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DeLand, Florida
has a wide variety of attractions, including outdoor recreation, great shopping and dining, theater, museums and historical attractions. Several state and local parks, the beautiful St. Johns River and sparkling streams are located in the DeLand area, and the city is less than an hour from the world famous beaches at Daytona and New Smyrna.
The natural beauty of the area and the recreational opportunities it presents is unsurpassed in DeLand. Outdoor enthusiasts come here for the world class fishing in the St. Johns River and freshwater lakes. Other popular activities in the area include boating, water skiing, golf, tennis, scuba diving and snorkeling, birdwatching, canoeing and skydiving. Hontoon Island State Park is on the St. Johns River just west of DeLand. It includes more than 1,000 acres of cypress swamp and forests and has a floating marina with boat slips. The island, which was once the home of the Timucuan Indians, also has nature trails that lead to an Indian mound. You can reach Hontoon Island by private boat or take the ferry during daylight hours for free. The St. Johns River provides hours of fun – you can rent a fishing boat, pontoon or luxury houseboat to explore the river. Narrated guided tours of the St. Johns River are also given out of Hontoon Landing Resort & Marina. Other nearby natural attractions include Blue Spring State Park, which produces 105 million gallons of sparkling clear water every day from the natural spring. The “boil” point is accessible by way of rustic boardwalks the wind through the lush wilderness. Fishing, swimming and boating is available at Blue Spring and it is the winter home of the Florida Manatee. DeLeon Springs State Park is just north of DeLand and it is here that Spanish explorer Ponce DeLeon discovered what he thought to be the “fountain of youth.” At DeLeon Springs State Park you will find Indian burial grounds, an old Spanish sugar mill which is now a restaurant, picnic grounds, fishing, canoe and paddle boat rentals.
Other attractions in the city of DeLand include several museums and theaters, including the DeLand Museum of Art, DeLand Naval Air Station Museum, DeLand Arts & Historical Center, the African American Museum of the Arts, Duncan Gallery of Art and the Gillespie Museum of Minerals. Five professionally directed theater productions are presented each season at the Sands Theater Center in DeLand and the historic Athens Theater is undergoing renovations. Stetson University in DeLand is the state’s oldest private college. Opened by founder Henry DeLand in 1885 under sponsorship of the Florida Baptists, DeLand talked John B. Stetson (of the hat fame,) to invest one million dollars into the new school. The city of DeLand was only ten years old at the time, but the Stetson University was already born. The lovely campus blends beautifully with the restored downtown area of DeLand, which offers small town shopping along with modern shopping centers. A weekly Farmers Market is also held each Wednesday at the Volusia County Fairgrounds, just east of DeLand.
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