Standing since 1956

The Citrus Tower went up in 1956 on US-27 — the snowbird thoroughfare — as one of the big three roadside attractions of the pre-Disney circuit, alongside Silver Springs and Cypress Gardens. From the top, the 1950s visitor looked over a green quilt of citrus groves; the tower was a symbol of Florida itself. It predates Walt Disney World by 15 years, and it is still standing over Clermont.

THE FLORIDA CITRUS TOWER | Clermont, FL | Original Florida Roadside Attraction | Full Tour & More!

World of Micah

World of Micah's full tour of the Florida Citrus Tower — standing since 1956 as one of Central Florida's first roadside attractions, long before Disney — rides to the top on a rainy morning. His practical notes: open Monday–Saturday 7 a.m.–7 p.m. and Sundays noon–7 at the time of filming, and worth planning around the weather for the view.

Key takeaways
  • One of Central Florida's original roadside attractions, opened 1956
  • Hours were 7 a.m.–7 p.m. most days when filmed — check before driving out
  • Rain doesn't close it, but clear days earn the view

From Citrus Tower to White Castle: What to See and Do in Clermont, Florida

ChadGallivanter

ChadGallivanter frames Clermont through its tower: in the 1950s the top of the Citrus Tower overlooked a green quilt of citrus groves; today the same view is streets, rooftops and parking lots. His Clermont day traces that tension — Sunday farmers market downtown with honey and hand-poured candles, the unchanged tower, and a town caught between what it was and what it's becoming.

Key takeaways
  • The tower is unchanged; the grove-to-suburb view transformation is the story
  • Sunday's downtown farmers market anchors a Clermont morning
  • Clermont in one day: past, present and future in a single frame

Citrus Tower Clermont Florida | History, Views & What to Expect

Ant on the Move

Ant on the Move answers 'why was the Citrus Tower built?' with a US-27 history lesson: the highway was the snowbird thoroughfare, and its big three roadside attractions were Silver Springs, the Citrus Tower over Lake County's groves, and Cypress Gardens — the popular circuit before Disney, Universal and SeaWorld rewired Florida tourism.

Key takeaways
  • US-27's golden-age circuit: Silver Springs, Citrus Tower, Cypress Gardens
  • The tower was built to overlook the vast Lake County citrus groves
  • Disney's arrival is the hinge the whole story swings on

The comeback

The tower changed ownership in 2022 and underwent extensive renovation, with a re-grand opening on May 28, 2023 under the banner 'Still Standing. Still Rising.' — the tower's own film on this page tells the renewal story. At its 70th anniversary in 2026, rides to the top were free during the Orange Crush Festival, and the deck still delivers: on a clear day you can see some 35 miles and pick out Disney's Contemporary Resort, the EPCOT sphere, and the Dolphin hotel on the horizon.

The honest contrast

ChadGallivanter's Clermont day on this page traces the tension the tower now embodies: the same view that was groves is today streets, rooftops, and parking lots — Lake County's citrus era ended, and the tower became a monument to it. His day pairs the climb with the Sunday farmers market downtown, which is the right way to build a Clermont stop. Hours at filming: Monday–Saturday 7 a.m.–7 p.m., Sundays noon–7.

What Happened to Florida’s Citrus Tower?

Sunshine State Insider

Sunshine State Insider's 'What Happened to Florida's Citrus Tower?' explains the landmark everyone has driven past: once a symbol of Florida itself standing over endless orange groves, now surrounded by highways, subdivisions and big-box stores — and traces the 1940s–50s Florida that built it, before I-4 became the tourism conveyor belt.

Key takeaways
  • The tower was once a genuine symbol of Florida, not a curiosity
  • The groves vanished; the tower stayed — that's the poignancy
  • A pre-Disney, pre-I-4 Florida built it; a different Florida surrounds it

Exploring One of Florida’s FIRST Roadside Attraction! (Citrus Tower 70th Anniversary)

Florida With Us

Florida With Us visits during the Orange Crush Festival for the Citrus Tower's 70th anniversary, when rides to the top were free: from the observation deck you can see some 35 miles — and pick out Disney's Contemporary Resort, the Epcot sphere and the Dolphin hotel for the theme-park fans in the family.

Key takeaways
  • Opened 1956 — the tower celebrated its 70th anniversary in 2026
  • Views reach about 35 miles on a clear day
  • You can spot Disney landmarks from the deck with the naked eye

Florida's Famous Citrus Tower | Clermont's Best View? 🍊

MASSive Floridians

MASSive Floridians ask whether the Citrus Tower is Clermont's best view, visiting the tower and the neighboring Presidents Hall of Fame building. (Transcript not stored: Supadata returned an Arabic auto-translated caption track for this English video.)

Pair it

The neighboring Presidents Hall of Fame shares the stop in one visit here, and the pre-renovation 2017 climb on this page is worth a look before you go — the same tower, one era earlier, for comparison.

Sources: the eight videos on this page — two full tower tours, a US-27 history lesson, a what-happened explainer, the 70th-anniversary visit, and the tower's own renewal film — summarized from their entries in our catalog.

Watch: Clermont and the Florida Citrus Tower, guided

2 videos · summaries from the actual guides

Exploring The Historical Florida Citrus Tower Clermont Florida

ThePresidentialTourist

ThePresidentialTourist's unhurried 2017 exploration of the historic Florida Citrus Tower in Clermont documents the roadside landmark as it stood in its pre-renovation years — the full climb and the grove-country views from the top, a record of the tower before its 2022 change of ownership.

Key takeaways
  • A full-length record of the tower in its earlier era
  • Filmed in 2017 — predates the 2022 ownership change and renovation
  • The observation deck views are the constant across every era

Citrus Tower Renewal - The Re-Grand Opening 2023- Still Standing. Still Rising.

Citrus Tower

The Citrus Tower's own film on its renewal: after the 2022 change of ownership, extensive renovations brought a re-grand opening in 2023 under the banner 'Still Standing. Still Rising.' — the attraction's own account of its comeback as Clermont's beacon.

Key takeaways
  • New ownership took over in 2022 and renovated the tower
  • The re-grand opening followed in 2023
  • The tower's own telling of its preservation story

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