This small quiet park along the St. John's sports tennis and basketball courts, soccer field, and…read more hideaway fishing pier boat launch. While there are some who seem to over-use the amenities, they're not always there and that's when we go. Should say there's also a small play area for play area sake, and bathroom facilities.

A park with water…read more Mariner's Cove Park is an almost fifty acre park that has just about some of everything. Basketball courts, tennis court, baseball and soccer fields, a play ground, hiking trials, picnic areas, clean bathrooms and even a fishing pier and small boat ramp. The park has access to Bethel Creek and from there you can head into Lake Monroe, The St. John's River and across half of Florida. Lots to do in the park but if you want to do absolutely nothing that is fine too. Plenty of peace and quiet and a great place to get aquainted with nature. Lots of huge aquatic birds and if you're lucky you might even see a gator or two. A cool park that never seems to be crowded but always is friendly and welcoming. A place that has just about anything you could want in a park and lets you discover something new everything you go.

What an amazing oasis this place is. There's so many hiking trails. I wouldn't even know where to…read morebegin. My visit was brief, but beautiful. I would have to take a whole day to even begin to remotely explore this springs Park. I was hoping to see the fluorescent green water, but it wasn't that way this time of year. Either due to the weather or the time of year, I'm not sure. But I will be back. I will see that water yet!

Such a beautiful Florida hidden gem! Green Springs is a small, easy hike that's perfect when you…read morewant to get outside without committing to anything too long. The spot where the river and spring meet is pretty cool, and the water is the prettiest turquoise blue -- absolutely unreal. Definitely worth checking out!

I found Gemini Springs Park in DeBary on Google Maps for a discover a new park day, so stopped in…read more It's huge, with 212 acres and 2 springs! You can hike the trails, kayak on the St. John's River, or fish in Lake Monroe or off the pier. Plenty of parking, picnic tables, BBQ grills, and a cool playground for the kids. Even dogs have their own park! Plus, there are primitive camping sites available. It felt super clean and safe, and parking was easy.

Gemini Springs Park is located in DeBary, Florida, 25 miles north of Orlando…read more Since you can no longer swim here due to high concentrations of bacteria in the waters, visitor attendance can be quite low. And since there's alternative parks situated throughout Central Florida that are swimmable, not many people will make the effort to experience Gemini Springs. In fact, I'd categorize this place as a local town park more than anything. It's free to visit and hours are sunrise to sunset. There were no names or signs for the hiking trails, so at times it felt like I was wandering aimlessly. But, the trees decorated with Spanish Moss exuded southern charm and most corners I turned felt like strolling along a nature trail. There's a dual sided passageway that acts as the centerpiece to the park and is also a dam spillway which (I believe) separates the DeBary Creek waters and the Gemini Springs area. I did spot a gator which almost caught a fish right in front of my eyes. I also noticed a soft shell turtle who appeared to be laying her eggs in the sand and some birds doing fishing of their own. Gemini Springs has picnic pavilions, a playground, a dog park, a fishing pier, plenty of grass to play around, and even camping is permitted here. Lastly, I'd like to highlight a section of the park that turns colorfully vibrant when the sun is shining... - Follow the concrete walkway (which you can't miss). - Then...you'll approach a tucked away corner of the springs. This area can be a rewarding moment for admiring the great outdoors. If you just pause and absorb the surroundings, nature's beauty shines through. It's a refreshing reminder that just because a park isn't as accessible as it once was, doesn't mean it should go unnoticed. I believe Gemini Springs Park can be a worthwhile half day visit.

A small quiet park hidden behind Walmart with an oversized pavilion, nice playground, boat ramp,…read moreand beautiful dock on the Lake Butler Chain. When the water's high, it's just beautiful out here. The dirt road's tricky driving in and the once cool zipline's been broken for a while.

