DeLeon Springs State Recreation Area

A pleasant park shaded by ancient live oaks surrounds the spring, this idyllic spot has been occupied periodically since 8,000 B.C. Two main boils produce 14 million gallons of crystal-clear water daily.

In 1832, John J. Audubon visited Colonel Orlando Rees here at Spring Garden Plantation. Audubon later wrote that the sight of the spring afforded him pleasure sufficient to counterbalance the tediousness of his daylong journey in a carriage drawn by Indian horses from John J. Bulow's plantation.

Within the 603 acres of DeLeon Springs State Recreation Area, there is excellent swimming in the spring, which year-round remains at 72 degrees. Swimming is not allowed in the spring run, but anglers will find an abundance of bass and bream. A Florida freshwater fishing license is required for persons 16 years or older.

DeLeon Springs provides access to Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge, where canoeists may explore 21,500 acres of lakes, creeks and marshes. Maps are available at the park concession, as are canoes and paddleboat rentals and snacks. Scuba diving is limited to open-water instructors and six students. A certification check and Instructor Permit are required.

Visitors may visit the remains of an abandoned sugar mill and in the adjacent Old Spanish Sugar Mill and Griddle House, they may browse in the gift shop or enjoy a meal. The speciality, grill-your-own pancakes, are made from grain stone-ground on site with French buhr millstones.

A half-mile nature trail meanders through a floodplain forest, where a variety of plant and animal life awaits. The trail is extended by Wild Persimmon Trail, built by the Florida Trail Association. Picnickers can gather under the live oak trees that grow around the spring. Florida state parks are open from 8 a.m. until sundown 365 days a year. Admission is $4/car of 8 passengers.

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