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Up the road a piece on highway 17, just a little north of Deland in the little town of DeLeon Springs, is a lovely state park with a natural spring swimming hole (called a boil) with lots of picnic tables, playground, canoes, and paddle boats. But the best thing about it is the Grist Mill restaurant. This place is aways packed and it's because of the unique dining experience you can have there. They serve pancakes, well sort of. When you're seated you will notice right away the fact that a griddle is smack dab in the middle of your table. If you chose to have pancakes, you have to cook them yourself. In fact, if you want eggs with those pancakes you've got to cook those too. I guarentee they're the best pancakes you ever tasted with fresh ground flour (for the buttermilk batter) and buckwheat. You can chose either batters or both and you can eat all you want for a set price. Sides like eggs, bacon, sausage, and blueberries for those cakes are extra. It's well worth every penny it cost. They serve sandwiches too but what fun is that? You have to pay for the park admission. It's around 4.00 for a car load. Go early so you can eat and then go for a swim. Waters about 72 degrees on a warm day if you're lucky and a good deal colder than that if it's not. Leave a Comment
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blue springs state park is located just west of orange city florida. in the months of november through march manatees winter in the spring's 72 degree water. manatees, also known as sea cows, are large marine mamals that congregate in the springs in the winter from the st. johns river. they are easy to see in the spring's crystal clear water. an interesting site to visit when in the central florida area.
from downtown orlando take I-4 east or hwy 17-92 north to orange city go west on french ave to the spring.
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wekiwa springs state park is located near the town of longwood about 25 miles north of the theme park area on I-4. wekiwa springs is an oasis of natural beauty surrounded by the urban sprawl of metropolitian orlando. the park offers swimming, snorkeling, hiking, and canoeing. see my longwood florida pages for more information.
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Boggie Creek air boat rides was a nice day. It is 19 milea away from universal and unless you have a car you will have to get a cab out there which will cost around $ 35.00
the boat ride cost $17.95. the trip is 30-45 minutes going into some pretty unique areas. We got to see some gators and other wild life.
You can also go para sailing if you dare, they will take you up to a height of 800 feet if you desire. they also have night tours which last a little longer. Our guide was very good and talked about the lake and gators...
If you have a chance taking this tour or gator land would be a welcome change. Leave a Comment
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The Sanford Zoo is north of Orlando in Sanford, about 20 minutes drive from downtown, if traffic is not bad. The zoo is not very large, but it is a nice walk through the woods and you get an idea what Florida really looks like without hiking out at a State Park.
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While walking along the short pathway from the hotel to the Downtown Disney complex, I noticed an object in the grass alongside the waterway in the area. At first I thought that it must be some sort of automatic contraption to keep the grass green. However, as I observed more closely I could see that it appeared to be a fairly large turtle (at least a foot long) that was sitting there on the grass very close to the water's edge. I took this telephoto shot out of curiosity but, as I drew closer, the turtle very quickly turned (this was no slow-moving beast!) and slipped back into the water. Leave a Comment
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If you're visiting Orlando on a very cold day, hop in the car and drive up to Blue Spring State Park and enjoy the manatees. The springs are much warmer than the river in the winter so the manatees (an endangered species) congregate in the spring during this season. The best time is first thing in the morning. Manatees are beautiful to watch. They are gentle animals with no natural enemies. In the summer, swimming in the cold spring water is the most fun you can have while keeping cool at the same time. Leave a Comment
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You can float down the springs on an innertube.
Tip: get there early during the summer , the park closes when full
It is located in Apopka, about half an hour from Orlando Other Contact: 400 East Kelly Park Road, Apopka
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About a 30 minute drive northeast of Orlando you'll find the lovely Blue Spring State Park, 2100 West French Avenue, Orange City, FL 32763, (386) 775-3663. Here's their website:
http://www.dep.state.fl.us/parks/district3/bluespring/index.asp
This spring is just one of many on to the St. Johns River. However, it is the largest single contributor spewing over 100 million gallons (379 million liters) of water per day. It's a short run from the spring to the river of only a few hundred meters and it flows crystal clear until it meets the dark, tanin-stained waters of the the St. Johns.
During our hot summer days of near 100ºF. temperatures, this is a great place to cool off with a nice swim in the spring. The water flows from underground caverns at a steady 72ºF. Actually, the water feels ice-cold during times like that. Nevertheless, once you adjust, it's very refreshing.
During the cold days of winter where the temperatures can drop below freezing, this is still a great place to visit. Why? If the spring is void of manatees, you can take a swim. The constant 72ºF water feels very warm on a 50ºF day. Just be ready for a cold blast when you get out of the water.
But your real hope is that the spring is closed for swimming when the manatees are present. These gentle mammals come into the spring-run from the river to stay warm on cold winter days. With the clear water, you can easily view them resting on the bottom. Just click the picture above and look closely....you'll see them on the bottom. Be sure to look at my travel logs of pics from the Springs on a cold day in January, 2002, when there were 96 manatees in the water. This was the most I'd ever seen there. Leave a Comment
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These sensationally quick little squirrels are the cutest things I've ever seen! Trying to photograph them is nearly impossible. I'm determined to get a better shot than this... but for now this is the best I can show you.
They seem to be everywhere! We have some that come to eat in the birdfeeder in the garden they seem to be able to share it with the BlueJays that feed there everyday. Leave a Comment
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