Grapefruit and Cactus.........

Although technically it's still winter, spring is in the air on Anna Maria Island.  The roads and the beaches are packed.  Take a quick glance at the weather up north and it's easy to understand the overwhelming joy etched on the sunburnt faces of island visitors.  Sure, there will be a few chilly and blustery days across the sunshine state over the next thirty days or so, but it's safe to procliam spring has sprung.
One of my favorite signs of spring is that the "boys of summer" are reporting to their respective spring training facilities starting this week.  The crack of a ball meeting a bat, or a buzzer going off in a Houston Astro's players shirt, will soon be in the air.   For me going to spring training games has been a ritual that dates back to my childhood.
The locations of many of the major league teams have changed over the years.  Currently fifteen of the thirty teams have their spring training facilities in Florida.  The other fifteen teams facilities are located in Arizona.  In Florida, the facilities are somewhat spread out, mostly down the east and west coasts.  Going from Dunedin, where the Toronto Blue Jays train, to West Palm Beach, where the Nationals and Astros have their spring home, is a four hour (230 miles) drive.  In Arizona, all fifteen teams have their spring training facilities clustered close together in the Phoenix area.  By comparison, in Arizona the two furthest apart facilities are in Surprise (Rangers and Royals) and Mesa (A's).  The distance between Surprise and Mesa is fifty miles.

My earliest spring training journey was about a 10 mile road trip in the family Chevrolet.  Straight up Highway 37 from the dusty little town of Mulberry to Lakeland.  The spring training home of the Detroit Tigers has been in Lakeland, Fl since 1946.  I remember as a young whippersnapper going to games in Lakeland with my dad.  First to Henley Field and then to Joker Marchant Stadium on the north side of town.  In those days the Tigers were led by Hall of Famer Al Kaline.  Not only was Kaline a great player, the Tigers had great teams in those days.  They even beat Bob Gibson and the St. Louis Cardinals four games to three to win the 1968 World Series.  While I may not remember where I left my keys or wallet ten minutes ago, I can still name the starting lineup for that 68 Tigers team.

Henley Field as it looked in the 60's

Joker Marchant Stadium current home of the Tigers

My first two years of college (75-77) were at Polk Community College in Winter Haven.  At that time the Boston Red Sox held their spring training in Winter Haven at Chain of Lakes park.  When the choice arose, go to class or head to the ballpark, the lure of the ballpark often won the battle.  Among the Red Sox stars of that time were; Jim Rice, Fred Lynn, Carlton Fisk and Carl Yastrzemski.  Rice, Fisk and Yastrzemski are all now in the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Winter Haven's Chain of Lakes Park, former home of the Boston Red Sox

Early in our marriage we lived in Port Charlotte, Florida.  In 1988 the Texas Rangers moved their spring training headquarters to a new facility built by Charlotte County.  Somewhere there is a picture of Ben attending his first baseball game with Beth and I.  He was around six weeks old at the time.  Ben's favorite team, the Tampa Bay Rays hold their spring training there now.  One of these days the three of us are going to have to go to a game there and recreate the photo.  I'm sure Ben will look good sitting in his mom's lap!

While living in Texas, getting to spring training games took a backseat to family and career.  Since retiring back in 2016, getting to spring training games has once again become something that I've enjoyed.  Especially since it often involves spending time with family.   A couple of years ago Beth, Ben and I enjoyed taking in a few Cactus League games in Arizona.  In March, 2018 I got to take James to his first spring training game at LECOM Park (Pittsburgh Pirates) in Bradenton.  It was a miserably hot March day, with the temperature tipping 90 degrees.  Sweet Baby James, as he was known back then didn't last too long.  After a couple of innings he, Sarah and I were headed back to the air conditioning at NaNa's house.  Ben, Steve and Marilyn stayed for most of the game before succumbing (literally) to the heat.

We didn't last long, but here's Sarah with James at his first spring training game

In a couple of weeks Ben is coming down.  He really needs a "spring break".  The high temperature up where he's living in Pennsylvania is going to be in the teens tomorrow, and "spring" is still a ways away.  He, Beth and I are going to take in a couple of Yankee games in Tampa (Thanks Karan and John!).  We're also planning on a game in Bradenton (Pirates), Port Charlotte (Rays) and possibly a Tigers game in Lakeland.
Play Ball!

