The Old Spanish Sugar Mill and DeLeon Springs State Park

If you want to find a destination that is true Florida where definitely only the locals know about, you have to go out for breakfast at the Old Spanish Sugar Mill located in De Leon Spring State Park. Naturally you should visit DeLeon Springs as well; it’s a state park loaded with nature trails, and natural springs and a swim area where many times you can find others practicing their scuba diving skills.  The Sugar Mill, also known as “The Mill” to locals, is the number one attraction.  Originally built in the 1800’s, the Sugar Mill building was constructed with a large 100-foot water wheel on the side of the building which was to crush sugar cane and it was powered by millions of gallons of water rushing from the river.

Converted in a restaurant in the 1960’s, it allows visitors to cook their own breakfast with griddles in the middle of each table.  Upon seating, you can order up pitchers of pancake batter made with either unbleached flour or wheat flour.  Then you can order small bowls of toppings to put on the pancakes such as blueberries, chocolate chips, peanut butter, or bananas. You can also order side items such as bacon, eggs, or sausage to cook on the griddles. The food is terrific and it’s very inexpensive. The Mill is open until 4 p.m. on most days.  Then after breakfast, you can go swimming, take a nature trail, rent a canoe or kayak to paddle down the river with, and you can even opt to take the Fountain of Youth boat tour.  Going to the mill is fun for children and adults of all ages and because you get to cook your own food, it’s outing that most people never forget.  You will need to pay around $6 per car to get into the park, but it’s well worth it.

Hours: Monday – Friday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and weekends 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission: $6

Location:

The Old Sugar Mill and DeLeon Springs can be found at 601 Ponce Deleon Boulevard
De Leon Springs, FL 32130-3399 (386) 985-5644

Special Unlocked tip:  If you’re going on the weekends get there as early as you can because the restaurant is not a large one and the wait time can easily get up to an hour and a half after 10:30 a.m.  If you find you have a long wait time, find other things to do around the park to keep yourself occupied.  The Sugar Mill is worth the wait time.