DeLeon Springs State Park and the Old Spanish Sugar Mill, DeLeon Springs, Florida

 

“Adopt the pace of nature. Her secret is patience.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Visiting Florida’s natural springs has drawn thousands of people each year to visit and Joe and I are no exception. DeLeon Springs State Park was only 30 miles from Ormond Beach where we were vacationing so it was an easy decision to go and check it out. We loved our drive through the Florida countryside passing many beautiful farm scenes and interesting places. 

There was a small line of cars queued up to get into the park. It costs $6 per car for up to 8 people to get into the park. We parked under huge beautiful live oak trees draped with Spanish Moss. The main reason we wanted to visit this state park was we heard they have a unique restaurant that was once was an old sugar mill. When we parked, I hustled over and put our name on the waiting list but was told there was a 3 ½ hour wait. How disappointing. It sure must be good. We walked around the sugar mill and took many pictures of building and some of the original equipment that is on display behind the restaurant. This state park also claimed its own Fountain of Youth which was on display, but was dry and looked as if it were for a long time. So we were unable to get our youth back that day.

The Old Spanish Sugar Mill is a rustic restaurant that is a one hundred year replica of the original mill that was built in 1832 featuring a 30 foot waterwheel. This was the first water powered sugar mill in the state of Florida. The waterwheel and restaurant is a beautiful site and set in a gorgeous setting. When the mill was first built, it was used to crush sugarcane using the incredible power of 14 million gallons of water that flows from the spring every day. During the Civil War, they used the mill to grind flour.

What makes this restaurant unique besides it being an old sugar mill is that in the middle of each wooden table is an electric griddle. Once you are seated, the wait staff brings you out pancake batter and a spatula so you can cook your own pancakes. They offer two kinds of pancake batter. You can choose from unbleached white flour or a mixture of ground corn, wheat, rye, whole wheat, and buck wheat flour. They offer many extra items to add to the pancake mix. You can also order a side of eggs, bacon, sausage, or ham to go with the pancakes. They serve food between 9 am and 4 pm. If you have a group of ten or more, you can make reservations.

After looking around the restaurant, we walked down the cement sidewalk to view the crystal clear sandy bottom spring. We enjoyed watching the many people swimming even on this chilly December day. Joe wished he brought his bathing suit. Instead we just put dunked our feet in. The spring stays a steady 72 degrees and has a depth that ranges about 18 inches to 30 feet at the spring boil. The spring at one time was called “Acuera” or “Healing waters by the Mayaca Indians. After a nice swim there are nice restrooms to change in. There are picnic tables with grills set up around the spring but they fill up early in the nice weather. I recommend you bring lawn chairs so you have a place to sit when all the picnic tables are full. You can swim up to a half hour before sunset.

John James Audubon visited these springs in 1831 and wrote in his journal, “This spring presents a circular basin, having a diameter of about 60 feet from the center of which the water is thrown up with great force, although it does not rise to a height of more than a few inches above the general level.”

Looking over to Lake Woodruff, we saw a touring boat. Eco/Heritage Boat Tours will take you on a tour through the park and into Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge, which has 18,000 acres of lakes, creeks, and marshes. It is a 50 minute boat ride that cost $14 an adult with children under four, free. Lake Woodruff offers great areas for viewing nature including various birds and manatees. 

There is an open air museum next to the spring that tells you the history of the area. I learned that for at least, 6,000 years the Mayaca Indians lived in this area. Spain took control of Florida in 1783 when William Williams received a land grant for 2020 acres of land that included the first enslaved Africans. He named his land, the Spring Garden Plantation. The later occupants of the land planted cotton and sugarcane on the land. The Seminole Indians attacked the plantation in 1835 and destroyed the mill taking with them all the slaves and cattle. Two years later, General Zachary Taylor and his troops forced the Seminole Indians out of the area. The mill was restored in 1849 and continued to work with the 100 slaves that lived on the property.

During the Civil War (April 1864), the Union Forces found out that the owner of the plantation was helping the Confederate Troops by giving them supplies and destroyed the plantation for the second time and was known as Birneys Raid.

During the late 1800’s, when this area was still known as Spring Garden, it became a tourist area bringing wealthy people in by steamboat and railroad. Many local people during that time referred to this spring as the Fountain of Youth. A hotel and casino was built here in 1925. It was called the Ponce DeLeon Spring hotel with only fourteen rooms to rent and catered to the wealthy. The casino in the hotel was built not for gambling but for events and dining.

Then during 1953, this spring became a major attraction because it featured a tropical garden, jungle cruise, tram tour, and lastly but probably the best attraction of all was the famous Sunshine Sally, the water skiing elephant. They stayed open for 16 years before it was sold commercially and used till 1982. At that time the State of Georgia and Volusia County purchased 55 acres and then later more land. The park now brags of having 625 acres of prime, gorgeous land. 

There are also five miles of beautiful trails to explore through the lush tropical forest. There is even a nice half mile paved nature trail where you can see a 600 year old cypress tree. If hiking is not your thing, they also have paddle boats for rent for either half hour or hour sessions and kayaks that can be rented for an hour, half day, or full day.

This is a wonderful park to visit. Unfortunately, we didn’t have enough time to eat at the restaurant so we had to pull our names off the waiting list. Maybe next time if it is less busy. I am sure we will return to this beautiful park. It is located at 601 Ponce DeLeon Blvd, DeLeon Springs, Florida.

Till next time. Bye for now.