Showcase of Citrus
The flat panoramic views transformed as we drew closer to the grove. The road rose and fell within the gentle hills of Clermont. Though nothing like the mountains of our east coast neighbors, they are distinctly unique within our otherwise sea level landscape.
May was research month for my next novel, so I packed up my youngest two children and drove west. I was a little late to the party, as oranges are harvested earlier in the year, so I was relieved to find that The Showcase of Citrus ran their tours year round.
Their acres of citrus were primarily new plants since a storm in 2023 had devastated the grove with softball-size hail. They grafted old tree branches with new growth to speed up the fruit bearing process. This process alters the "memory" of the new tree allowing for fruit within two years, instead of five.
Upon arrival, we wandered the maze of sidewalks. The grounds were about as Florida as it gets, with the owners finding creative methods of fostering tourism to keep the family farm profitable. The kids mined for gems and fed the farm animals from a bucket of feed while waiting for our tour.
Once loaded for our Monster Truck Adventure, we spotted a film crew. The tour guide explained that The Today Show was conducting an interview (you can view the feature on The Showcase of Citrus Instagram page).
The tour guide took us through Jurassic-Park-style gates, passing a skunk ape or two along the way.
We arrived at an open field where we were introduced to the day-old baby buffalo along with other exotic animals. Though I came for the orange grove tour, my children were enchanted with the extras.
By late morning the heat was intensifying and we were craving cold drinks. Though they have a bar, it was still early and I had a long drive home. I joined in with my children and ordered their creamsicle orange juice slushy - it was divine!
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