Hi everyone. I’ve recently fallen behind on my Life of Paul series and my Universe Just for Us series. Both of those require extra research and thought and I just have had other things going on lately. This past weekend, though, Darlene and I were able to get away for a few days and make a short trip to the Jacksonville and St. Augustine areas. We had a great time and I thought I’d tell a little about what we did and saw there while I continue my other series as well. So here goes current series #3!

Our first stop along the way was at De Leon Springs State Park.

In the 1950s the Ponce De Leon Springs was a small but ritzy resort that attracted wealthy northern vacationers, featuring tropical gardens, and jungle cruise, and even an animal show featuring a water-skiing elephant. The property has since become a part of the Florida State Park system.

The big draw, of course, is probably still the springs. Nineteen million gallons of water flow out of the underlying rocks each day at a constant temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit. The spring has been artificially enclosed to make a safe and nice swimming area. You can see in the picture below the building on the far side of the spring. It is a 100-year-old replica of an 1830s sugar mill. Today it serves as a restaurant called the Old Sugar Mill Pancake House. We did not eat there because the wait was over 4 hours. (It was Florida schools’ Spring Break!)

Knowing that the restaurant wait time was so long (you can check in online), we picked up some sandwiches and enjoyed a picnic instead.

There’s not really a museum there, but the gift shop has a few historical displays that tell the story of the region. The earliest known inhabitants of the area were the Mayaca Indians. They were encountered by Pedro Menendez in 1566. He’s the guy who founded St. Augustine. However, canoe fragments have been found in the bottom of the spring dating 5,000 to 6,000 years old. This makes them the oldest canoe fragments found in the Western hemisphere.

In the early part of the 19th century the springs were a part of the Spring Garden Plantation owned by Major Joseph Woodruff who was in the U.S. army. But the Plantation buildings were burned to the ground during the Second Seminole War in Florida. It was rebuilt but destroyed again during the Civil War. There are displays in the gift shop related to the U.S. Army and Seminoles.

The resort that operated at the site from the 1920s to the 1960s featured a hotel with 14 rooms. The picture below is of a display depicting the site in all its glory from postcards and other news items.

In addition to the springs and restaurant, the park features some nature and hiking trails, including some which are paved and wheelchair accessible. We were able to go on the paved trail and enjoy the interpretive signage along the way.

We spent several hours in the park and then continued on to our hotel in south Jacksonville. I’ll tell more about our little weekend trip in the next post of this series.