Blue Spring State Park, Natural reserve in Orange City, Florida.
The Blue Spring maintains a constant temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit throughout the year, feeding into the St Johns River through a 1/3 mile spring run.
The Thursby House, constructed in 1872 near the spring, served as a major transportation hub for steamboat passengers and citrus farmers along the St Johns River.
The park preserves indigenous artifacts and settlement traces from the Timucuan people who inhabited the area for thousands of years before European contact.
The park provides canoe rentals, guided river tours, swimming facilities, hiking trails, and a campground with both tent and RV sites available year-round.
The spring serves as a critical winter refuge for manatees, with the population growing from 14 in 1970 to over 725 documented specimens in 2023.
Location: Florida
Website: https://floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/blue-spring-state-park
GPS coordinates: 28.94810,-81.34000
Latest update: May 27, 2025 07:10
Florida combines multiple facets: Orlando's amusement parks, the protected wetlands of the Everglades, Miami's beaches, and the Keys archipelago. This route passes through national parks, historic sites, coastal lighthouses, and botanical gardens. Visitors explore diverse ecosystems including mangrove forests, coral reefs, and natural springs. It includes natural reserves such as the J.N. Darling Wildlife Refuge in Sanibel, home to over 245 bird species across 2,800 hectares, or the Blowing Rocks Preserve in Jupiter, where waves spray seawater up to 15 meters high. Garden enthusiasts discover Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales with its 60-meter tower and 60-bell carillon, or the Morikami Museum in Delray Beach showcasing Japanese garden art. Cayo Costa State Park offers 14 kilometers of untouched coastlines, while Manatee Park in Fort Myers allows observing these marine mammals from November to March in warm waters.
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