Disney Springs......at least for now.

The final day of our Disney adventure

Two words that you don't typically find in the same sentence are "free" and "Disney".  As I had mentioned in a previous blog, many a child's future college tuition has been sacrificed by well meaning parents taking their kids to Disney World.  It's amazing how much it costs and even more amazing is how many people are willing to fork over the big bucks to Mickey and all of his friends.  One bit of good news is that Disney has created an area that somewhat allows for the words "Disney" and "free" to stand side by side.  Even better news, it's also fun and can keep kids and adults entertained for a fair bit of time.
The area I am referencing is the 120 acres outdoor shopping, dining and entertainment complex currently known as Disney Springs.  I say "currently" since it opened in 1975 it's been renovated and rebranded five times.  Originally it was known as Lake Buena Shopping Village.  In 1977 it became Walt Disney World Village.  That was followed by Disney Village Marketplace in 1989.  From 1997 until September of 2015 it was named Downtown Disney.  Needless to say, the sign vendors have been kept busy through the years.

I'm not sure how many different names this dragon made of lego's has seen but he's been there for quite a while.

Disney Springs
If you go to Disney Springs keep in mind "free" is a relative term.   There is plenty of "free" and convenient parking.  There is no admission fee to get into Disney Springs.  Also, a stage where "free" entertainment is frequently scheduled day and night.  When we were there a group of children from an elementary school in Delray Beach were singing.  They opened their performance with a choreographed song and dance routine to Bon Jovi's "Living on a Prayer" that brought smiles to an appreciative audience.

Trying to steal a kiss from Anna

Of course there are plenty of things to spend money on in Disney Springs if you're so moved.  Shopping and dining options run the gamut from reasonably priced to ridiculously priced.  There is a movie theater, bowling alley and later this spring the Cirque du Soleil show "Drawn to Life" will open in the newly remodeled theater.
Drawn to Life
If you have young kids, unless they are really young or really naïve,  you probably won't be able to bring them to Disney Springs and convince them that's all there is to Disney World.  If you can, congratulations, you've saved yourself a couple of billion dollars!
However, no matter if you're a local or a visitor, Disney Springs is a great place to spend a magical bit of time.

Doing Disney.....Day 4........EPCOT

I guess we were really enjoying the day.  We didn't realize until just now that we had only taken three pictures all day!

WE DID IT!   It wasn't exactly like climbing Mt. Everest in a t-shirt, shorts and crocs.  Nor was it like crossing the Pacific Ocean on an inner tube.  However,  covering four Disney theme parks in four days was somewhat of an accomplishment.  Especially for two people who don't necessarily have a lot of theme park and large crowd material in their DNA.  Not only did we do it, but thanks to mostly smaller crowds (by Disney standards) and pleasant weather we really enjoyed it.  Who knows we may even do it again sometime down the line.  Especially if James and Emma Joy are involved.
Yesterdays park was EPCOT, which in many ways is more suitable to us than the other parks.  There's plenty of roaming around room and it just has a more relaxed atmosphere.  EPCOT is divided into two sections.  The front section is where most of the rides and attractions can be found.  These include Mission Space, which has a virtual reality ride, that after experiencing Avatar Flight of Passage the day before, we avoided like the coronavirus.  It is also where "The Seas", "The Land" and "Imagination" are located.  All of these have some really nice attractions and rides.  The center piece of the front section of EPCOT is Spaceship Earth, which is inside the huge round ball that is the image you often see in pictures. All of these areas are worth visiting.  Some were new to us, while others have been around since the opening of the park back in 1982.
The back section of EPCOT is the World Showcase, which is somewhat like a mini and permanent World's Fair surrounding a man made lake.  There are exhibits from Mexico, Norway, China, Germany, Italy, USA, Japan, Morocco, France, United Kingdom and Canada.  Every country features exhibits, shops, food and beverages from the respective countries.  Additionally, to enhance the experience they are staffed by friendly folks who are also from the respective countries.  This adds to the ambiance, since you won't be hearing a deep south accent spoken by someone working in the France, China or Germany areas.  We really liked the casual stroll around the lake, reminiscing about time we had spent in the genuine various countries.

