DeLeon Springs Florida, named for the famous explorer Ponce De Leon is one of Florida’s most beautiful natural springs. It has been voted one of Florida’s best State Parks on several occasions. It may not give you eternal youth, but you can sure spend the day feeling as care free as a child! It is pristine and unique – the swimming area, which is always 72 degrees F (as all other springs in Florida) is large and enclosed, which means no gators, although fish and turtles are often spotted! It is a wonderful place for the whole family as there are lots of great activities for every person - snorkeling, skin-diving or just lounging around on your raft.
The swimming area is surrounded by a beautiful shaded picnic area. If you are not feeling up to packing a picnic, you can always enjoy a meal at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill Restaurant, where you can cook your own pancakes with your choice of toppings, like fruits, nuts and sweets right at your table.
They serve up all you can eat of two types of batter – your typical white batter and a multigrain one. You also have your choice of syrup – be it maple, honey or molasses. My favorite combination was a multigrain pancake with bananas and chocolate chips topped with honey and home made peanut butter!
If pancakes aren’t your thing you can also chose from their menu of healthy options made from natural ingredients and whole grains. The restaurant is open 9-5 on weekdays and 8-5 on weekends, serving until 4:00.
To work off those pancakes be sure to spend some time out in the springs on some sort of water vessel, be it a canoe, paddleboat, kayak or airboat, all of which are available to rent. We took out a paddleboat, but the springs were so full of algae that it was tough to get through in many spots. At several points we thought perhaps we were going to run the boat aground, but in actuality there was about 2 feet of muck – algae and mud just below the surface of the water. At times like this is probably best to take an airboat tour or just muscle through on a kayak. Be sure to bring a hat and a lot of sunscreen, as there is not much foliage over the water to protect you from the sun! After boating be sure to cool off in the swimming area before heading out for the day.
You can also take a 5 mile hike through oak hammock, flood plain forest and agricultural sites on the Wild Persimmon Trail, where you can enjoy some bird watching, don’t forget your binoculars! So even if you don’t find the Fountain of Youth, you can still enjoy the lazy days of summer in the beauty of DeLeon Springs, Florida!
601 Ponce DeLeon Blvd./PO Box 1338
DeLeon Springs, Florida 32130
Phone: 386-985-4212
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