Florida Tourist Towers

Providing a scenic perch to observe rolling hills of Citrus, potential home lots or the breaking ocean surf, tourist observation towers once beckoned travellers to Florida’s exotic destinations. Many became symbols of their respective towns while others became part of the state’s cultural identity. Some were centerpeices of theme parks and botanical gardens while others were simply roadside attractions vying for traffic. From Lake Wales to Pensacola, Daytona Beach to Lake Placid, this lecture will explore the history of Florida’s famous tourist towers, the people who built them, and which can still be enjoyed today.