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.

Great walking trails through the forest, & paved biking trails. Saw lots of friendly bicyclists…read more Air pump & bicycle tools available for bicyclists near the restrooms. Parking gets full, but there's additional parking north on Fatio. Saw small wild blueberries. A tiny red tick dropped from the trees & landed dangling in my hair. Only saw that one. Great shade & lots of plant diversity. Fun seeing the different trees & plants. Saw a Giant Leopard Moth caterpillar also.

I love Lake Beresford. My favorite place to get my outdoor time in. I love how quiet and shady this…read moreplace is. A paved 1.8 mile path to run and even have the option to try the spring to spring trail if you dare. Can't wait for the expansion that's coming.

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!

We hiked and it was an adventure We saw a lot of woodland…read morewildlife. The weather was perfect. Low humidity with pleasant temperatures. The ferry operator was informative and the ride was smooth from the parking lot dock to the island. If you want to experience the real Florida I highly recommend Hontoon Island. Make sure you don't miss the museum and gift shop.

This is a very unique Florida State Park located in Deland. The park is a small island right off…read morethe St.Johns River.You have to take a free ferry to get to the park.There is a playground, grills, restrooms and scenic waterfront views. The island is pet friendly-so we brought our dog.I absolutely loved the giant trees, green grass, beautiful plant life and picturesque water views.It is FREE.

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!

The Baseline: For a park/monument the site must be informative, have great attraction, and have a…read morepark rangers that are knowledgeable of one of the park we are visiting. Park: This was one of the cleanest and best organized state parks I have ever visited. The parking was easy and the access to the main attraction was easy to get to. The walkway trail along the spring was well taken care of and safe. There is no graffiti or vandalized buildings in the park. Thank you State of Florida and California you should take notes. Attraction: The Springs are the main attraction with options to swim, tube, snorkel, and scuba dive in the spring in the summer. When we visited that was all restricted because the manatees were here to nest in the winter. This was awesome and it was great to see these amazing creatures in their winter respite. This is a must if you are visiting the Orlando area in the winter. Cost: Six dollars to come into the park with up to 8 people in the vehicle. Great price for an unforgettable experience.

Every neighbourhood park tends to be unique, and this one definitely has its charm. The park's main…read moreappeal for me is the walking trail that basically envelops the square-shaped park ground along four roads, and I like how safe it feels perhaps because of its location in a residential area. Although I've never personally visited, there's more than one parking area, picnic shelter and benches with tables, a fancy children's playground, butterfly garden, and a museum.

this is a little hidden gem in DeLand! the Butterfly Sanctuary is quite small and, unfortunately, i…read moredidn't see any butterflies other than the large sculpture. the park itself take up a good bit of space with its large playground, 4 covered pavilions with picnic tables, and many benches. it's a great place to come to for a little walk, breath of fresh air, or to host a picnic, cookout, gathering, or birthday party. there's plenty of parking all around, nice public bathrooms, and water fountains. it's also home of the DeLand Memorial Hospital and Veterans Museum.

Lake Colby Park is beautiful! If you've never been, you need to go. The energy around here is…read moreamazing. It's just quiet and peaceful. It's definitely a place that you come when you want some respite.

We checked this spot out for fishing with the kids (beware of gators and snakes) and it was…read morepeaceful and secluded. We got to see a variety of bugs and tons of beautiful deer! There's a little walking path hidden off to the side when you're exiting to circle so don't miss it! Cute little walking paved path we did with the kids and got to see deer, turtles and so many butterflies. If you go out here take a lunch as they have many picnic tables to sit at.

A lonely little…read morepark Cypress Lake Park is a little park on a little lake. Not really a lake, more of a hole with some water. Probably even less water than usual lately because of the lack of rain. It does have a boat ramp but I suspect not very many people use it because there are probably all kinds of nasty things living in that water. All you could is just go around in small circles. The park does have a little playground, hoop court, picnic area and a barbecue grill but not a whole lot more. I suspect some local people bring their kids to the park but probably not a whole lot going on here. The area is actually a pretty lonely place too. It was going to be a new development that was started a while back and then stopped suddenly when the housing market crashed. Some of the roads around the park are still unpaved and houses unfinished. Maybe now that the economy seems to be improving the park and area will start to grow again. It is a pleasant place that just needs a bit of TLC.

This is my DPE deland awareness group meeting place a beautiful place to watch the sunset and go…read morefishing..... watch out for the Gators!!!!

This is a twenty acre park that is a pleasant respite from the grind of the modern world. I would…read moredefinitely recommend this park to go chill oh, maybe grab some lunch and eat it there.

This is a 20 acre park located in Orange City. It's amenities include picnic pavilions, a play…read moreground, athletic fields, and a tennis court. I visited on Sunday because the park was used as the staging area for the Manatee Festival. For a $8 cash only entrance fee the festival had bounce houses, small rides, vendors, exhibitors, food booths, and a dog show. Valentine Park provided parking so you could board the bus that took you to nearby Blue Springs to see the manatees. From what I saw this was a nice park that locals would enjoy.

Over four years ago, I left an amazing recommendation for Horseshoe Park and Fairy Trail. My review…read morestill stands! I returned, like I said, 4+ years later with a different son, who equally enjoyed it just as much as my last son. I have to say I equally enjoyed it myself. It has changed a little bit since the last time I had been there. I think that is what made it all the more interesting to look around! The same would be boring! I love the horseshoe Park and Fairy Trail. That little girl inside of me always comes out when I go there. So thank you for that.

Cool park kinda cool and creepy lots of gnomes and fairy's butterfly's all randomly placed in a…read moreartful type of way