Monday, August 06, 2007

Clermont's Citrus Tower

We stayed in Clermont for awhile this summer, so one afternoon we visited the Citrus Tower on Highway 27. The 226-foot tall tower was built in 1956, when it provided tourists with panoramic views of citrus groves flowing over rolling hills. Freezes in the 1980s killed many of the trees, and now the tower provides tourists with panoramic views of subdivisions. But it is still an interesting place, and a unique perspective.

There are stores and a restaurant at the base of the tower. To go up to the top, you must buy a ticket in the gift shop. The elevator entrance is a single door, behind the counter. Once at the top, painted signs explain which direction you are looking, and how far it is to points of interest. For kids, or the kid inside, there is a slot to drop a coin and listen as it falls all the way back down the tower.

The Citrus Tower's website has more information and photographs of the tower being built. In the photographs below, you may notice a one of a white columned building with a scale model of Mount Rushmore in the parking lot. That's the Presidents Hall of Fame.








3 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:10 PM

    It's still worth a visit!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous7:23 PM

    I remember in the 80's coming to Fl with my parents. Citrus Tower was always a stop we would make. This was before the freeze that froze all of the citrus crops. I now live in Daytona Beach, and am glad to see Citrus Tower making a comeback. Too many of our landmarks are being destroyed because they no longer turn a profit. My hats off to the owners for keeping this landmark alive and well.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous7:39 PM

    Clermont was such a beautiful city back when the groves were still around. I can't stand the place now with all the traffic and subdivisions. At least I still have the memories

    ReplyDelete

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