I recently had the opportunity to tour the historic 19th century DeBary Hall. The 20 room,…read moreItalianate style hunting lodge was located a mile from the St. John's River. The property was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places on July 24, 1972. DeBary Hall is the oldest intact building in southwest Volusia County. This historic site sits over 10 acres and includes the 8,000 square foot main home, stables, ice house, equipment shed, and tenant house. DeBary Hall was built in 1871 as the winter hunting retreat of Samuel Frederick DeBary (1815-1898), a European-born wine merchant for Mumms Champagne. He chose Florida to help ease his daughters asthma and to indulge in his love of hunting. This was the smallest of his six homes. While this may have been a vacation retreat, he still used it to make money. While in residence he operated a 600 acre citrus grove. He built a packing house beside the lake pier and was one of the first citrus growers to sort oranges by size by rolling them down an inclined trough with variously sized holes. He also developed the DeBary Merchants Line which ran a commercial steamboats for trade up the St. John's River to Jacksonville. German born Samuel Frederick DeBary was one of the wealthiest men of his day. His estate was a center of sport hunting and hospitality. In the late 1800's and early 1900's DeBary entertained Presidents Ulysses S. Grant and Grover Cleveland; the Astors, Goulds, and Vanderbilts, General William Tecumseh Sherman, and the Prince of Wales before he became King Edward VII. Popular activities included swimming in the local springs, fishing, and hunting quail, deer, and alligator. The DeBary's used the hall as their family winter retreat until 1941, when the last American ancestor, Leonie DeBary Lyon Brewster, died without an heir at the age of 31 in a plane crash with her husband. Her brother Adolphe met a tragic end at the age of 23 in New York while saving a young lady from being hit by a taxi. After Leonie's death there were plans was to create a grand subdivision in the 1950's and land was parceled out in 1/2 acre plots to begin Debary Village but it went bankrupt a few years into the project. After that DeBary Hall passed through various hands as the house was left to decay and the furnishings lost. The State of Florida purchased DeBary Hall in 1967. After years of abandonment, people came together in the 1990's to restore the home to its former glory. The State of Florida now leases the historic site to the County of Volusia as a historic house museum. The home has few original pieces but there are other period furnishings representative of what would have been accurate for the time. Unique advanced features of the house for the time include an elevator for guests' luggage, running water through a 500-gallon tank in the ceiling, wall fed electricity made onsite by natural gas, a wired call system throughout the entire house, and a lightning protection system that covered the roof. The house had Florida's first spring-fed swimming pool which used a pump to fill and drain the pool each day. Mr. DeBary also had the bathroom moved indoors which was not common for the time. Later on family members added indoor plumbing. The house also has an almost unheard of feature in Florida, a basement! My admission was only $5. I came late in the day and was lucky to receive a private tour from Ed who was so kind and knowledgeable. I learned do much about the DeBary family and the history of this area. A visit starts with a 15 minute movie about the history of the St. John's River during which you take a simulated steamboat ride. After the movie I was given an informative tour of both floors of DeBary Hall. In February they have an annual Living History Day that I would love to come back for next year. I highly recommend a visit DeBary Hall if you are in the area. A big thanks to the community for saving this historical gem for everyone to enjoy. DeBary Hall is a stop on the Lake Monroe-Gemini Springs-DeBary Hall trail. The Spring to Spring Trail is so named because the 6.6 mile trail links a number of state and county parks that contain springs. Be sure and check out some of the beautiful springs if you visit the area.

We came here on a Friday afternoon and took the tour with Ann. The tour took about an hour and a…read morehalf and we walked some of the grounds and toured the house upstairs and downstairs. We learned so much about the history of Mr DeBary his family and his vacation hunting home. There's also a short 15 minute movie with rotating seats! Prices are very reasonable $4 for seniors and $5 for adults. Kids $2. Although I think the kids may be a little bored. But each year they do offer a History Day that sounds amazing check the website. A must see if you're in the Sanford area. Across the street is Gemini Springs a beautiful Park where you can stroll through the woods or a long the beautiful springs. Pet friendly with dog park and kids area.

