Guides · Clermont, Florida
Clermont FL: What Visitors Ask About the Hills
Clermont is a town that keeps its hills, its lakefront, and its history of citrus in plain sight—here is what visitors actually ask about before they arrive.
The Hills and the Citrus Question
People see the elevation before they see the town. Clermont sits on the southern edge of the Lake Wales Ridge, and the terrain is not what most expect from Florida. The citrus groves that once covered these slopes are mostly gone, killed off by freezes and replaced with subdivisions. The Florida Citrus Tower still stands from 1956, a roadside landmark built to celebrate an industry that has largely vanished from the landscape. Visitors ask if the groves are still there. They are not, but the tower remains, and the view from its top shows the hills that made this place unusual in the first place.
The town itself dates back to 1884, incorporated in 1891, briefly disbanded in 1895, and reincorporated in 1916. The name comes from the French hometown of A.F. Wrotnowski, who managed the Clermont Improvement Company. That is the short version of how a Central Florida town ended up with a French name.
Where to Eat Without Guessing
The restaurant scene runs along the highway corridors, and the ratings are consistent enough that visitors rarely go wrong. IHOP on S Hwy 27 has a 4.7 rating from over 7,600 reviews, which is a lot of pancakes and a lot of people who bothered to rate them. Keke's Breakfast Cafe on the same road also sits at 4.7, and it is a solid bet for the first meal of the day if you want something beyond the usual chain fare.
For dinner, Outback Steakhouse on E Hwy 50 holds a 4.6 from over 5,000 reviews, and Texas Roadhouse on S Hwy 27 sits at 4.5. Miller's Ale House on S Grand Hwy is at 4.6 and tends to draw a crowd for sports and casual food. If you want something with more local character, Pepe's Cantina Clermont on W Minneola Ave has a 4.7 from nearly 5,000 reviews and is the closest thing on this list to a non-chain option.
The rest of the highway lineup is familiar: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store on E Hwy 50, Olive Garden Italian Restaurant on S Hwy 27, Carrabba's Italian Grill on FL-50, Ruby Tuesday on FL-50, Steak 'n Shake on FL-50, and Denny's Restaurant on Town Center Blvd. Culver’s on Johns Lake Rd rounds out the list at 4.4. None of these are hidden gems, and none of them pretend to be. They are reliable, well-rated, and easy to find.
The Lake and the Park
Waterfront Park on Lake Minneola is the town's front yard. It has swimming, fishing piers, and a playground, and the 4.7 rating from over 4,200 reviews suggests it delivers. The park also hosts Pig on the Pond, a three-day event that draws more than 20,000 people and is the biggest gathering in south Lake County. The 2026 edition was the 27th, and it is run by Project Scholars, a non-profit.
Just south of town, Lake Louisa State Park on US-27 is the larger natural draw. With a 4.7 from over 3,600 reviews, it offers more space, more trails, and a quieter version of the same lake country. If you want to swim, paddle, or just walk without the crowds, this is the better bet.
What the Numbers Say
Clermont is a town of about 45,000 people, with a median age of 42.4. The median household income is just under $80,000, and the median home value is $368,600. Rent runs about $1,774 a month. The unemployment rate is 5.9 percent, and 35.7 percent of residents hold a bachelor's degree or higher.
There are 18,718 housing units in town, and 1,800 of them are vacant. That is a vacancy rate of just under 10 percent, which is not unusual for a town with a seasonal component. Only 558 units are held for seasonal or recreational use, so the vacancy is not all vacation homes. Some of it is the normal churn of a growing suburb.
The Slogan and the Training Center
Clermont adopted the slogan "Choice of Champions" in 2014, and it is not just marketing. The National Training Center has been operating there since 2001, and it has made the town a destination for triathletes and cyclists. The hills that killed the citrus are the same hills that make the training center work. That is the irony of this place: the terrain that ended one industry built another.
Day Trips Worth the Drive
If you have extra time, the surrounding towns have their own events. Mount Dora is 21 miles away and hosts the Mount Dora Arts Festival and the Mount Dora Craft Fair. Altamonte Springs is 25 miles out with Red Hot & Boom. Dade City is 35 miles away for the Kumquat Festival. Sanford is 36 miles for Sanford Porchfest, and Oviedo is 38 miles for Great Day in the Country.
The Short Answer
Clermont is not a beach town and not a theme park town. It is a lake town with hills, a state park, a solid lineup of chain restaurants, and a history that is visible if you know where to look. The tower from 1956 is still there. The groves are not. The lake is still good for a swim. The training center brought the athletes. The slogan came later. That is the whole thing in one paragraph.
Common questions
- What is there to do outdoors in Clermont?
- Waterfront Park on Lake Minneola has swimming, fishing piers and a playground. Lake Louisa State Park offers more nature. The hills that lost their citrus groves now give you steep terrain for hiking and biking. That's the trade: groves gone, hills gained.
- Why is Clermont called the Choice of Champions?
- The city adopted that slogan in 2014 because of the National Training Center, which opened in 2001. Athletes train here, and the hills make it tough. It's not a marketing gimmick; the terrain is genuinely steep for Florida.
- What happened to all the orange groves?
- Citrus dominated the economy into the mid-twentieth century, then repeated freezes and suburban development wiped most of it out. The Florida Citrus Tower, built in 1956, still stands as a landmark, but it now overlooks a landscape where the groves are largely gone.
- Is the Florida Citrus Tower worth seeing?
- Yes, if you want a piece of roadside history. It was built in 1956, one of Florida's earliest landmarks, and it outlived the industry it celebrated. You'll see hills and development where groves once were. It's a dry, honest view of what changed.
- Where should I eat in Clermont?
- Top-rated spots include IHOP (4.7 stars), Pepe's Cantina Clermont (4.7), and Keke's Breakfast Cafe (4.7). For steak, Outback Steakhouse (4.6) and Texas Roadhouse (4.5) are solid. Miller's Ale House (4.6) is good for a casual meal. All are rated by thousands of visitors.
- What is Pig on the Pond?
- It's a three-day event at Waterfront Park, the biggest in south Lake County, drawing over 20,000 people. Run by Project Scholars, a non-profit. The 2026 edition was the 27th. Expect food, music, and crowds by the lake.
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