In the Canada area.....modeled after Victoria Gardens

Guess which country this was in...….

Through February 24, the EPCOT International Festival of the Arts is going on around the world showcase.  There are concerts, art displays, food samplings (for a fee) and special markets.
Currently, Norway is where the biggest EPCOT attraction is located.  It is home to Frozen Ever After, a boat ride on a small Viking ship through the world created in the Frozen movies.  Beth saw the first frozen movie.  I've seen neither one, but we "let ourselves go" and followed the opening herd straight back to see what was going on with Anna and Elsa.  Even without the Fastpass we only waited about twenty minutes so I guess it paid off to trample all those small children who were blocking our way.  The ride itself was pretty cool, no pun intended.  Beth took a few short videos that James really enjoyed seeing, so it was worth the short wait.
A few closing thoughts as well as some helpful hints.  Some that have been covered in other blogs and a few that are new.
Fastpass is really very helpful.  It is most helpful in the Magic Kingdom but also comes in handy in the other three parks.  Download the Disney Experience App and become familiar with it.
Try to catch Star Wars Rise of the Resistance (Hollywood Studios).  Even if you're like us, and not necessarily a Star Wars fan, you'll enjoy it for the cutting edge technology.
Lines.  Yep, you're going to stand in them.  Especially for the more popular attractions.  We were calculating that our total wait time for all four days was probably around five hours.  Not bad, especially considering that about half of that was for two rides in Animal Kingdom (Avatar Flight of Passage and Na'vi River Journey).  We certainly won't be doing Avatar Flight of Passage again, for reasons that can be found in the Animal Kingdom blog.  Na'vi River Journey was good and we'd do it again if the line was in the 20-30 minute range.
A favorite pass time of mine while standing in lines was reading t-shirts.  Some of my favorite were as follows:

In the Disney themed category:
"Bippity, Boppity, Broke!"
"#Most Expensive Day Ever"

In the General Category:
"You can't spell Sausage without USA"
"I'd agree with you but then we'd both be wrong"
"In my defense I was left unsupervised"

Parking.  The Disney Corporation reported revenues of over 60 billion dollars in 2019.  It's fair to say, a decent amount of that came from parking fees.  Currently the parking fee is $25 per day.  If you are at a hotel on Disney property you will most likely be able to get complimentary transportation.  Bus service is provided at many hotels off property for a fee of around $10 per person round trip.
Hotels.  For another week or two it's "value season" around here.  Hotel rates are as good as you will find them at anytime during the year.  As we often do, we used Hotwire and were very pleased with what we got and what we paid for it.
Taking Food and Beverage into the Parks.  Thankfully Disney has a very liberal policy on taking food and beverage into the parks.  You should check for specifics but sandwiches, snacks and drinks are allowed.  Purchasing food inside the park is very expensive.
Is Disney the "Happiest Place on Earth"?  To a lot of folks it is.  To us, it was a great four day adventure that we enjoyed tremendously.

Doing Disney.........Day 3.........Animal Kingdom

Maybe I should have held up three fingers since it was our third park in three days!

Disney's Animal Kingdom opened on Earth Day, April 22, 1998.  Although it will be celebrating it's 22nd anniversary soon, it's the newest of the four Disney theme parks in Orlando.  The Magic Kingdom opened in 1971, EPCOT in 1982 and Hollywood Studios in 1989.
Many years ago I attended a guest services training seminar here at Disney.  There are so many things that they do well when it comes to service.  The hospitality industry and healthcare industry really aren't that different in many ways.  Both are expensive and come with high, sometimes unrealistic expectations.
One thing I remember hearing the Disney trainer state several times was that once you stepped on Disney property they didn't want you to step off.  They've built a huge water park (Typhoon Lagoon) and entertainment complex (Disney Springs) to compete with similar non-Disney attractions.   While they don't have a theme park that competes directly with Sea World, Hollywood Studios does compete with Universal Studios and Animal Kingdom probably has kept many guest from leaving the property to go to Busch Gardens in Tampa.  There's plenty of ways to spend your money on attractions around Orlando and Disney certainly gets their fare share.
Prior to this Disney adventure, Animal Kingdom was the last Disney theme park that we visited.  I was attending a conference and we went to the park for one day.  As best as we can remember, other than the huge roller coaster that went backwards, we enjoyed that visit many moons ago.  We certainly enjoyed our visit yesterday!

