De Leon Springs State Park
Fishing is permitted in Spring Garden Creek, Snatch Hooks or Castnets are prohibited from shore line. A Freshwater Fishing license is required and all freshwater fishing laws apply. Fishing is permitted in Spring Garden Run. Bow fishing is not permitted in the Spring Run between 8:00 a.m. and sundown.
Enjoy a 50-minute eco/history boat tour of the Spring Garden Run aboard the M/V Acuera. You will see a variety of wildlife and learn about the area’s rich history.
Visitors on the restaurant waiting list are encouraged to enjoy a boat tour and you won’t lose your place on the waiting list!
Call Captain Frank at (386) 837-5537 for more information. The tour boat is wheelchair accessible with parking nearby.
Native people known as the Mayaca lived in the park for at least 6,000 years. Pedro Menendez, the founder of St. Augustine, first described the Mayaca after an encounter with them north of the park in 1566, a year after he founded St. Augustine. In the late 1500s, Spanish missions were established in the area. In the early 1800s, settlers with slaves built sugar and cotton plantations that were sacked by Seminole Indians during the Second Seminole War. By the 1880s the springs had become a winter resort, and tourists were promised “a fountain of youth impregnated with a deliciously healthy combination of soda and sulphur.” The Visitor Center features exhibits on the park’s rich history and artifacts on display from the Mayaca.
De Leon Springs State Park
601 Ponce de Leon Boulevard, De Leon Springs, FL 32130
(386) 985-4212