CLERMONT, Fla. — The sounds of a brewing fresh cup of coffee can be heard daily inside Citrus, one of Clermont's newest coffee joints.  


What You Need To Know

  • Citrus Tower stands at 226 feet and first opened in 1955

  • It was built to attract to the massive citrus industry

  • You can see downtown Orlando’s skyline from the tower

But while Citrus is making its debut, the building that houses it has been around for a bit longer. 

“When the Citrus Tower was first built it was designed as a tourist attraction for the citrus industry here in Central Florida," the current owner of the Citrus Tower Scott Homan said. 

The Citrus Tower standing 226 feet in the air is a beacon in the area and an attraction that represents that massive citrus industry that once dominated in this area. 

“The citrus was huge here ... when you drove through the town of Clermont there were just thousands and thousands of trees; it was really quite remarkable," Homan said. 

First opened in 1955, the tower allowed guests to get an expansive view of the citrus groves that were all over Lake County, but thanks to three harsh freezes in the 1980s, most of the fields are now gone. 

However, you can still journey to the very top of the Citrus Tower for some seriously impressive views. You can see miles and miles out of the tower even making out the skyline of the iconic City Beautiful. 

“There is really nothing in the way of the view the Citrus Tower doesn't have competing views so you're seeing the Orlando skyline, you can see rocket launches, so it's pretty special," Homan said. 

It's a look into the early days of citrus and the roadside attraction keeping that history alive. 

The Citrus Tower is open seven days a week and it is $10 for adults and $6 for children.