The 205-foot (62 m) Singing Tower was built upon one of the highest points of peninsular Florida, estimated to be 295 feet (90 m) above sea level,[4] and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Boks loved the beauty of the area, and created a 25-acre (10 ha) bird sanctuary on the ridge's highest hill to protect the land from being developed.

The first year was spent digging trenches and laying pipes for irrigation, after which soil was brought to the site by thousands of truck loads and plantings began.

Olmsted's plan included the planting of 1,000 large live oaks, 10,000 azaleas, 100 sabal palms, 300 magnolias, and 500 gordonias, as well as hundreds of fruit shrubs such as blueberry and holly.

[6] The gardens are currently ten times their original size, and feature acres of ferns, palms, oaks, pines, and wetland plants.

The plantings also include camellias, tree ferns, creeping fig, yaupon and dahoon holly, Asiatic jasmine, Justicia, crinum and spider lily, monstera, wax myrtle, date and sabal palm, papyrus, philodendron, blue plumbago, and horsetail rush.

[3] The 60-bell carillon occupies only the top of the Singing Tower, some of the rest contained large water tanks to irrigate the gardens, with Bok's baronial study at the base.

[12] In appreciation for Edward W. Bok's extraordinary gift of the gardens and tower to the nation, a group of his neighbors from Mountain Lake, Florida,[13] commissioned an exedra, or curving bench, in his honor, in 1930.

One of its bronze plaques reads: This Sanctuary of approximately fifty acres,with its planting of native vegetation of Florida,was the conception of Edward William Bok.It was designed and executedduring 1924-1928 by Frederick Law Olmsted,its purpose is to provide a retreat ofrepose and natural beauty for the human –a refuge for the bird – and a place forthe student of Southern plant and bird life.In 2022, Bok Tower Gardens received a matching grant of $500,000 from the Save America's Treasures program.

The Pine Ridge Nature Preserve and Trail is an ecosystem typified by an over-story of longleaf pine, sandhill habitats, and a dense ground cover of perennial grasses that includes a nature trail that begins at the Window by the Pond and extends for three-quarters of a mile ending at the Visitor Center.

[16] Conservation efforts for the pine trail by Bok Tower Gardens include restoration of native plants, the regulation of invasive species and educating the public.

The information desk, an orientation film, a local art exhibit space, and the administrative offices are located in the Visitor Center.

[19] In separate buildings attached to the Visitor Center by covered walkways and a promenade are the Tower & Garden Gift Shop and the Blue Palmetto Café.

The library also houses vertical files on international carillons, that include newspaper clippings, biographical information and concert programs.

:[12] The Pinewood Estate Mansion features furniture, ceramics and other objects that were in the house prior to Bok Tower Gardens' purchase of the property in 1970.

[12] All of the Education Department's programs and field trips align with the Florida Sunshine State Standards and Polk County Curriculum Maps.

The lessons presented in the Education Department's curriculum guide cover academic areas such as science, nature, visual & performance arts, culture and history.

These draw thousands of visitors to the large field in front of the Tower for an outdoor picnic, and feature music from both the orchestra and the carillon.