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Lake Wales · Olmsted-planned estate community

Mountain Lake

The Olmsted-designed colony that gave the city Bok Tower.

Mountain Lake was laid out in 1915 as a winter colony for northern families, with grounds planned by the Olmsted Brothers firm. Its most consequential resident, Edward Bok, commissioned the Singing Tower on the adjacent high ground and gave it to the American people in 1929.

The colony itself is private, but its influence is visible everywhere in Lake Wales: the Olmsted planning language, Pinewood Estate, and the gardens that remain the region's best-known destination.

BoundariesNorth of the city along the ridge crest between Burns Avenue and Bok Tower Gardens.

What it's like

Character

  • Private residential colony — grounds are not open to the public
  • Olmsted Brothers landscape planning, curvilinear roads, preserved canopy
  • Directly adjacent to Bok Tower Gardens and Pinewood Estate
  • Highest elevation in peninsular Florida's central ridge

On the ground

Landmarks

Bok Tower Gardens

The 205-foot Singing Tower, Olmsted gardens, and Pinewood Estate — open daily to the public.

1151 Tower Blvd, Lake Wales, FL 33853

Pinewood Estate

1930s Mediterranean Revival winter home inside the gardens, open for tours.

Olmsted landscape corridors

Preserved ridge canopy and planned vistas visible from public roads.

Tower Boulevard off Burns Avenue leads to the gardens. Mountain Lake's own roads are private and gated.

Verified 2026-07-29

Events calendar

What’s coming up in Mountain Lake.