The Wandering Disciple

A water tower advertising Florida's Natural orange juice towers over their factory in Central Florida. The sunshine state produces over 56 million boxes of oranges a year. Florida's Natural is just one of the many orange juice companies in the state and is known for using only Florida grown oranges in their juice. You can visit their plant in Lake Wales and learn about the process and sample some fresh Florida OJ. (Photo: April 26, 2020)

Mail moves the country, zip code moves the mail. In 1962 the US Postal Service revealed Mr Zip, a colorful cartoon character to help spread the word about zip codes. Used to help educated the public about zip codes to help ease routing of mail and simplify the mailing process, Mr Zip reminded customers to not tie up the mail service and use zip code. This public service announcement swept the nation and resulted in clever newspaper and magazine ads and even color mail bags like this one on display the the Lake Wales History Museum. Within four years of the start of the Mr Zip promos, 80% of Americans knew Mr Zip and what he stands for. The Mr Zip promo was eventually retired in the early 80's. (Photo: May 11, 2019)

Pull up to the line and put your car in neutral and watch it defy gravity as it proceeds to slowly climb the hill. For centuries the battle between the gator and the Indian Chief taunts visitors to Spook Hill. Legend has it that an Indian Village on the banks of Lake Wailes was plagued with gator attacks until one day the Chief of the tribe had a battle for the land on this very hill. In the battle, both the Chief and the gator were killed. But the legend lives on and as horses once labored to climb this haunted hill, today it is cars that can defy gravity and roll up the hill. (Photo: May 11, 2019)

Sitting high atop Iron Mountain, the famous singing tower of Bok Tower Gardens serenades the countryside several times a day.  The tower features a 60-bell carillon which rings hourly and twice a day there is a concert played on the clavier located within the tower. The tower is built at the summit of Iron Mountain, a peak that rises 225 feet above sea level, one of the tallest points in Florida. (Photo: May 11, 2019)

Lake Wales, Florida: A city built by the railroad, the City of Lake Wales sits along the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad in the heart of Central Florida. Once the rails put the city on the map, trade and tourism followed. The history of this quaint little town along the rails is on display at the Lake Wales History Center. Located in the historic train depot, the Lake Wales History Center tells the story of Lake Wales. From its early days as a stop on the railroad through modern day, there are exhibits to help tell the story of this Central Florida town. The museum features exhibits on the railroad history, Lake Wales connection to the war effort, the trade industry featuring citrus and cattle farming and an exhibit on tourism in Lake Wales. The museum also features a revolving gallery which during our visit the gallery focused on Native American cultures. Outside the museum on a section of abandoned train tracks there are a few rail cars in the process of restoration. The...