Expedition Everest is the roller coaster that got the best of us years ago.

As we have been doing, we were there a few minutes before the park opened.  It was fairly busy, but no where near as busy as Hollywood Studios.  We were unable to get a Fastpass to Animal Kingdom's most popular attraction, Avatar Flight of Passage.  When the ropes dropped and guests were allowed in we simply followed the biggest herd and soon found ourselves standing in line for this attraction.  The wait was about an hour, but much of it was outside and there was plenty to enjoy while we waited.  So much about Disney defies logic and conventional wisdom.  For example, why do so many adults sacrifice their children's prospects of a debt free college education by spending so much on a Disney vacation?  Also, why will these same folks who have forked over wads of cash wait in lines for over an hour for rides that last less than five minutes...….sometimes much less!  One reason is that Disney does everything so well.

At least the scenery is great while waiting for Avatar Flight of Passage

Avatar Flight of Passage was an amazing ride, although we both realized about 20 seconds into it that it really wasn't for us.  We've never been fans of virtual reality rides and that's what Avatar Flight of Passage happens to be.  The scenery was great, but it took both of us a couple of hours to fully recover.  Part of our recovery time was spent at the Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo stage shows, which we agreed were both excellent and more appropriate for us.  Given we're both still alive and neither of us puked, I guess we're glad we did it, but we won't do it again!
Animal Kingdom is a really fun park.  The safari ride was excellent, as was A Bug's Life and Na'vi River Journey.  There's plenty of street performers throughout the park and really nice shade along most of the walking paths.  Don't forget to take a few minutes to see how many animals you can spot on the Tree of Life which is located on Discovery Island.

The Tree of Life is a sculpture that has over 300 images of animals on its trunk and roots.

On the safari ride.  A lot of things at Disney are not real......this guy and the all the animals on the safari ride are the real deal. 

Also from the safari ride

Thankfully this guy wasn't real!

Pandora section of the park, near the Na'vi River Journey

Rivers of Light is a nighttime light and laser show.  It was really nice until technical issues stopped the show about half way through

We used the Fastpass a couple of times but were unable to secure it for the two main attractions in Animal Kingdom,  Avatar Flight of Passage and Na'vi River Journey.  The lines for both of these attractions were over an hour.  One of the many beautiful things about being old, retired and both kids being grown was that we had we had plenty of time on our hands.

Doing Disney.....Day 2.....Hollywood Studios

Star Wars...…..Rise of the Resistance

We've had the pleasure of watching sunrises and sunsets at various locations on six of the seven continents.  Until today we had never watched the sun rise from inside a theme park.  To say we got an early start would be an understatement.  However, we were not alone.  We were joined by what seemed like a couple of thousand other early risers.  We had all made our way to Disney's Hollywood Studios in hope of getting a boarding group number for Disney's newest and boldest ride, Star Wars-Rise of the Resistance.  This ride opened on December 5, 2019 and is filled to capacity daily.
Rise of the Resistance's popularity is such that to even have a chance to secure a spot for the day you must do bizarre things like we did this morning.  Even then, there is a possibility that you won't get selected through the lottery like system.  Chad Burton, our relative who is an expert on these types of things, told us that on a day he was at the park all the slots for the day filled up in seventeen seconds!  I don't know how long it took to fill up this morning, but it's safe to say that it was within a minute at the most.

