De Leon Springs, 3 Adventures in One Day!
Many years ago this area was called, Acuera, or “Healing Waters,” by the Mayaca peoples. Like many areas of Florida, people have been living near the spring at least 6,000 years. In the 1990’s, two dugout canoes, 5,000 and 6,000 years old, were found in the spring , they are the oldest canoes discovered in the Western Hemisphere.
The area is was named after Ponce De Leon, even though no record links him to the spring, in the late 1800’s in order to encourage visitors to come and winter in the area. They also boosted the springs’ waters alleged healing powers, designating it the Fountain of Youth, maybe Ponce De Leon was here after all.
Today the area remains as popular as ever. Even though the water skiing elephant Sunshine Sally has long since retired, yes that’s something you really could see here in the 1950’s, visitors still flock to the spring. Today you can take a dunk in the spring, eat a healthy serving of pancakes, and cruise down the wildlife refuge by boat all in a single day.
The park opens at 8:00 am everyday, and on popular times of the year, the line begins to form well before that. We visited in late June on a Sunday morning, and arrived at 7:45am to find a line. We waited about 45 minutes to enter the park, and then waited another 30 minutes for a table at the restaurant. Its important to remember that the park does not have the same staff and resources like a place Disney might, so plan ahead to arrive early, be patient and be kind.
Old Sugar Mill Pancake House
The pancake house is open at 8:00am on the weekends and 9:00am during the week. We put our name on the list as soon as we parked and were given a wait time of 30 minutes to an hour. They got my phone number, and said I’d get a text when they were ready. So we wandered around a little bit while we waited. Behind the pancake house they have the remains of the original 1800’s mill, as well as the equipment used, and some informational signage.
It wasn’t too long before we got the text that our table was ready, and we headed back. The restaurant only holds about 20 tables, if that, and also has no air conditioning. This wasn’t a huge issue because they do have big fans around, and a good breeze from the windows, but it did get pretty warm in the middle of June sitting at a table with a griddle. They offer an all you care to eat pancake menu, see it here: Old Sugar Mill
The pancake batter is prepared with stone ground grains, and have both a buttermilk and a 5 grain option. They bring the batter out to your table, and then you griddle them up to your liking. If you want a little bit of a bigger pancake, just keep pouring. They also offer toppings, so we went with a classic Elvis and got peanut butter, bananas and chocolate chips.
Fountain of Youth Boat Tour
Book your tour tickets here: Fountain of Youth Boat Tour
The boat tour is a roughly 50 minute journey up and back along the spring to Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge. The tour runs every hour from 9:00am-1:00pm on the week days or up until 3:00pm on the weekend. And along your journey the captain shares the history and significance of the area.
Those two canoes I mentioned earlier, they point out to us where those were found. We learned about the root plant that grows in the water that was widely used by the original people in the area, as well as the waterways they may have used and helped shape along the canal’s banks. We also caught glimpses of wild birds, including egrets, osprey and anhinga. We also came across a number of alligators sunning along the banks.
Swimming the Spring
The main attraction at De Leon Springs may just be the spring itself. Now you might have read earlier that we saw alligators along our boat tour and say to yourself, no way am I swimming in that. But, the spring head itself has been cordoned off to create a swimming area. The spring runs past the barrier is where the boat and kayaks head out of, and that’s where the alligators mostly hang out, so no need to worry about them hanging out in the swimming area.
The area is also open to snorkeling, and just lounging if you want to bring a float, check the park’s website for size restrictions. You might also see a few people testing out their SCUBA gear in the spring, as the area is also used for training classes. The spring remains a brisk 72 degrees F all year round, and in the hot summer months, it is easy to see why people might flock to this area to stay cool.
To see the whole vlog of our trip, you can find it on YouTube here:
The Savory Suitcase 