Really great place to spend a few hours. The trails are peaceful and it's a great spot to get…read moreoutside and relax. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area!

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.

Gateway Park, Debary, FL,…read more This was actually my first time coming to Gateway park to see the Christmas lights, and I have to say, they are great. Nothing over the top, but wholesome, and geared towards families and the surrounding community. We loved how the city utilized the pavilions for photo op areas and the exercise paths as the walkway to view all the beautiful LED lit sculptures. What really makes this park stand out is that kids can still play on the playground while the event is going on. Im sure an evening here allows moms and dads to catch a good night sleep for once, lol! Something else to note is that there is free hot chocolate offered here and the volunteers are using a stainless steel percolator to brew it, nice! An additional note, entry is free to the public, there are restrooms on site, and plenty of parking available. The only downside is tonight, 12/17/23, is the last night for the lights. Staff begins breaking everything down tomorrow. All in all, this was a great experience, and I look forward to returning next year.

I'm just now getting the time to post my Christmas photos from Gateway Park…read more I have lived only 15 minutes from this park for over 20 years and never knew that they did Christmas lights. So I was excited to finally get to see them. I love how they had photo areas all around the park. They really did a good job of creating a perfect army creating a perfect ambience for families and couples. The night we were there they were giving away free hot chocolate. They also have a playground and the kids were enjoying themselves. Definitely going to put this on my list for next year! This park can also be rented for small birthday parties.

Great park a lot of parking. Nice and clean grass a lot of tree around awesome Orlando Soccer staff…read moreteam

Sylvan Lake Park in Heathrow is one of those rare finds that perfectly balances nature, recreation,…read moreand community. My kid plays soccer here with Seminole Youth Soccer, and it's easily one of our favorite spots for practice and weekend games! The soccer fields are well maintained, and the sidelines have plenty of space for families to relax and cheer on their teams. Between matches, it's not unusual to spot a few deer wandering through the trails, which always feels like a little dose of magic in the middle of a busy day. Beyond soccer, the park offers a small playground, tennis courts, and beautiful walking and biking trails shaded by trees -- perfect for getting some steps in while the kids play. There's ample parking, clean facilities, and it always feels safe and family-friendly. Whether you're here for youth sports, a morning jog, or just some quiet time in nature, Sylvan Lake Park is a true Heathrow treasure.

Green Springs Park is 31 acres of natural land located on the north shore of Lake Monroe. The green…read morehued sulfur spring supplies fresh water to Lake Monroe from the Florida aquifer. It is one of the few green springs in Florida. Green Springs Park is a significant archaeological and historical site. Six thousand years ago Green Springs was once an important site for Native Americans such as the Mayaca. Later the Seminoles favored the supposed healing properties of the sulfur water. The Green Springs Midden, a huge shell midden once existed near where the spring run empties into Lake Monroe. Middens are a type of ancient garbage dump that can tell a lot about the people who once lived there. Primitive tools, pottery sherds, as well as remains of humans and animals were found here before the midden was destroyed for road building and fertilizer prior to 1885. Later Enterprise became the final destination on the St. Johns River for the area steamboats. The area near the spring was first settled in 1841 by Cornelius Taylor, a Seminole War veteran, former timber agent, and first cousin to General Zachary Taylor. He was nicknamed the Thunder of Enterprise for his hot temper. In 1842 Taylor constructed a hotel on the midden to attract steamboat passengers. He promoted his hotel as one of Florida's first health spas. The spring was marketed as having restorative powers for people with illnesses. By 1883, the spring was on property owned by wealthy New York wine importer Frederic DeBary, whose guests used the spring recreationally. Today the spring is supposed to be closed to swimmers but there were local kids jumping from the trees into the clear water when I visited. Pretty cool to think they are enjoying the same swimming hole used by the ancient people who once lived here. In the 1980's the spring and surrounding natural land was in danger of being turned into a condo development. After more than 20 years of effort to acquire and develop the site and $1 million investment in land acquisition and improvements, the park finally opened in September 27, 2008. Today the park has restrooms, a large picnic pavilion with tables, a playground, nature trails under the shade of oak, pine and cedar trees, interpretive signs, and scenic overlooks. This park is also where the Spring-to-Spring Trail and the East Central Regional Rail Trail connect. The East Central Regional Rail Trail begins at Green Springs and travels 5.7 miles to State Road 415 in Osteen.

