City of Inverness
It's a rustic retreat, a picturesque city of roughly 7,300 residents. Inverness was founded in 1889 by a group of settlers who thought the area resembled that of their native Inverness, Scotland. It was named the county seat shortly after Citrus County was formed in 1887; offices for city and county government, court operations and the Citrus County Sheriff’s Office are located in the city limits.
In 2009, Inverness was named the City of the Year by the national 40&8 veterans organization for its continuous support and recognition of veterans and patriotism.
Numerous historic homes and buildings can be seen in surrounding neighborhoods traversable by bicycle. There are many unique shops and restaurants in the historic downtown district that wrap around the Old 1912 Courthouse.
Just a short walk away, the boardwalk of Cooter Pond awaits. More than 1,200 linear feet of walkway passes over and next to the 25-acre pond that is home to alligators, several species of fish, waterfowl and, of course, cooter turtles. Children can enjoy interactive educational stations while parents can gaze at the fountain in the pond's center.
The popular 46-mile Withlacoochee State Trail provides recreational opportunities for bicyclists, joggers and rollerbladers as it meanders past several city waterfront parks on Lake Henderson. Water trails await kayakers and fishermen, and visitors can enjoy a yearly calendar full of outdoor activities and events.
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Citrus County Chamber of Commerce
The Citrus County Chamber of Commerce is an organization of businesses unified in efforts to advance the economic growth of the region, promote the interests of the business community, provide key leadership on key commerce issues and preserve the county's quality of life.
Led by an energetic board of directors, the Chamber coordinates numerous events throughout the year, including the Manatee Festival in January and the Floral City Strawberry Festival in March.
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Cooter Fest
Now in its 7th year, this family-friendly event shell-shocked the nation with some unexpected national attention before its inaugural 2004 run. Ed Helms from The Daily Show With Jon Stewart visited to discuss the origin of the festival’s name, which, depending on who you ask, may or may not involve the soft shell cooter turtle native to the area. There was some controversy that almost cancelled the inaugural festival, which was soon followed by a sort of save the Cooter Festival campaign.
However, the decision was made to move plans forward, and the name Cooter Festival stuck. The rest, as they say, is history and thus began the turtle trek toward today.
The first festival featured guest appearances by Ben Jones, who played "Cooter" on the television series Dukes of Hazzard, and the General Lee was also on hand. There were cooter turtle races, which have become extremely popular, though the races attracted someunexpected media attention a few years back, too.
Over the years, kayak races, a triathlon and the Miss Cooter and Cooter Idol competitions joined the events lineup. Along with a barbeque cook off and live bands, we continue to add new activities for a fun filled three-day event held the last full weekend of October.