Nature & Outdoors

The Ultimate Online Guide For DeLand

DeLand and Volusia County sit atop the Floridan Aquifer, a vast and fragile reservoir of fresh water that underlies the entire state. This makes the area a unique environment.

DeLand is the hub for a region of extraordinary aquatic diversity that includes three first-magnitude springs, the “black” waters of the richly historic St. Johns River, the second largest lake in Florida, and the most biodiverse estuary in North America. Within twenty-five minutes you will go from extensive marshlands to a broad expanse of undeveloped Atlantic Ocean beach. This makes for exciting discoveries in natural habitats—bears, reptiles, fish and birds. The area’s robust system of hiking and bike trails connects many of these areas and opens up natural wonders for you to discover including one of America’s best lakes for rowing, Lake Beresford. Add to that an reimagined playground built by community volunteers for children of all ages and abilities, a center-piece midtown park with tennis courts, skateboard park, amphitheater, fountains, and dog park, top-notch golf courses, and world-class skydiving. DeLand won’t disappoint.

Florida Aquatic Gems

Wekiwa Springs State Park

Address: 1800 Wekiwa Cir, Apopka, FL 32712 Phone: (407) 884-2009

Wekiwa Springs State Park protects the main source of the Wekiva River and offers visitors a genuine wilderness experience literally across the street from suburbia and a mere 16 miles from downtown Orlando.

Sweetwater Springs

Address: Sweetwater Springs, , FL Phone: (352) 625-0546

Those privileged to stay at the CCC-constructed cabin next to Sweetwater Springs enjoy a unique experience of Florida difficult to imagine.

St. Johns River Cruises

Address: 2100 West French Ave, Orange City, FL 32763 Phone: (386) 917-0724

Spruce Creek Park

Address: 6250 S Ridgewood Ave, Port Orange, FL 32127 Phone: (386) 322-5133

Smyrna Dunes Park

Address: 2995 N Peninsula Ave, New Smyrna Beach, FL 32169 Phone: (386) 424-2935

Visitors to Smyrna Dunes on the southern side of Ponce Inlet can savor nearly constant views of phenomenal celestial scenery. Shifting clouds pushed by maritime breezes offer a satisfying display on a daily basis.

Silver Glen Springs

Address: 5271 FL-19, Salt Springs, FL 32134 Phone: (352) 685-2799

Turquoise waters sparkle above white sand and glimmering shells that create the “silver” in the springs’ name.

Rock Springs Run State Reserve

Address: 30601 County Road 433, Sorrento, FL 32776 Phone: (352) 383-3311

Rock Springs stands out from other Florida springs because it emerges from a 20 ft.-tall stone bluff rather than from a more typical underwater vent.

River of Lakes Heritage Corridor

Address: 4400 South Atlantic, Ponce Inlet, FL 32127 Phone: (386) 236-2150

A visit to Ponce Preserve offers an amazing variety of experiences in a relatively small area. Across the street from the parking lot, a boardwalk enters a lush marsh area dominated by mangroves.

Lighthouse Point Park

Address: 5000 S Atlantic Ave, Ponce Inlet, FL 32127 Phone: (386) 756-7488

Few views are as inspirational as watching a colorful sunrise from the tip of the north jetty at Ponce Inlet as Atlantic breakers crash loudly against the rocks.

Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge

Address: 2045 Mud Lake Rd, DeLeon Springs, FL 32130 Phone: 386-985-4673

The Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge protects some 22,000 acres of freshwater habitat and several significant archaeological sites.

Lake Beresford Park

Address: 2100 Fatio Rd, DeLand, FL 32720 Phone: (386) 736-5953

A small property on the northwest shore of Lake Beresford is the future home of the Sandra Stetson Aquatic Center and the offices of the Institute for Water and Environmental Resilience.

Juniper Springs Recreation Area

Address: 26701 FL-40, Silver Springs, FL 34488 Phone: (352) 625-3147

Two oasis-like springs grace the Juniper Springs Recreation Area in the vast Big Scrub of the Ocala National Forest.

Hontoon Landing Resort & Marina

Address: 2317 River Ridge Rd, DeLand, FL 32720

Hontoon Island State Park

Address: 2309 River Ridge Rd, DeLand, FL 32720 Phone: 386-736-5309

An ideal way to experience it is on the relatively quiet electric-powered ferry that takes visitors across it to Hontoon Island State Park.

Holler Fountain & Stetson University

Address: 421 N Woodland Blvd, DeLand, FL 32723

The Holler Fountain itself has been the center of Stetson’s DeLand campus since 1951 and graces what is now called the Palm Court, a wonderful grove of large sabal palms, Florida’s state tree.

Green Springs Park

Address: 994 Enterprise Osteen Rd, Deltona, FL 32725 Phone: (386) 736-5953

This unique natural feature, producing an average of nearly a million gallons of water per day, is the jewel of Volusia County’s park system.

Gemini Springs Park

Address: 37 Dirksen Dr, De Bary, FL 32713 Phone: (386) 736-5953

The twin springs discharge an average of 6 million gallons of water per day that make their way into Mullet Lake, Lake Monroe and eventually into the St. Johns River.

Address: 2990 W. SR 44, DeLand, FL 32720 Phone: 386-736-5953

Downtown DeLand

Several delightful water features grace historic downtown DeLand.

De Leon Springs State Park

Address: 601 Ponce DeLeon Blvd, De Leon Springs, FL 32130 Phone: 386-985-4212

Visitors to DeLeon Springs State Park can savor its wildly diverse and genuinely ancient history.

Canaveral National Seashore

Address: Canaveral National Seashore, Titusville, FL 32796 Phone: (321) 267-1110

This lengthy stretch of undeveloped beach offers visitors the opportunity to experience Florida as it was millennia ago.

Blue Spring State Park

Address: 2100 W. French Ave., Orange City, FL 32763 Phone: 386-775-3663

Blue Spring is the largest spring in the St. Johns River basin, making it the most significant in all of eastern Florida.

Alexander Springs

Address: 49525 County Rd 445, Altoona, FL 32702

Alexander Springs offers the most visually spectacular locale among all the springs in the Florida Aquatic Gems project.