Inverness is the county seat of Citrus County in West Central Florida and is home to the County Courthouse, along with the Flying Eagle Reserve.
Understand
History
Inverness had a population of 7,000 as of 2019, when the city turned a hundred years old.
Settlement of the area by Europeans began in 1868 by A.D. Tompkins, and the town was originally named "Tompkinsville" after him. He established a mail service and the county's first sawmill in order to attract residents, and his brother-in-law became the town's first merchant. Jacksonville bought the town and renamed it "Inverness" after the Scottish city, and the city was incorporated in 1919. Downtown's historic courthouse brought a sort of "fame" to the city after Elvis Presley filmed part of "Follow that Dream" in the building in 1961.
The city has been designated a "Tree City USA" by the National Arbor Day Foundation and the US Forest Service and a "City of the Year" by the Forty and Eight.
Nearby Floral City, at the southern end of Citrus County, is smaller, but has historic homes and a history of phosphate mining. It was founded in 1883 and experienced a boom, when it became larger than Miami, until World War I brought an end to the mining industry. Its population was 5,000 in 2010.
Get in
Get around
See
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- 1 Old Citrus County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Square, ☏ 1 352 341-6428. Built in 1912 and designed by J. R. MacEachron and Willis R. Biggers, after eighty years in existence it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Since the year 2000 a museum has operated in the building.
- 2 Fort Cooper State Park, 3100 S Old Floral City Rd, ☏ 1 352 726-0315. 8AM-sundown. $3/vehicle, $2 pedestrians, bicyclists, extra passengers. Put in honor box, exact change only. Primitive tent campingː $5 per person, per night, plus tax. Call for reservations.
Do
- 1 Citrus County Speedway, 3600 S Florida Ave, ☏ 1 352 341-5764, ✉[email protected].
- 2 Flying Eagle Preserve, 11080 E Moccasin Slough Rd, ☏ 1 352 796-7211 ext 4470. Sunrise-sunset.
- 3 Whispering Pines Park, 1700 Forest Dr. 7AM-9PM.
Buy
Eat
- 1 Coach's Pub and Eatery, 114 W Main St, ☏ 1 352 344-3333. M-Thu 11AM-midnight, F-Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight.
- 2 Lakeside Grill, 4543 E Windmill Dr, ☏ 1 352 419-4560.
- Old World Restaurant, 8370 S Florida Ave, Floral City (About a mile south of Floral City on the west side of US-41), ☏ 1 352 344-4443. Opened in 1981. Great German food and steaks in particular.
- 3 Stumpknockers (on the Square), 110 W Main St, ☏ 1 352 725-2212. Tu-Th 11AM-9PM, F-Sa 11AM-10PM, Su 11AM-9PM.
Drink
- 1 Pine St Pub, 108 North Pine Ave, ☏ 1 352 341-0100. Su noon-8PM, M-Th 11AM-10PM, F-Sa 11AM-11PM.