Of other places to visit in and near Lake Wales, two stand out.
The sandhill and scrub Tiger Creek Preserve is part of the Lake Wales Ridge National Wildlife Refuge. Edward Bok learned of the site from nearby town developer Roger Babson and right away saw it as a flatland counterpart to his hilltop gardens. But the county moved too slowly to satisfy Bok’s conditions for acquiring the site, and he gave up acquiring it.
Decades later, Cary Bok, a grandson of Edward, serving on the board of the Nature Conservancy, heard of his grandfather’s interest. A colleague contacted naturalist Ken Morrison, who at the time served as director of the sanctuary. They examined the site and decided it had to be preserved.
Now the site includes almost 5,000 acres of Florida sandhill and scrub around the seven-mile, clear, tannin-colored creek. The Nature Conservancy manages the site, which is open to the public without charge. However, there are no public facilities. The trail in and back from the Conservancy’s regional office is about two miles, though longer trails with significant elevations and views are also available. The creek’s name is derived from the orange stripe that appears on its surface when bright sun filters through the oaks.
Visitors interested in citrus cultivation will want to stop at Grove House, an interpretive center across from Florida Natural’s Lake Wales citrus processing plant. The center’s four kiosks review the history, horticulture, packaging and weather aspects of citrus culture. A 14-minute video in a theater that seats 60 supplies a virtual tour of the huge plant across U.S. Highway 27. The center’s exhibits are free, as is juice there. There’s also a gift shop.