This historic water tower was built in or about 1911, the 50,000-gallon tank stands near the old…read moreCity Hall and the town's historic district. The design is pretty common for the era, it's unusual pitched-tin roof reminds some of the "Tin Man" from "The Wizard of Oz". Since the movie was originally release in 1939 twenty- eight years after the tower was put into service, maybe it was the tower that inspired Jack Haley's character or at least it's design so maybe the opposite may be true. Many longtime residents consider it a landmark and it still holds some sentimental value to the old timers of the area, even though they continue to have to defend its existences. Although the old water tank played an important role in the town's early years its not easy for the younger generations to appreciate it's historic significance or its purpose going forward. The thinking by some is that the newer 75,000 gallon pump driven ground level water storage tank is what will provide opportunities for the economic growth of the future and that this aging gravity water tower from the past will further strap the town's financial budget with maintenance cost, while others feel that the newer tank with its high tech treatment system and its powerful pressure pumps is the best solution for all, but I doubt this kind of short term thinking is what the city's founder visualized and he might argue that 104 years of proven service may warrant retirement verses ending its life at the hands of some demolishing company for a handsome fee. By the way this old historic water tower doesn't need electricity to provide potable water and fire protection to the community since its height provides the static pressure required to deliver its bounty, hopefully the expensive back-up generator starts when the electricity thats required to run the pumps fail or your faucets won't provide you with a single drop of drinking water much less any fire protection - I'd make sure I had a few extra cases of bottled water on hand as a contingency, the walk to the lake to get water for Toto might take awhile...

She was amazing, accurate, funny, and kind. This reading gave me peace of mind and so much more. I…read moream so grateful to have encountered her. Thank you so much. "I loved what you verbally said on the money!"

My reading was very accurate, very relevant, and EXACTLY what I needed to hear today! Wow! With…read moreShannon you can tell that the messages are come through her from a higher place. Peaceful, helpful, guiding. 100% recommend!

Just outside Deland, Florida lies the St. Johns River a true Eco-system that provides a cross…read moresection of Florida's incredible wildlife, on any given day you will see everything from alligators, manatees, herons, egrets, osprey, otters, turtles and even the occasional bear, deer or American Bald Eagle. It's been almost 100 years since people first started driving across this river at this location, the original Crows Bluff Bridge was a swing span bridge; constructed in 1917, in 1954, a plan for construction of a replacement bridge was established; the new bridge, dedicated to DeLand resident Francis P. Whitehair, opened on September 22, 1955 and was built to carry traffic across the river for a century. Unfortunately that was an estimated life span and the bridge is showing signs that it may not survive much longer, especially since the maintenance cost for these mechanical marvels are more than 100 times that of the new modern concrete bridges built today. When terms like "functionally obsolete" and "not eligible for the National Register of Historic Places" are slung around you know your days are numbered.

Very interesting and unusual place to see but not worth the admission. All the handwritten notes on…read morethe displays are very small and faint, making them impossible to read with the dim lighting.

This place seems like you're driving to the middle of nowhere but we were pleasantly surprised and…read morehad a lot of fun!

Our party of 5 arrived to play mini-golf but were refused. My 83 year old Mother and Stepdad do not…read moreuse the internet. Therefore, they have no personal email addresses. Staff stated each person must sign the Family Fun Town liability form electronically. Without it, they can't even remain on the property. We responded "surely my mom and stepdad could sign a paper consent form as they don't want their names and address being used on the internet. We then asked, may we speak to the manager? We again explained all we had discussed. She replied, "we don't have or allow paper consent forms." Followed by "It is what it is". At this point our 5 year old grandson was informed that we must all leave because his two great grandparents do not use the internet and have no email addresses. My concern is that Orange City Florida likely has many individuals whom are not internet trusting or savvy. I found this to be an easily resolvable issue, with unyielding management.

Okay- so I came here a few months ago with my family and it was so fun! It's a great little local…read morespot with an arcade, go karts and batting cages. The establishment has been around for many years (used to be called something else when I was younger). It's definitely a fun little place to go to if you're looking for something low key that will keep the kiddos busy.

