De Leon Springs Daycation

Every so often a gal needs a day off....not to hang around the house and do laundry, shopping, cleaning...no, that's work....a "get in the car and go somewhere with the hubby for fun" day off. April 16 was our anniversary and we planned a little trip to Daytona but as luck would have it, I got sick and the furthest I got from the house was Walmart to pick up something for my cough. Awww.....
A couple of days later I heard about this fabulous restaurant in an old sugar mill that was first built in the 1800's....pre Civil War. The more they spoke about the history of the place the more I had to see it. The sugar mill is part of a state park...a springs....and that was all I had to go on. After a little investigating I found it...De Leon Springs on the east part of Florida near Ormond Beach, about 120 miles from home.

 Surprisingly, when I told the hubby about it he said he heard of it, too. The trip was on. A little bit of a ride but it was a beautiful day.....perfect for getting away from the everyday things at home.
The restaurant is built in the old sugar mill. The tables are long tables with a griddle in the middle so a person can cook their own All-You-Can-Eat pancakes...their special recipe. In fact, you get 2 pitchers of pancake batter....an Early American and a more modern recipe, both with oatmeal and I forget what else....both made amazing pancakes. They even have gluten free batter, too.

Sugar Mill History

Florida was inhabited by these tribes before the arrival of the Spanish. 

The Fountain of Youth Springs Tour was docked and ready.We missed the boat tour (they only schedule until 1PM) so we rented a paddle boat to work off a little bit of those pancakes. 

The hubby doing the old man thing....relaxing under one of our beautiful live oak trees. 

Ruins of the original Sugar Mill. This area was where the cane was boiled down for syrup.

Check out the big pot. 

The park rangers had a special turtle program for the kids. 

Here's a few pictures of our trip down the river.

Blue heron. Florida is a great place for bird watching.

Bee and Butterfly Garden....I had to check this out to see what I could grow in mine. They have beautiful fennel growing....big bulbs with huge feathery soft fern-like leaves. I planted fennel seeds as soon as I got home. 

A great day taking the road less traveled. There is so much to do in Florida....much more than the Mouse House or Universal....and not too far from those places. Costs a lot less and less crowded. Very worth the trip. 

Post by Eileen Patterson....GoofingOff