Inverness

Inverness is the county seat of Citrus County in the Big Bend Coast region of Florida. It is home to the County Courthouse, and 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 some 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

FL-44, which crosses the state from east to west, goes through Inverness and connects to towns on each side. From Orlando (the location of an international airport), follow the Turnpike northwest and take the FL-44 exit.

See

• 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 80 years in existence it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Since the year 2000 a museum has operated in the building. (updated Jul 2020)
• 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. (updated Jul 2020)

Do

• 1 Citrus County Speedway, 3600 S Florida Ave, ☏ +1 352 341-5764, camronraycitruscountyspeedway@gmail.com. (updated Jul 2020)
• 2 Flying Eagle Preserve, 11080 E Moccasin Slough Rd, ☏ +1 352 796-7211 ext 4470. Sunrise-sunset. (updated Jul 2020)
• 3 Whispering Pines Park, 1700 Forest Dr. 7AM-9PM. (updated Jul 2020)

Eat

• 1 Coach's Pub and Eatery, 114 W Main St, ☏ +1 352 344-3333. M-Th 11AM-midnight, F Sa 11AM-2AM, Su 11AM-midnight. (updated Jul 2020)
• 2 Lakeside Grill, 4543 E Windmill Dr, ☏ +1 352 419-4560. (updated Jul 2020)
• 3 Stumpknockers (on the Square), 110 W Main St, ☏ +1 352 725-2212. Tu-Th 11AM-9PM, F Sa 11AM-10PM, Su 11AM-9PM. (updated Jul 2020)

Drink

• 1 Pine St Pub, 108 North Pine Ave, ☏ +1 352 341-0100. M-Th 11AM-10PM, F Sa 11AM-11PM, Su noon-8PM. (updated Jul 2020)

Sleep

• 1 Central Motel, 721 US-41 S, ☏ +1 352 726-4515, centralmotelfd@gmail.com. No pets. $71-130 per night (2021). (updated Jul 2021)

Go next

• The Villages to the east.
• Homosassa Springs and Homosassa to the west.