When my brother called to tell me he would like to visit for Memorial Day – I was delighted. I knew he’d be okay with just hanging out but I wanted to take them somewhere they’d never been before.
Traditionally when we were kids, our parents would join other family members at the beach and we’d made the day of it, playing games, bathing, laughing and eating. So… I wanted to stick with tradition but – not the beach.
Florida is full of beautiful state parks… many of them have natural cold spring bathing spots. After a quick research, I had made my mind that we’d go visit DeLeon Springs State Park, they even have a 100 year old relic of the original sugar mill which now was converted into a all you can eat pancake house.
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I knew we were going to have a lovely time when we spotted the wrought-iron work at the gate… they were dragons!
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History writes that the first and only water-powered sugar mill in Florida was built by Colonel Orlando Rees at the site (DeLeon Spring State park) in 1832 –some of the brickwork and machinery is preserved behind the restaurant. In 1835, Seminoles attacked the plantation, destroying the mill and stealing slaves and cattle. The place is so serene and beautiful – that it’s easy to dismiss its history.
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Originally called Spring Garden it’s named was changed to Ponce de Leon Springs by the late 1800’s… and the locals began talking about the rejuvenation effects of the spring, so much so that many referred the spring as the Fountain of Youth; people would come get the cold spring water by the gallons!
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I felt like I was teleported to a magical place. Between the history of the place, the sound of flowing water, the joyous shouts of children laughing and the calls of birds letting us know that Summer is coming – it was truly magical.
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I was constantly captivated by the beautiful canopy of trees – and this lovely Elm kept nudging me to look up.
I was so happy to have mami with me, she really was enjoying this natural space. I loved how fashion conscious she was when she saw the picture and remarked how her color combination looked on the natural setting.
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There always TIME for family. My sister-in-law Mildre was such a fun riot, poking that we had to wait 2 hours for pancakes. It was wonderful to see her lay down and be still even if it was for a few minutes – I think it did do her a whole lotta good.
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I did have a little “sister brother time”. The park covers 625 acres in Volusia County,Florida- with the natural spring as the focal point. Frankie and I took off to check one of the trails and discovered “Old Methuselah”.
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Old Methuselah is an old growth Cypress tree that survived the days of logging – it is one of the largest tree in its surrounding. For a moment I remembered our trip out to California’s Red Wood Forrest and the majestic trees out there.
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There is so much more than just the ‘all you can eat pancakes’ and invigorating bathing in the cold spring water, yes there’s more.
Unimaginable magic can be discovered as you walk through the trails. For example, this lovely damselfly. I had no idea it is related to the dragonflies. That’s no damsel in distress, these little beauties are meat eaters too!
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…and after a happy two hour long wait… it was breakfast time! hmm, could be really brunch, or more like lunch. No matters, with so much to take in, the wait was perfect!
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With very full bellies, we were off to enjoy the rest of our stay. We truly were blessed with a perfect day, and there are all sort of activities from canoeing, fishing, hiking, water trolley tour and they even had a water plane – never a dull moment.
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Discovering where the path of canopied trees would take us and watching how the sunlight played on all the surfaces was quite delightful. Then soon enough I was captivated by a fallen log, as well as the two Live Oaks hugging each other. One of my favorite magical sightings of the day.
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This natural spring, flows at a rate of about 20 million gallons a day, and remains 72 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, it goes from 3 feet deep to as deep as 30 feet.
DeLeon Springs State Park is a must visit destination if you live in Florida -or if you are just visiting. Plan to stay the whole day, you will be glad you did. (you may want to play this video with the volume off for a full zen experience, otherwise you’ll get the full blown fun of what was happening all round me when I was capturing the moment).
As we close out our Memorial Day visit, we stop by our neighbor Ms. Betty O’Laughlin who was so sweet in inviting me to bring the girls by to pet her horses. That was so tender and sweet. She had a momma horse out on the field with her baby foal… who after suckling posed for the camera and stuck it’s cute little tongue out for me.
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Even my mom and I got into the Horse Loving zone.
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Until we unite again… we have these memories to keep in our hearts, and this lovely keepsake from my nieces – #1 Aunt (not hard when I’m the only aunt) – nothing can be more beautiful and tender than the love of a child.
God Bless my family.
