Breakfast at my favorite diner, a tower that sings at one o'clock, a hill that rolls the truck the wrong way, a candy factory in the orange groves, and dinner on a lake.
9–10am
My place. I've been driving an hour for this breakfast for a long time, and today you find out why.
7448 State Road 60, out east of Lake Wales. About an hour from Kissimmee, most of it two-lane.
10–2
Edward Bok put a 205-foot bell tower on the highest hill he could find, then had a forest planted around it so you'd have to walk up to it slowly. We'll do it his way. Gardens first, while it's dry and still in the low eighties.
2-ish
Stop on the white line, shift to neutral, feet off the pedals. The truck backs up the hill on its own, and it's been doing that to people since before either of us was born. You're driving this one. You have opinions about how I handle the left lane, so let's see how you handle a hill that runs the wrong way.
3-ish
A candy factory in the middle of the orange groves, cooking citrus candy and marmalade in small batches since 1967. There are samples. There's a window onto the kitchen. Nobody leaves without a bag of something.
Chance of rain by the hour. It's also why the middle of the afternoon happens indoors, with candy.
4:30–6
A fish camp on Lake Pierce that's been feeding people since 1940. We'll get there early enough for a quiet table by the water, ahead of the Saturday crowd and whatever the weather decides to do.
3100 Canal Road, a few minutes east of the candy and on our way north.
If we'd rather eat in town, Crazy Fish Seafood Shack is on Henry Street in Lake Wales. Go there instead
Then about an hour north, and home before dark if we time it right.
Directions home The whole loop in one map