DESTINATIONS FLORIDA | THE US
country
Pretty parks, pristine sands and Peppa Pig show a new side of Florida for both families and couples, finds Cathy Toogood
i
travelweekly.co.uk
t’s more than 30C and the shade from oak, palm and pine trees is much appreciated. Zebra longwing and monarch butterflies flutter among purple agapanthus and I smile as I spot a rabbit darting into some foliage. I’m only an hour’s drive away from Florida’s Walt Disney World Resort, but my serene surroundings feel a world away. The inscription above the entrance to Bok Tower
Gardens tells visitors to make the world “a bit better or more beautiful because you have lived in it”. These 250 acres of landscaped gardens, woodland, the art deco Singing Tower (pictured) and 1930s-built El Retiro mansion are testament to the fact that Dutch writer Edward Bok did exactly this. And a fam trip to
explore some lesser-visited areas of central and southwest Florida reveals plenty of surprising beauty spots dotted around the Sunshine State.
GREEN SCENE The gardens are in Polk County, a laid-back slice of central Florida between Orlando and Tampa, which is an excellent recommendation for clients who’d like the option to dip into the nearby Orlando action but with a calmer base to retreat to. Villas are a popular accommodation choice here
with large complexes in cities such as Davenport and Haines City, along with hotels in lakeside spots such as Lakeland and Winter Haven, which come with ²
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