Bok tower gardens vs. leu Gardens

[tseitel]

Want to do some non Disney stuff. Which gardens would you choose to visit, and why?
Thanks for any input!

 

[Woodview]

Do Both

They are Different Types of gardens

 

[tseitel]

Thank you, but not gonna get my crew to spend 2 days looking at gardens. Really need to pick just one. Can anyone recommend one over the other? I’ve watched videos of both, and just can’t decide which would be the better choice for family, ranging in ages from 16-76.

 

[disneyseniors]

I havent been to both either, but I would recommend Bok Gardens. The reason why is that I contacted Bok Gardens when I found an old tinotype photo of a tower which had Bok Tower written on it. It was really old with that rose tint they put on old pictures back then. I decided to send it to Bok Gardens hoping they could use it. They sent a nice thank you letter back and said they would put it in their museum,and to visit whenever we get to Florida. The grounds look beautiful and the tower is called The Singing Tower. The photo I had didn't look like it does today. It had swamp around it and foliage. For those reasons I guess I would go to Bok.

 

[ChanaC]

I like Leu Gardens. It's in a great location if you want to do a full local Orlando day. It's right by Loch Haven Park which has great museums and theaters like the Orlando Museum of Art, the Orlando Science Center, the Orlando Repertory Theatre and the Orlando Shakespeare Theater if you are looking for more entertainment or things to do. You're near downtown Orlando where there are lots of great restaurants (including Orlando's Little Saigon if you are looking for great Vietnamese food) and you're also really close to downtown Winter Park which is another great area with lots of shopping and restaurants. Winter Park also has scenic boat tours of their lakes if you want to check out some nature and some pretty cool looking houses.

 

[CarolynFH]

I just looked at both websites, and bookmarked them both for our future visits! I think I'd like Bok Tower Gardens more - BTW I'd be in the older group in your party.

 

[Woodview]

I like Leu Gardens. It's in a great location if you want to do a full local Orlando day. It's right by Loch Haven Park which has great museums and theaters like the Orlando Museum of Art, the Orlando Science Center, the Orlando Repertory Theatre and the Orlando Shakespeare Theater if you are looking for more entertainment or things to do. You're near downtown Orlando where there are lots of great restaurants (including Orlando's Little Saigon if you are looking for great Vietnamese food) and you're also really close to downtown Winter Park which is another great area with lots of shopping and restaurants. Winter Park also has scenic boat tours of their lakes if you want to check out some nature and some pretty cool looking houses.

Try this Drive to Winter Park & take an early Scenic Boat tour ...... good fun & informative history

then drive to LEU GARDENS ...... RELAX & enjoy . plenty of seats to sit on .. Then when the gardens close
return to home but stop on way for dinner ( Away from Disney Food )

Bok tower is a pleasant drive through " the real Florida " & then a walk around the grounds and waiting


for the carillon to play and that is it

o

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

I’ve never been to Bok Tower (though I’ve heard it’s lovely!), but I do love Leu Gardens. It’s also close to a lot of great shops and restaurants, if that interests you (Bok Tower is in a more rural area). Down the street from Leu Gardens is East End Market, home of the original Gideon’s Bakehouse, plus several other great eateries and very cute stores. There’s several other cute vintage stores on that street (Owl’s Attic and The Lovely Boutique are my favorites). As others have said, you’d be close to Winter Park as well. Downtown Winter Park is gorgeous, tons of shopping and restaurants along Park Ave… then you can gawk at all the incredible mansions, either by driving around or via the Boat Tour.

 

[tseitel]

Thank you everyone for the informative replies. Reading these, I’m thinking Leu Gardens is the way to go. With the combination of the garden, small shops, and restaurants, it sounds like the winner for my group.
Our trip is not till October but I’m trying to work out a rough schedule, and this has helped greatly.

 

[dmunsil]

We’ve been to both, and both are worth seeing. I concur with everyone that Leu combines well with other Winter Park area sights, including the Winter Park Scenic Boat Tour and the Morse Museum (largest collection of Tiffany pieces in the world). It’s also a shorter drive from the WDW area.

Bok Tower is really unique, though. The gardens are great, and were designed by Frederick Law Olmstead (designer of NY’s Central Park). The tower is beautiful. Carillon music is also unusual, at least outside of Belgium and the Low Countries. It’s worth trying to be there for the 1 pm or 3 pm daily concerts. The cafe at Bok Tower was better than we expected last time we were there. Bok Tower is very near Legoland, but doesn’t really pair super well because Legoland is typically going to eat up most of a day.

Really, it’s hard to go wrong with either one. If you do go to Bok Tower (or Legoland), you may want to stretch your legs on the way back at Davidson of Dundee, a semi-famous citrus stand and candy factory. It’s no Wall Drug, but worth a stop. You really can’t be sure whether you want a gator-shaped citrus jelly until you’ve seen it with your own eyes.