Skip to Main Content

Florida Citrus Tower.
Florida Citrus Tower, 2022.

Florida Citrus Tower

Field review by the editors.

Clermont, Florida

Standing as a central Florida landmark since 1956, the Citrus Tower is a fondly-regarded Sunshine State icon, but it's no longer a singular sentinel among low-slung groves. Today it fights for sky space with water towers and office buildings. You can still ride an elevator to the top -- a fact that makes its owners proud -- but the point of the Citrus Tower was to provide an aerial view of Florida's citrus bonanza, not of the strip malls and condos that you wanted to escape on your vacation.

In the building that surrounds the base of the tower, a large gift shop from days of yore is now a sanctuary for a local church. The "Citrus Arcade" and packing house out back are closed, probably gone wherever the groves went.

Along the wall on the way to the restrooms is the Tower's bell carillon broadcasting equipment. Speakers dangle from the tower (along with cell phone antennae) and the bells ring out a variety of songs on the half hour. Also on display are a couple of architect's scale models that date to the tower's Eisenhower-era construction.

Citrus Tower in the 1980s.
Citrus Tower in the 1980s.

A glass case filled with long-discontinued Citrus Tower souvenir plates and teacups makes you yearn for the elaborate keepsakes of yore. You can still buy post cards and t-shirts of the tower at the tower, but our favorite souvenirs were the Citrus Tower's decades-old plastic mesh citrus bushel bags. Buy one and use it the next time that you go to the supermarket to carry oranges imported from Brazil!

Florida Citrus Tower

Address:
141 S. US-27, Clermont, FL
Directions:
On the east side of US-27 just south of Citrus Tower Blvd.
Hours:
M-Th 9-5, F-Sa 8-sunset (Call to verify) Local health policies may affect hours and access.
Phone:
352-394-4061
Admission:
Adults $10.
RA Rates:
Worth a Detour
Save to My Sights

Nearby Offbeat Places

Presidents Hall of FamePresidents Hall of Fame, Clermont, FL - < 1 mi.
Ice Cream Cone BuildingIce Cream Cone Building, Clermont, FL - < 1 mi.
WWII Pilot Crash MemorialWWII Pilot Crash Memorial, Clermont, FL - 7 mi.
In the region:
Strawberry Water Tower, Plant City, FL - 43 mi.

More Quirky Attractions in Florida

Stories, reports and tips on tourist attractions and odd sights in Florida.

Explore Thousands of Unique Roadside Landmarks!

Strange and amusing destinations in the US and Canada are our specialty. Start here.
Use RoadsideAmerica.com's Attraction Maps to plan your next road trip.

My Sights

My Sights on Roadside America

Map and Plan Your Own Roadside Adventure ...Try My Sights

Mobile Apps

Roadside America app: iPhone, iPad Roadside America app for iPhone, iPad. On-route maps, 1,000s of photos, special research targets! ...More

Roadside Presidents app: iPhone, iPad Roadside Presidents app for iPhone, iPad. POTUS landmarks, oddities. ...More

Florida Latest Tips and Stories

Latest Visitor Tips

Sight of the Week

Sight of the Week

JFK's World Famous Twine Ball, Highland, Wisconsin (Mar 18-24, 2024)

SotW Archive

USA and Canada Tips and Stories

More Sightings