Happy Birthday Citrus Tower

VINTAGE VIDEO: The Citrus Tower is featured starting at 4 minutes into this video from 1965.

Citrus Tower in Clermont, one of the state’s oldest attractions, will celebrate its 70th birthday on July 14, 2026.

The tower is 226 feet tall and was built in 1956 to allow visitors to observe the miles of surrounding orange groves. The tower was conceived by A.W. Thacker and Jack Toole to showcase the thriving citrus industry.

Construction began in 1955, funded by a public sale of stock in the project. The building consumed 5 million pounds of concrete and 149,000 pounds of reinforcing steel.

The tower opened on July 14, 1956, with then Gov. LeRoy Collins and representatives from Silver Springs and Cypress Gardens, two other roadside attractions located on US Highway 27.

During the first several years of operation, the tower drew up to 500,000 visitors a year.

In its early years, the Citrus Tower attraction included duck boat tours to nearby lakes, a glass blowing studio and alligator wrestling.