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!

Just off the Spring to Spring Trail in Deltona which extends from Green Spring Park to De Leon…read moreSprings State Park, lies Thornby Park, a 38 acre natural area where the 1916 Thornby homestead once stood. Historically this area on Deltona's southern shore of Lake Monroe has been home to both native tribes and early Volusia County pioneers. During the Second Seminole War, the US Army built Fort Kingsbury named after a soldier who died of a fever in nearby Ft. Mellon. It was a defense stockade built here in response to the Seminoles burning Palaka in 1835 which was a major port on the St. John's River and a critical entrance point into Central Florida. The last residents on this land were Dr. James H. Glass and his wife Anna Wells Glass who built a two-story house. It was one of the finest residences in the area and it stood until teen-aged vandals burned on September 15, 2003. In the 1990's the land was at the center of a preservation battle between residents and developers. The community successfully advocated for the city to purchase the land, leading to the land being acquired by Volusia Forever and the city of Deltona. A public park was established in 2011 but unfortunately it was too late to preserve the Glass House like nearby DeBary Hall. While the Glass House is long gone, Thornby Park does have a large play area for all abilities and which is ADA compliant. It is called the Inspiration Playground and it was completed in 2012 with swings, monkey bars, and slides. In this area there are also restrooms, benches, picnic tables, and a gazebo donated by the Friends of Thornby in honor of Dr. Glass. Near the playground you will find the entrance to the boardwalk that takes you to the Thornby Trail, a half mile, loop nature trail. This area is a haven for wildlife and it contains several interpretive signs along with an outdoor classroom. Halfway through the trail is the remains of a piece of old narrow gauge railroad trestle that was used by mules to haul citrus to the docks of Lake Monroe. I had enjoyable stroll along Thornby Trail taking in the nature and history of this peaceful preserve. Thornby Park is a testament to the tenacity of the activists who fought long and hard to keep this pristine area from being turned into another development.

Well there is not much to do at this park in terms of walking trails, there is a cool remnant of a…read morerailroad trestle that probably was mule driven and used to haul citrus and other produce to the docks on Lake Monroe. Now, this park does have a pretty cool kids playground, so if you have young children, this is a great place to head towards. On the path, you can definitely feel it's age. You know that this area has seen time since the dawn of time and the railroad trestle alone proves that this area was an integral part of early Florida life. I do not see myself returning here, but I am happy that I stumbled across this small park. Again, if you have small children, I would definitely recommend coming here to the children's play area. On that aspect, I would give here five stars. While the walking path is by no means impressive, I am glad that I saw the railroad trestle and that I took the time to see this part of unspoiled Florida.

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!

If I lived anywhere near here, we'd be at this spring every weekend! There were no crowds present…read moreduring our off-season visit on 9-25 and the water was still between 68-72 degrees Fahrenheit. That is how the spring is year-round. We paid a $5 vehicle entry fee to the park, brought our own tubes and stripped down to our swimwear before walking to the start of the run (Rock Springs Run). We found ourselves a slippery rock to launch from and away we went! The current is strong, so you fly through the run pretty quickly up until you reach the "spring head". There were lots of families just hanging out here, listening to music, picnicking and the like. Once you get past that part, the current picks up again. We saw fish, birds, otters, wild turkey and a turtle during our visit. We did not see any gators, thank God! It was so relaxing and serene (aside from a few Bluetooth speakers blasting some tunes). We didn't stay more than a couple of hours, having done the run several times. The park's facilities are meager. The concession stand isn't open during the off-season, the bathrooms were borderline gross, and the lockers were old, small, beat-up and you had to bring your own lock. We opted to cover the windows in our SUV and do our toweling down and changing there. As far as outdoor adventures go, you can't beat the fun you'll have here for $5/vehicle. The water is crystal clear, and you can just float the run if you'd like. Some people were snorkeling and digging for gems/crystals and shark teeth (not sure that there are any really there though). Good, clean fun for people of all ages.

