You don’t often hear “natural springs” and “pancakes” in the same sentence. Except when someone is talking about De Leon Springs State Park. The Old Spanish Sugar Mill, opened in 1961, is a restaurant housed inside the park in a 100-year-old replica of the original 1830s sugar mill. A griddle sits at each table, where homemade pancake batter is delivered. Customers make their own pancakes, adding their choice of fruit, peanut butter, pecans and chocolate chips. This 625-acre park also features a spring, which produces 19 million gallons of water a day, year-round. It also provides water access to Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge, where visitors can explore 22,000 acres of lakes, creeks and marshes by canoe or kayak.
