Tomoka State Park, Ormond Beach, Florida

 

“Certain things catch your eye, but pursue only those that capture the heart.”

Native American Proverb

This is one of the many fantastic state parks near Ormond Beach and off the Ormond Beach Scenic Loop Trail. This park is only 3 miles from Ormond Beach and 10 miles north of Daytona Beach and is a gorgeous 2,000 acre park. The day we went to this park, there was no line to get in, paid our $5 per vehicle, and drove into this gorgeous park.

As we drove to the northernmost point of the park, we parked under the magnificent live oaks draped with Spanish moss. This is just one of the beautiful sections of Tomoka State Park. We walked over to the 50 foot Timucuan Indian Monument featuring Chief Tomokie. The statue was constructed from cement, brick dust, and bamboo rods. The monument looked kind of out of place in this lush park. It was sculpted in the mid 1950’s by a local artist, named Fred Dana Marsh who had lived in this area since the 1920’s. Chief Tomokie may or may not be real, but has been saved in local mythology. This area was once inhabited by Native Americans who spent their days fishing and living near these waters and this park honors them.

This statue was dedicated on March 21, 1957 after the legend of Chief Tomokie was born from the mind of Marie Mann Boyd, who was the daughter of Florian Mann, the founder of The Halifax Journal. The legend states the tribe turned on Tomokie for drinking the Water of Life from the Sacred Cup. No man was to drink the water so it angered them. The water made him invincible from his warriors. That was until the maiden Oleeta took aim with her spear in revenge for his sacrilege of drinking the water and killed him. The statue shows warriors posed on the base of the statue and Oleeta on the side which is pretty much indecipherable from wear and tear. The Spanish explorers legend said the Indians stood seven feet tall, were heavily tattooed, and may have been cannibals even though there is no evidence of that being the case.

This statue has endured much and is not in the best shape even after some repairs but it is still an interesting sculpture to see. In years past, there was a reflecting pond beneath the statue where many could come to pay homage to this fictional piece of history or at least to the Indians who once lived here. Behind this statue is the Tomoka River where you can see amazing wildlife and great views of this area. Standing on the riverbank of this lovely river, we enjoyed the tranquility and beauty of this area.

Near this statue is a plaque that states the Indian Village of Nocoroco was built here over 1200 years ago by the Timucuans. This was the last community of the Timucuan in northeast Florida but all that is left now of this community is the shell middens. The Timucuans were tall and tattooed people. They survived here until the late 1700’s, when the European diseases wiped them out. Sadly, there are no more.

In 1766, Richard Oswald got a 20,000 acre land grant from the British Government of this land along the Halifax and Tomoka Rivers that is now the state park. He named his plantation the Mount Oswald Plantation and he grew Indigo, rice, timber, molasses, sugar, rum, and oranges there. When the British left, so did he. Oswald was instrumental in being one of the preliminary signers of the peace treaty that ended the American Revolution. After he left, the Seminole tribe burnt down his plantation and all the other plantations in Eastern Florida. They were never rebuilt.

We got in the car and drove till we came to the Recreation Hall. It was open for the restrooms so I went in, but was closed otherwise. It looked like a nice venue for an event. Then we headed down the shell and sandy roads canopied with live oaks and lush tropical forest till we came to the Tomoka Outpost, a lovely camp store with great views of the river.

Tomoka Outpost is a great place to go and buy any items needed for camping, snacks, beverages including beer and wine. They offer a local Tomoka EPA brew on tap that Joe said was very good. They sell t-shirts, firewood, the usual items for camping, and many other unique items. You can also rent kayaks or canoes there and they offer boat tours. We walked into this lovely eclectic store, looked around, and then got a drink and headed out to the deck overlooking the glorious Tomoka River. What a great place to stop and sit for a spell on a lovely December day. We had never been to a state park where they sell beer and wine and this place was a nice change.

After relaxing for awhile, we drove through the campground to see what it looked like and found it to be a wonderful well laid out campground. Most of the sites where very well isolated with lots of privacy. The campground has 100 campsites that each come with a picnic table, grill, and most have water and electric hook ups. There are three restrooms with nice hot showers. Well behaved pets are allowed on site. They allow you to make reservations up to 11 months in advance and the maximum recreational vehicle is 34 feet in length. Some sites have low branches so beware of the height of your RV. There is also a youth group camping site for up to 35 people and the site includes picnic tables, grills, large fire circle, and restrooms with hot showers.

This state park is a great place to take in nature and enjoy the great outdoors. The hiking and biking trails are beautiful and well maintained. If viewing nature at its finest is your thing, this is a great place to spot West Indian Manatees, alligators, white tailed deer, gopher tortoises, bobcats, and over 160 species of birds. Bald Eagles are known to patrol the area. If fishing is your thing, this park boast of great fishing for red drum, black drum, sheepshead, spotted sea trout, common snook, and tarpon.

This park is open 365 days a year and opens at 8 am to sundown. Step back in history and visit this state park. You will learn a lot about history and it is a most relaxing place to spend a day.

Till next time. Bye for now.