun and free things you can do in downtown Lake Wales is take a free mural tour. Some of…read morethe murals represent historic moments in the town's history while others commemorate pioneers and local flora and fauna. The 20 by 80 foot Wells Fargo Mural was created in 2011 and funded by the Wells Fargo Bank. It is on the north side of their building. The mural is a composite of digital photographs chosen by the Lake Wales Historical society of historic buildings, homes, people, industries, and landmarks in town. Images were transferred to vinyl sheets which were then applied to wood vinyl attached earlier to the wall. Featured on the mural is Bok Tower and Frederick Law Olmsted, the landscape architect for Bok Tower Gardens. There is also the Walesbilt Hotel, Spook Hill, citrus trees, and the railroad. In front of the mural is a key explaining the significance of each image, The Wells Fargo Mural is a great reflection of the historical tapestry of Lake Wales.

The F.S. McLaughlin mural is located on Park avenue. It was sponsored by Frank McLaughlin Jr. in…read morehonor of his father. This mural was completed in 2006 by artist Nikki Nichols. The mural features F.S. McLaughlin who was the supervising principal of Lake Wales Schools for almost 40 years. He went on to found the Lake Wales charter schools. Mrs. McLaughlin was also an integral part of the school system. McLaughlin was fondly remembered during his tenure and many former teachers, students, and family members were in attendance at the dedication of the mural. I like how some of the downtown murals tell the history of Lake Wales while others like this one tell the stories of the people who made an impact on the town. As a fellow educator I can appreciate the positive impact Mr. McLauglin had on the students of Lake Wales over 40 years.

Founding Fathers is a 32' X 8' mural located on Central Avenue on the Tae Kwon Do School of…read moreExcellence. It was sponsored by the Historic Lake Wales Society and Lake Wales Main Street. The original artist was John Gutcher who completed the mural in the mid1990s. Founding Fathers features the four businessmen credited with founding Lake Wales, BK Bullard, EC Stuart, GV Tillman and CL Johnson. The men are overlaid on a map of the City of Lake Wales. By 2005 the mural was fading and falling apart. Artist Lisa Moore was commissioned to repair the mural which she did in 2008 and again in 2015. This is one of the history lesson murals that informs about the names you see on the streets in downtown Lake Wales.

The Lake Wales Public Library has been serving the community of Lake Wales since 1919. Like many…read moresmall communities in Florida of this time, the library started out as a Woman's Club civic project. The women accepted books and magazines and set up the first library on a shelf in their clubhouse. After the library outgrew the club it was moved to the Dixie Walesbilt Hotel in downtown Lake Wales and then to a room in the Lake Wales City Hall. In 1957 the Lake Wales Library Association/Friends of the Library was formed to raise money to build a library building. In 1960 the town library opened on Cypress Garden Lane, on the shores of Crystal Lake in 1960. The library was further expanded expanded in 1991. Today the library collection includes over 80,000 books, audiovisuals, kits, archives, periodicals, maps, clippings, and software. I really like small town libraries like this one that are the heartbeat of their community. It lends materials but the Lake Wales Public Library is also gathering place. In the lobby of the library is a beautiful mural of lake Wales most famous attraction, Bok Tower. In front of it is a detailed model of the tower encased in glass. Also in this part of the library is Ye Olde Bookshop selling a large selection of secondhand books. On the wall of the library there are paintings by local artists and archival photographs. Some of the programs the library is hosting this month include celebrating Native American History Month, chair yoga, needlework arts, and a teen creative writing club. This library is so charming and a has a beautiful view of lake Crystal from the windows. It is a great resource for education and culture in Lake Wales.

Clean, fully stocked the majority of the time. Quality meat, produce and bakery products. Customer…read morefocused and works to not make grocery shopping a pain.

Not something I would drive out of my way for but if you're headed to Bok tower Gardens it's not…read moretoo far out the way. We decided to give the haunted street a try after seeing it on social media. When you drive up you see The elementary school next door has Casper's their mascot which I loved! We got to the line read the sign and pulled up to the line. I put the car in neutral and guess what..nothing lol which I didn't have high hopes but it was cool to check out the area.

Nothing special. I thought it was going to be slightly more exciting, your car just rolls…read moredownward... because you're on a hill. That's pretty much it. It's quick and a bit underwhelming, but the town's backstory is kind of cool and it's free, so why not check it out if you're already nearby