Sunrise inside Hollywood Studios.  Everyone was waiting for the clock to strike 7:00 AM

Now if you know us, you're probably thinking, "I didn't know Kent and Beth were big Star Wars fans".  We're not!  As a matter of fact, between the two of us we've seen a grand total of two Star Wars movies.  We both saw the original movie that was released back in 1977.  So while we're not particularly fans of the movies, we both occasionally get caught up in the herd mentality.  Obviously, that's what happened here.  We heard so much about it, we just had to try and experience it for ourselves......even if it meant missing a little sleep!
If you're planning a visit and want to experience Rise of the Resistance, go to the Disney Website, the Disney Experience App, Google or YouTube and you'll find more information than you could imagine existed on the subject.  I will tell you that it is an absolute must that you are past the Hollywood Studios turnstiles before the park opens to even have a chance.  This morning the park opened at 7:00 AM (opening times vary, check the schedule).  Although we had been warned, we were still shocked and somewhat amused at the steady stream of headlights in front of us and behind us.  We were in the park by 6:45, waiting on the magical hour of 7:00 to start hitting the button on the app in an attempt to get a boarding group number for the day.  We met a nice young couple from Holland who were visiting the park for the second time.  They were successful on their first visit a few days earlier and were kind enough to let us hang around with them.  We're glad they did, because there seemed to be a little hiccup in the system but they quickly figured out a way around it and helped us work around it as well.  They ended up in boarding group 68 and we quickly followed behind with boarding group 74.  We did it!  They told us that these numbers would probably not be called until mid-afternoon.  No worries, we were there for the day so time wasn't really an issue.  We wished them well and they were soon on their way to enjoy the park.  I think they were also quite pleased at having helped a semi-elderly American couple navigate the Rise of the Resistance section of the app.
We're not as familiar with Hollywood Studios as we are with the Magic Kingdom, but we did enjoy roaming around.  The Toy Story section of the park is very colorful and there is plenty for young and old alike.  The Toy Story Mania ride was a lot of fun.  It's a 3D ride where you shoot at virtual targets.  I jumped out to an early lead but Beth, with her younger eyes and faster reflexes, soon passed me by and ended up with a the bigger score.  During the day we also enjoyed the Tower of Terror, Indiana Jones Stunt Show, Beauty and the Beast Stage Production, Alien Swirling Saucers and the Walt Disney Story Movie.  After all that fun and a little lunch our boarding group number appeared and we were on our way to the Star Wars Galaxy's Edge section of the park.

Woody welcoming everyone to Toy Story Land

Part of the Slinky Dog Dash Roller Coaster.   It looked like a good one but the line was too long for us.

The Tower of Terror...….we survived!

It took a lot of effort to get that boarding group number, so the question you probably would ask is "was it worth it"?  The answer is absolutely, positively...…….yes!  Even by Disney standards, this ride was over the top.  The imagination and engineering that went into putting this ride together is beyond comprehension.

We did it!  Inside the Rise of the Resistance.

Welcoming Committee

Happy faces after the ride!

 A couple thoughts you might find helpful for Hollywood Studios:
Set your alarm and try for Rise of the Resistance!  If you can plan your visit on a less busy day, you'll be competing against fewer people for those coveted spots.
We were told by a very nice Disney cast member that when trying to get the boarding group number that the app works better if the wifi is turned off.  I can't verify this, but we did turn ours off and we were successful.
The Fastpass works well in Hollywood Studios, however, there are fewer options than what is offered at the Magic Kingdom.  We didn't get as much use as we did the previous day.
Unless it is a really busy day, you probably won't need to use a Fastpass for the shows, such as Indiana Jones and Beauty and the Beast.  They are held several times a day in large theaters.
MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!

Doing Disney.......Day 1......The Magic Kingdom

Our magical day begins...…...

Fully caffeinated, we left the hotel around 7:45 to start day one of our four day Disney adventure.  We'll be going to a different park every day.  While it may change, the order for the remaining three days is Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and wrapping it up with EPCOT.  We set the order by using some of the Disney Crowd Predictors that can be found on line.  There are a number of these out there and the consensus is that these will be the days that the crowds will be the smallest at the various parks.
I started the day by missing the Magic Kingdom exit sign which put us at the entrance to the EPCOT parking lot.  I tried to convince Beth that I was just giving her a sneak peak at where we'd be going later in the week.  I don't think she bought it.

