A trip to North De Land can place different emphasis on culture, trails and nature. The experiences also differ in format: some visits have fixed tour times, others follow a clearly designated route or have a special access requirement. Taking these differences into account when planning can help you make your choices based on your own interests.
Culture, History and Special Experiences
The DeLand Naval Air Station Museum presents military history from DeLand, Volusia County and other places on land, in the air and at sea. Public exhibits and programs explore this broad range of topics. The museum is located in a former residence dating from the 1920s, which is listed on both the National Register of Historic Places and the Local Register of Historic Places.
Public tours at the DeLand Naval Air Station Museum are held only on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.; the last tour begins at 11:00 a.m. Check the times before your visit so your plans fit the tour schedule. In DeLand, the DeLand Mural Walk runs through Historic Downtown DeLand. The Museum of Art – DeLand welcomes visitors of all abilities and is ADA-compliant.
The Reptile Discovery Center offers a different format: the public can watch an educational venom extraction program through safety glass. Snakes and experienced handlers can be seen up close. Skydive DeLand offers tandem skydiving with an experienced instructor. These activities are quite different from a museum visit or an outdoor trail, giving you distinct options to choose from.
Trails and Outdoor Activities
Lake Beresford Park offers several ways to spend time on trails. An 1.8-mile multi-use trail runs around the park grounds and connects to the Spring-to-Spring Trail leading to Blue Spring State Park. In the northern part of the park, there are also two nature trails open for a nature-focused hiking experience. This gives you both a loop route and dedicated trails in the northern part of the park.
The Spring-to-Spring Trail has a trailhead at Lake Beresford Park. It is designed for walkers, joggers, inline skaters, cyclists and people with disabilities. If you want to compare routes, the Hammock Hiking Nature Trail in Hontoon Island State Park offers another option with a clearly stated distance: the 3-mile loop leads to an ancient shell mound. These distances describe different trails and provide a concrete reference for choosing the route you want.
Hontoon Island State Park can be reached only by private boat or park ferry. Popular activities there include paddling, fishing, hiking, biking and camping. You can factor the access requirement and range of activities into your plans together; if you plan to take the ferry, check its schedule in advance.
Natural Areas Nearby and Further Afield
Near North DeLand, Tiger Bay State Forest offers a varied landscape of extensive wetlands, pine islands and a large pine ridge. Activities in the state forest include hiking, biking, horseback riding, picnicking, boating, fishing, hunting, wildlife watching and photography. Indian Lake, Scoggin Lake and Rattlesnake Pond are open to fishing and small boats.
Further afield in the North DeLand region is Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge. Established in 1964 as a refuge for migratory birds, it includes marshes, swamps, streams, wooded wetlands and uplands. Opportunities there include nature photography, birdwatching, hiking, fishing and boating. A 15-mile network of trails is designated for hiking, biking and horseback riding. Compared with the individual trails at Lake Beresford Park or on Hontoon Island, the refuge offers a broader setting with a variety of activities and landscape types.
For travel planning, it is also worth noting that DeLand Municipal Airport offers general aviation services around the clock. These access details complement the choices between cultural attractions, trails and natural destinations, without requiring every activity to follow the same daily schedule.
Discover more destinations: South Daytona, Lake Helen, De Bary, Deltona, Edgewater, Ormond-By-The-Sea, Port Orange, Ormond Beach.
View the full travel guide: Volusia.