Such a beautiful place to spend a day with endless activities! You can walk the boardwalk, swim,…read moresnorkel, scuba, tube, kayak, or paddleboard down the spring. Fishing is permitted from the fishing dock on the St. Johns River. There is also camping, cabins for rent, hiking, and manatee viewing. You can even rent an all-terrain tracked wheelchair for accesible hiking! You can find a gift shop and a concession stand inside the park. Follow the Blue Spring State Park Facebook page to stay up to date on fun activities and events like Manatee Bingo, Meditate & Move with the Manatees, guided moonlight hikes, and the Junior Ranger Program. My favorite event of the year is Firefly Nights from around mid March to mid April. You get to walk the boardwalk after the park closes to see thousands of Florida fireflies! It is absolutely magical, and a little surreal. Weekdays are less crowded, but honestly if you can only go on a weekend it's worth braving the crowd. It's a separately-ticketed event, and it does sell out some nights so make sure to get your tickets in advance!

Who doesn't want to swim with the manatees! Driving to the state park, you would never think this…read morebeautiful place, this wonderful gem, is nestled back in a residential area. WOW! When we arrived and set up chairs, etc. we walked down the path to the St John's river where we first saw the gentle giants gliding through the water. The water is crystal clear and is slightly chilly when first getting in but this is what you expect from a spring fed river. Tubing down the river and then just hanging out was amazing but was highlighted by a manatee swimming directly under me. So Cool! Please remember, do not to touch them. This is a must do if time allows. You must make a reservation online but the price is per car and was crazy reasonable. Just go, enjoy!

I used to work in Orange City, so my "go-to" escape place was the City of Deland. Recently visited…read moreagain and relived the reasons why Deland was my "got-to" place in between clients. The City of DeLand is a hipster town... and I mean that in a good way. Yeah, I know, you are not supposed to think hipster is cool, and if something is hipster, you don't call it hipster, because that would make it uncool. Right? #Idontgetit But this place is truly magical, in a hipster sort of way. Lots of local businesses with awesome services, great food and friendly people who can't wait to assist you. It's an older town that has made an effort to keep a "vintage" look that makes the whole city seem cozy, quaint and cute. I wish I could use another word instead of cute... but it IS a very cute town! Small town, but with a lot to offer.

I first visited DeLand in 2009, I came here to meet up with some business associates at the Artisan…read moreHotel Grille for dinner after flying into Orlando, I remember being less than impressed after exiting I-4 and driving downtown but that all changed after dinner as I took a walk through the downtown area noticing it's unique architecture and getting a taste of it's small town feel, by this time of the night the streets were pretty much clear of traffic and most of the business owners had long rolled up the sidewalks in front of their shops. I was somewhat surprised to see most of all the retail spaces leased which is not typical of most small town downtown areas who's heyday has long passed, this success could be contributed to the town's officials ability to constantly reinvent the town or a credit to the locals who choose to spend their money here instead of one of the neighboring communities. I spent the next year traveling to Florida on business trips and spent much of that time here in DeLand and the surrounding areas. Like most towns I frequent I spent a lot of time exploring the town and meeting new friends and dining in the restaurants as well as visiting a lot of the shops during my down time. I learned a lot of the area's history and found that most of the people that I met that called DeLand home are content and have family ties here that spans a few generations. I was presented with an opportunity to move to Florida and although I settled close to the ocean in NSB there are very few weeks that I don't drive to or through DeLand in between my frequent business trips outside the state. The 25 miles drive due west from my home via Route 44 is mostly rural so I'm able to avoid the traffic of I-4 and I-95 which is a real blessing if you've ever experienced either of these interstates during rush hour. It seems no matter where you are in DeLand you're only a few minutes from some type of green space or waters so it's unlikely you'll ever get bored here, but if you do the town's close proximity to two major highways and numerous state and county roads ensures you're never be very far from sometime fun and exciting. I do enjoy the lack of seasons here as well, although most don't, it's often hot and humid or warm and humid with lots of afternoon rain storms, although it can get quite cold here according to the Floridians who have lived here all their lives I find that utterly ridiculous and usually have to call BS when I hear them whining about being cold while wearing flip flops, so to use the most over used weather cliche "wait five minutes and it'll change" maybe I don't want it to change...