December 2022

There are, at least in my mind, a couple fairly common misconceptions about the weather when people talk about places known for having warmer climates. The first is that you don’t get 4 seasons and the second is that it doesn’t get cold. Both of those aren’t necessarily false, but they certainly aren’t true either. Today, which happens to be Christmas Day 2022, is a great example of just that.

🧊

It does get cold in Florida. . .

Let’s make something perfectly clear right out the gate. I’m not suggesting that Florida is somehow as cold as any number of places around the United States [or world] that people like to pipe up about in situations like these. It’s no Nebraska, North Dakota or even Maine; it’s Florida. I’m very well aware of that. However, cold is cold and how that cold is experienced by those living in places not equipped to manage that type of cold plays a role in how it’s perceived.

A great example of this is the town I lived in just before moving to the United States. It was a small farm town, not far from Hiroshima, where it just barely got cold enough to snow; never cold enough to stick around for long. Just because it didn’t get that cold didn’t mean you weren’t experiencing a lot more cold, though. In fact, I’d argue that living in that small farm town not far from Hiroshima where the temperatures rarely got below zero was much colder than living in a place like Minnesota. How could that be, you ask? It’s largely due to the way homes are built in most parts of Japan. Even in the colder parts of the country, there’s no central heat or double paned windows. Floors are vented and uninsulated, which means that walking around during the winter months without house slippers can result in mild frostbite. In other words, experiencing the cold is a much different thing.

The same thing can be said for places like Florida. Temperatures don’t get all that low all that often, which means homes and people aren’t well equipped for it. Of course, the same can be said in reverse for people who live in colder places that don’t often experience temperatures in the triple digits.

The attraction that is The Florida Citrus Tower is made up of 2 parts. The first, located at the base, is a small cafe. This cafe has a menu that, appropriately so, serves up various items featuring citrus. [During my visit, I had a drink called the “Orange Buttercream” which was spectacular!] You can then enjoy your drink, free of charge, in the building that makes up the base of the tower. This area is set up like a cafe, but also features decor themed to citrus as well as memorabilia from The Florida Citrus Tower through the years. There is also a small gift shop where you can purchase items to commemorate your trip. Then there’s the tower itself.

Going up to the top of the 226 foot tall tower is not free of charge. During my visit, if memory serves me right, it was $11 per person to go to the top of the tower. There was also an “Annual Pass” available for just over $100 per person, allowing unlimited trips to the top of the tower. At the time of writing this, The Florida Citrus Tower website is under construction and not showing and information pertaining to pricing.

For the price of admission, visitors can ride a small elevator to the top of the tower where they will be treated to panoramic views. Aside from the beautiful views, visitors can reference signs showing what they are looking out over and sign up for an email showing photographs of the surrounding area in the past. There’s also a coin drop, where visitors can put a coin in a slot and listen to it fall the 226 feet down to the bottom of the tower. Probably the most interesting thing about the top of this tower, though, is that it is an extension of the cafe down below. With a bar that runs along the length of the windows and tables to sit at, visitors can take their time enjoying the view somewhat comfortably.

[NOTE: While the top of The Florida Citrus Tower is air conditioned, it’s important to note that it still does get warm due to the panoramic windows and bright white interior. It’s also worth noting that the top of the tower isn’t very spacious. While there is enough room to comfortably walk around the perimeter of the tower, it’s not suitable for strollers or ECVs. Standard wheelchairs and electric wheelchairs are likely fine.]