The right parking lot!

Soon we were parked in the Magic Kingdom parking lot, joining fellow mouseketeers in heading towards the monorail that would transport us to the happiest place on earth.  We arrived at Cinderella's Castle just a few minutes before the 9:00 opening.  Mickey and Minnie came out and welcomed the assembled throng, the ropes dropped and we were on our way.
What we both really appreciate about the Magic Kingdom is that it really hasn't changed much over the years.  There have been a few changes and additions but many of the rides and attractions are the same as they were back in the 70's and 80's when we were youngsters.  There's newer technology available and it's being used where it's appropriate, but it's cool to see they've left so much of the park as it was originally built.  We found ourselves migrating towards many of the older attractions such as "It's a Small World", Country Bear Jamboree, Peter Pan's Flight, the Enchanted Tiki Room, etc.  Much of today was a stroll down memory lane, and it was a nice stroll.

Main Street USA

Thunder Mountain Railroad.....our only thrill ride

We did learn a few things today that may be helpful for the rest of our visit.  Hopefully they will be helpful to you as well.
Helpful Hint #1     Don't Trust The Crowd Predictor Calendars!
As I mentioned above, the consensus was that the crowd at the Magic Kingdom would be on the "lighter" side today.   I'm not really sure how the good people who put these predictive calendars together define "light" but it sure is different than I define it.  It seemed as if at least a quarter of the worlds population was at the Magic Kingdom today.  Maybe everyone looked at the calendar, saw the good news of smaller crowds and decided to take advantage of the situation.  All I know is that there were a bunch of folks and a bunch of strollers at the Magic Kingdom today.  Also, to be fair, the weather was pretty lousy around here yesterday and that could have possibly made some people delay their visit by a day.  While the crowds were big, it really didn't have any impact on us because of the Fastpass.
Helpful Hint #    The Fastpass Works Great!
I'm not going to go into a lot of detail on how the Fastpass works, but it does work very well.  If you're planning a visit, download the Disney Experience App where you can learn more about it.  Another option is to do a google search.  There is a ton of information out there that is very helpful.  It may seem a little complicated at first but it's quite easy to use.  Even a guy who ends up in the wrong parking lot could figure it out.  You may not get a Fastpass to everything you want, but it will be very helpful.
It's was a magical day at the Magic Kingdom.  With a good nights rest we'll be ready for Hollywood Studios tomorrow...……..the crowds are supposed to be light!

Our magical day ends.

Sea Life Aquarium and Leu Gardens

Love that chicken from Popeyes!

Yesterday wasn't exactly chamber of commerce weather in the Orlando area.  It was a little on the chilly side with occasional rain and fog.  While it wasn't great for too many outdoor activities it was perfect weather for hot tubbing!  We started and ended the day with a good soaking.  Getting our muscles good and relaxed for the Disney experience that kicks off in a few hours.
In between soakings we did squeeze in a few fun things, including visiting the Sea Life Aquarium and Leu Gardens using our membership passes we have to ZooTampa and Sunken Gardens.  Sea Life Aquarium was half price with the ZooTampa pass and Leu Gardens was free.  Both were very nice and well worth visiting.

Sea Life Aquarium
Leu Gardens

Sea Life Aquarium is located in ICON Park near the hyper touristy International Drive

Upclose and Personal with a Lionfish

A face only a mother could love!

Leu Gardens

Beth sunk a 10 foot putt on the final hole of mini golf to beat me by one stroke.  The biggest excitement of the day may have been getting our first chicken sandwich from Popeyes!  These things have been making the news for a few months.  We're both big fans of Chick-fil-A but agreed that Popeye's lived up to the hype.   Although, we wouldn't stand in long lines or get in fights like have been happening in some locations to eat one.

The hotel has a really nice mini golf course on the property.

Can you tell who won?

Let the Disney Experience begin!

Bok Tower Gardens......a really nice suprise!

Bok Tower Gardens...…..it's sure to put a smile on your face!