Softball and hoops by…read morethe water Dupont Lakes Park is a cool park right on Dupont Lake. It has two regulation softball fields complete with lights that are very well maintained and well used. The fields are named after two of the early advocates of parks and recreation in the area. The park also has a cool basketball court overlooking the lake. Pretty cool to play some ball while having a lovely lake in the background. The courts are a bit beat up but still in decent shape. The park also has bathrooms, fishing areas by the lake and a few benches scattered about. A lovely little park with great facilities with great views of a nice lake.

Huge fan of this park. There are several playgrounds in the front and back entrances…read more There's lots of space for the kids to run around, play soccer, race etc. The playgrounds are covered which is nice. The park is well lit at night.

A great playground to take the kids to. The grass at the field was absolutely flawless even in the…read moremiddle of February.

This playground is incredible! A community funded project, this playground is not to be missed - it…read morehas designs and features I haven't seen anywhere else! We love stopping to play here if we are in the Deland area. Freedom Playground has plenty of parking, bathrooms, pavilions with picnic tables, and playground equipment that can be used by a wide range of ages and body abilities. I love that the park has one main entrance gate to keep kids contained and also has the little kid area separate from the big kid area. There are accessibility features like wheelchair accessible ramps for the playground equipment and a ground level merry-go-round. There's plenty of slides, climbing and obstacles, a zip line, pirate ships, pretend play houses, and all the features you would want in a playground. I love the nods to Florida with multiple gators throughout! Freedom Park is a Florida gem!

From what I've read online, DeLand faced the exact same issue that so many municipalities around…read morethe country have faced and continue to face regarding what to do with their playgrounds. At one point in time it was a thing to build these large destination playgrounds made out of wood. While a nice idea on paper, eventually the upkeep proves to be problematic and expensive. Eventually the municipality is faced with the hard choice of costly renovations that will need to be redone in the not too distant future, demolishing the structure or trying to replace it with something more modern/contemporary. Either way it equals a lot of money that usually is nowhere to be found. Thankfully a few years ago DeLand along with residents, area companies, school children and a newly formed non-profit committee figured out how to replace the original wooden structure. Amazingly over 300K in private donations were raised along with DeLand kicking in the rest and what you have today is an amazing structure/facility. In my own area there have a been a few success stories with places like this: www.savekidscastle.org/ But there have also been a few mismanaged disasters with places like this: articles.mcall.com/2004-11-19/news/3571642_1_playground-jungle-gym-time-capsule What works here: * Lots of parking * Solidly clean bathrooms * Lots of shaded areas * Super safe recycled rubber ground which means no tracking mulch into the car * A very needed water fountain * Lots of different structures/play areas/misters that offer a ton of diversity What doesn't work: * At least when we were here the zipline was in sad shape. It needs to be raised up or just gotten rid of it because it was way too low to be enjoyable. I don't want to lay on the hyperbole but honestly aside one other park (Kids Castle in Doylestown, PA) this place is the nicest that I've ever seen and even though my kids are arguably a bit on the too old side to be enjoying a place like this, they still did. Great job DeLand! What an awesome place for the community!

Fun little park just on the beaten path of Woodland Blvd, great place to catch some fresh air and a…read morelittle live entertainment when available. Fun time listening to Anique Jolee! https://instagram.com/aniquejolee?igshid=NzZlODBkYWE4Ng%3D%3D&utm_source=qr

A small park with a…read morebig picture Pioneer Park is indeed a small park, just occupies a corner of a couple of streets. It does have a nice fountain, some cool benches and tables and a interesting sculpture of an alligator. A very pleasant place for a little rest while walking around the center of Deland. However what really catches the eye in Pioneer Park is the gigantic mural that takes up the entire side of a building. The mural probably covers more area the the entire rest of the park. The picture is called Pioneers Parceland and I believe it was dedicated in 1996. Huge, stunning and brightly colored, it has amazing detail and shows the early settlers arriving in the area. We just sat there for a long time taking in the beauty and different parts of the mural. It's so large that you actually have to back away at times to take it all in. The mural at Pioneer Park is a extremely mesmerizing work of art that photographs cannot begin to justice to. It has to be seen in person to truly be appreciated. it shows what a progressive town can do with a small and seemingly useless piece of space.