Spring is just ahead, bringing some of Central Florida's most delightful weather. The Orlando area has dozens of fun ways for families and individuals to make the most of the warm, breezy weather. Here are three activities you might not have thought about.
De Leon Springs State Park
601 Ponce de Leon Boulevard
De Leon Springs, Florida 32130
(386) 985-4212
http://www.floridastateparks.org/deleonsprings/default.cfm
Native Americans visited and used these springs as long as 6,000 years ago. In the early 1800s, settlers built sugar and cotton plantations and by the 1880s the springs had become a winter resort. Tourists were promised "a fountain of youth impregnated with a deliciously healthy combination of soda and sulphur." The swimming area is adjacent to a beautiful, shady picnic ground.
Canoe, kayak and paddleboat rentals are available for a paddling tour of the spring and spring run. De Leon Springs flows into the Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge where canoeists and kayakers can explore 18,000 acres of lakes, creeks and marshes.
About an hour north of Orlando, this is a very popular park on weekends so arrive early; if the parking area is full you may not be able to enter.
The Old Spanish Sugar Mill is a unique restaurant located inside De Leon Springs Park.
http://www.planetdeland.com/sugarmill/sugarpage2.htm
Opened in 1961 by Peter and Marjorie Schwarze, they have been serving in the same unusual style ever since. Each table is equipped with a griddle and you order pitchers of homemade pancake batters (both a stone ground mixture of five different flours and an unbleached white). You pour the batter and flip the hotcakes over right at the table. Blueberries, bananas, peanut butter, pecans, chocolate chips, apples or apple sauce are available to create whatever sort of pancakes you choose. You can also order sausage, bacon, ham, eggs, homemade breads and an assortment of other treats to accompany your pancakes.
The restaurant serves breakfast all day, every day except Thanksgiving and Christmas. Monday thru Friday 9 - 4 / Saturday, Sunday and Holidays 8 - 4. The menu includes sandwiches and salads in addition to other breakfast items such as French Toast & Eggs. The full menu is available all day until 4:00. They close at 5:00 daily.
Reservations can be made on a very limited basis for parties of 10 or more. No reservations are accepted on holidays.
Harry P. Leu Gardens
1920 N. Forest Ave.
Orlando, FL 32803-1537
407-246-2620
http://www.leugardens.org/
Leu Gardens is intended to inspire people to appreciate and understand plants, the environment of Central Florida and the Gardens' historic significance. Located right in downtown Orlando there are paved scenic walkways that take you through fifty acres of southern styled gardens. The garden areas include the largest formal rose garden in Florida; America's third largest Camellia collection; a two-acre Tropical Stream Garden; a Butterfly Garden; Palm, Bamboo and Cycad gardens; a Vegetable and Herb Garden; and three acres of idea gardens for weekend projects. There's also a house museum dating from the 1880's.
The Gardens are open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except Christmas day. Last Garden admission is at 4:00. Group tours, weddings and facility rentals are available with reservations. Classes and symposia on landscaping, horticulture, fine arts, crafts and children's classes are available with pre-registration.
The Leu House Museum tours run from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every 30 minutes. The Leu House Museum is closed in July.
Admission is only $7.00 for adults and $2.00 for children grades(K-12). Admission is free on the first Monday of every month (excluding tour groups). Pets are not permitted within the Gardens.
If you love gardens, don't forget nearby Mead Gardens, as well.
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
State Road 402
Titusville, Florida 32782
http://www.stateparks.com/merritt_island.html
If you love birds and other wildlife, this is the place for you! Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge is located five miles east of U.S. 1 in Titusville, Florida. The Refuge, which is an overlay of the John F. Kennedy Space Center, was established in August 1963 to provide a buffer zone for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) in the quest for space exploration. Approximately one half the Refuge's 140,000 acres consist of brackish estuaries and marshes. The remaining lands consist of coastal dunes, scrub oaks, pine forests and flatwoods, and palm and oak hammocks.
The coastal location with its seven distinct habitat types and position between the subtropic and temperate zones contribute to the Refuge's importance as a major wintering area for migratory birds. Over 500 species of wildlife inhabit the Refuge with 16 currently listed as federally threatened or endangered. Several wading bird rookeries, approximately 10 active bald eagle nests, numerous osprey nests, up to 400 manatees and an estimated 2,500 Florida scrub jays can be found on the Refuge.
The objectives of Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge are to provide habitat for migratory birds, to protect endangered and threatened species, to provide habitat for natural wildlife diversity, and to provide opportunities for environmental education, interpretation, and compatible wildlife-oriented recreation. The refuge also administers Lake Wales Ridge and St. John's National Wildlife Refuges.
So get outside and have fun this Spring. We complained about the cold ever since December. Now it's time to enjoy that Florida climate that keeps us here!