What a beautiful little gem!…read more I've seen Kelly Park - Rock Springs pop up on my Instagram and TikTok SO many times, but I kept reading that it gets PACKED during busy season. My husband and I celebrated 13 years together on September 29th, took the day off, and last minute decided to finally check it out. I'm SO glad we did. It ended up being the perfect way to celebrate our love. We did the lazy river THREE times, and it was honestly exactly what our sore muscles needed. The water was definitely cold, but in the best way! There were spots where the sun would shine through the trees and hit my skin, and it felt absolutely amazing. I also loved that you can find your own little spot along the river if you want to hang out for a while. We brought our own floaty and just relaxed. I didn't really swim, but I tried walking parts of the river and, for reference, I'm 5'1" and the water was around waist-deep for me most of the time. The park itself is HUGE, and because it was nearly empty when we went, it literally felt like we had the whole place to ourselves LOL. They have a concession area, although we didn't grab anything, and the bathrooms were clean. Admission was only $6, which felt like such a steal for the experience. And the best part? It's only about 30 minutes from home for me! So happy we found a new little local gem. Definitely excited to come back!

Me and my dog Pixie stopped by here yesterday. August 2025…read more I didn't know there was a dog park here. They have a very nice large and small dog park with a pavilion. No one was there so she was able to run both. I then took her over to the playground area because she likes to slide down the slide. So she ran around there and then two kids showed up and we played for about 30 minutes. Nice Park It has the dog park, basketball and a kids playground. Today I went it was very clean and well kept. Plenty of parking. Bathrooms were clean.

This park offers a lot of activities such as baseball, basketball, tennis courts, shuffleboard and…read moremore. They have a kids playground and even a small lake on the property, though swimming is prohibited. There is adequate parking and they have rest rooms on the property. They also have a couple of pavilions to hang out either after you play a sports or if you just want to chill for a bit. This park offers a lot of tranquillity and I enjoyed my time here. The park is decently maintains and while I was here on a Monday afternoon, there were quite a few people here with me. The park is a bit off of the beaten path, so you will have to go down a few back roads to get here. Perhaps that is part of its charm up here. It is definitely a place for the neighborhood. It would be worth your time to come check here out, enjoy a minute or two. Be advised that I did not see any walking path, but there were people with dogs walking across the sport fields. Come check out out yourself.

Great trial to connect to nature. Lots of wildlife and natural Floridian terrain. 10/10read more

This is a pretty nice trail. It's a 7 mile trail with plenty of things to see like the St John's…read moreRiver. I recommend coming early in the morning to avoid the Florida heat. You'll definitely feel the mugginess in the afternoon. Though it is a popular place to hike. It was actually quiet and peaceful. It's an easy trail but I wanted to challenge myself so I did it with a weighted vest on my back. In fact, I passed a few other hikers with weights on too . so if you're training for something, this place is it.

This is one of my favorite places in Florida to see manatees . And I mean hundreds of manatees …read more Big manatees , baby manatees, playful manatees , sleeping manatees .... If you are a sea potato fan , this is gonna be your jam . Make sure you go in the winter months to see the most manatees ! Their website also has a real time chubby mermaid live webcam ! When you go to enter the park there's also a manatee counter so you know how many are currently inside the park ! And there's also a Manatee festival! I've attended it and it's a must visit if you can. There's lots of vendors selling manatee items. When I went, I also got a chance to listen to the manatee sounds in real time because they were able to put a microphone underwater hooked up to headphones and you could listen to them. Very cool. If you want to learn the history of the park and the land, there is an original house on the property that inside features the story of the original family that lived here and how it came to be what it is today. It's very interesting stuff and it's worth a stop inside. Now it's actually a park as well as just a manatee hang out so if you want to kayak there are rentals available. There's a Gift Shop and several restrooms on site. There's also a boat tour that goes out a few times a day. Now I will say that if you're coming for the manatees, you need to make a plan because you are going to likely have to wait in line. The line can be up to 45 minutes to an hour sometimes to get into the park during Manatee season, so be mindful of that when making your plans for the day. Other tips : As of December 2025 , the entry fee is $6. There's a pressed penny machine inside the gift shop . If you have a Florida parks passport , get your stamp at the main entrance where you pay entry fee .

It's a small state park but very worth a visit. I went in September, fully expecting to see zero…read moremanatees, so I was thrilled to see three. The amount of manatees in winter looks crazy. I'm glad I was researching a few days in advance and saw a reservation system was implemented earlier this year. A tricky balance as always, but would have been a shame to get out here a be turned away for capacity. For a summer visit, it was fun to swim from one platform to the other, going with the current makes it easy, though many people choose to float on tubes or noodles. Not the warmest spring but it's consistent! The relatively narrow creek and dense trees make it reasonably shaded.