Yesterday we started a week long Florida adventure.  It'll be an interesting week and one that is somewhat different from our typical adventures.  We're spending the week around 115 miles northeast of AMI in the world wide mecca for vacations, Walt Disney World.
From now until the beginning of "spring break", it's actually low season at the mouse kingdom.  While we still won't have the parks to ourselves, the crowds should be smaller and the temperatures pleasant.  Also, the deals on hotels and even park admission, for Florida residents are fantastic.  Through Hotwire we booked a resort less than five miles from the Disney property for right at $100 per night.  Our accommodations are amazing.  We ended up with a three bedroom, three bath unit which has a full kitchen and washer and dryer.  With the Florida resident discount our park passes are less than half the typical admission prices.  We're excited to visit the parks, since it's been close to a decade since we've been to any of them.  One thing we've already learned is that visiting Disney has become somewhat of a technological science.   We've studied the crowd predictor calendars, read about how to use the Fastpass, and downloaded the Disney Experience app to our phones.  As an added bonus we visited with a bona fide Disney expert, Chad Burton (actually it's more his wife Kelly who is the expert) who offered some great tips.  We're armed and dangerous...…..we'll see how it goes when we actually start hitting the parks tomorrow.
On our way here we enjoyed spending several hours at Bok Tower Gardens, which is located in Lake Wales, Fl. Bok Tower Gardens is a 250 acre garden that is located on one of the highest bluffs in the state of Florida (a whopping 290 above sea level).  When it comes to classic, old school (pre-Disney, Sea World, Busch Gardens, etc.) Florida attractions, Bok Tower Gardens is one of the oldest and best.

I guess I was a few feet below the highest point in the gardens.

Bok Tower Gardens

The gardens opened in 1921 and were the inspiration of Edward Bok, who was editor of Ladies Home Journal.  He and his wife, Mary Louise would spend their winters in the area.  He loved hiking to the edge of the bluff to enjoy the spectacular sunsets.  He decided to create a bird sanctuary and gardens that would be open to the public.
The centerpiece of the gardens is the "singing tower", which is a 205 foot tall tower which houses 60 bells.  The tower was constructed from 1927-1929 and was completed in time for a dedication ceremony which was attended by President Calvin Coolidge.  That dedication just happened to take place on this very day (February 1), 91 years ago.

Mission Accomplished!

I vaguely remember visiting Bok Tower Gardens as a kid.  For Beth, this was her first visit.  It didn't take but a couple of minutes for us to start asking each other, "what took us so long"?  At the entrance to the gardens there is a modern visitors center that offers a short (10 minute) movie that we both found to be informative.  The visitors center also has an interactive museum that focuses not only on the gardens but the construction of the tower and installation of the bells.  Other recent additions to the gardens include an outdoor demonstration kitchen and Hammock Hollow, a three acre play and learning area for children 2-12 years of age.  There is also a very nice café (Blue Palmetto Café), with outdoor seating, where we enjoyed lunch before exploring some of the numerous paths that meander through the gardens.

This is a small section of Hammock Hollow, the children's play and learning space

Hammock Hollow actually had a hammock!

The Blue Palmetto Café...…….they have a nice selection of tasty soups and sandwiches.

Currently there are two concerts per day.  These concerts are at 1:00 and 3:00, both lasting around 30 minutes.  We enjoyed listening to the end of the first one while eating lunch at the café.  For the second concert we were at the base of the tower, occasionally moving from one bench to another.  As an added bonus, there is an area near the tower where you can watch the carillonneur at the keyboard of the sixty bell carillon.

This area is called "Window on the Pond"

The paths throughout the gardens are paved and smooth.

There are plenty of benches and shade throughout the gardens

Tower and the reflection pond

The brass door of the tower tells the creation story

Live closed circuit broadcast of the carillonneur during the concert.

A mostly bald guy sitting on a bench listening to the carillon concert...…...a far cry from the "rock and roll" days!

We really enjoyed our time at Bok Tower Gardens and look forward to visiting again...……..assuming we survive four days at Disney!

Leave a few minutes to swing by Spook Hill.  It's an optical illusion that makes it seem as if your car is rolling up hill.