Bok Tower Gardens is hosting ongoing food & wine events perfect for date night.
There’s a new reason to check a day trip to Bok Tower Gardens off your date night bucket list!
Situated between Orlando and Tampa in Lake Wales, Bok Tower Gardens ticks all the boxes for quality couple time. With 50 acres of winding pathways, gardens, and romantic hideaways to explore, a day at the gardens is totally worth the drive. And now, thanks to the Outdoor Kitchen & Edible Garden, which debuted earlier this year, there’s a stellar food and wine event lineup including seasonal farm dinners happening through spring of 2018.
After learning about the farm-to-table dinner series, I excitedly purchased a ticket to the October Farm to Table: Autumn’s Bounty dinner with Chef Amy Freeze, a 3-time World Food Championships finalist and National Pie Championship winner.
The menu for the evening included a variety of Cigar City beer-infused courses, including an incredible kale and bacon salad, cider glazed pork loin, and pumpkin ale bread pudding made with Cigar City’s Good Gourd Pumpkin Ale.
The setting was absolutely beautiful, complete with twinkling string lights, an open kitchen with a view of the Singing Tower, a cozy firepit, and an edible garden, the latter of which I perused between courses.
While Hurricane Irma damaged some of the bounty, future dinners will utilize ingredients grown in the onsite Edible Garden.
Tickets for Farm To Table dinners are $45/person. Each event includes multiple courses of seasonal chef-prepared cuisine, wine, and refreshments like tea and infused water. (What a steal!!)
TIP: Your ticket includes admission to the gardens for the day, so arrive early for a romantic stroll, a tour of the Pinewood Estate, and a date night selfie in front of the 205-foot tall Singing Tower. Carillon bell concerts occur daily at 1 and 3pm, although the bells were playing as we arrived for dinner around 6pm.
Here are a few more photos from the October 26 dinner:
UPCOMING EVENTS
Registration for Farm to Table dinners is required in advance. Tickets are $45 inclusive of food, wine, and beverages. Dinners are offered seasonally on Thursday evenings from 6-8pm in the Outdoor Kitchen.
Upcoming dinners:
- January 18, 2018 – Farm to Table: Soup’s On
- March 22, 2018 – Farm to Table: Spring Has Sprung
- May 3, 2018 – Farm to Table: Summer Salads
MORE FOOD + WINE EVENTS
Here’s a sneak peek at some additional upcoming food and wine events that sound perfect for date night:
Wine Walk
Saturday, November 18, 3-5pm
Sample 10 curated wines while strolling the gardens and enjoying live entertainment.
$30
Three Authors and a Fishmonger: The Best of Florida Seafood
Saturday, December 9, 12-2pm
Enjoy cooking demos, recipe samples, and more with cookbook authors Heather McPherson, Pam Brandon & Katie Farmand, and fishmonger Cinthia Sandoval.
$55
For full details on upcoming events and to purchase tickets as they become available, visit https://boktowergardens.org/calendar.
About the Author/Photographer:
Stephanie Patterson is a talented professional food and travel photographer and writer with a passion for creativity, the beach and great eats. When she’s not taking photos or writing, you can find her exploring the state for her Florida travel blog, Travel Taste Click. Find her online at www.spattersonphotography.com and www.traveltasteclick.com.