What can you do in Orange City, Florida? It might surprise you to know that you can get up-close to about 400 manatee in the St John’s River! It’s also a great place to hike, bike, and kayak with its many parks and rivers. We stayed here for 4 days, but could have used a few more days to explore all the parks.
On January 31st we left Tampa and headed east on I-4 towards Orange City. It was only about a 2.5 hour drive–an easy trip with the exception of the road construction and traffic in the Orlando area. At the Tampa RV Show we signed up for a free 4-day, 3-night stay at Luna Sands RV Resort in Orange City….in exchange for listening to information about Travel Resorts of America. The campground is in a quiet wooded setting and had a nice laundry area, dog park, and clubhouse.
We found a great manatee viewing area at Blue Springs State Park. The sign at the entry said there were 426 manatees present. (I wonder who counts them each day
) A nice wooded walkway leads to several good viewing areas to see the manatees. The St John’s River was so clear, and you can get very close to the water for much better viewing than we were able to do last week in Tampa. We got there early in the day before the crowds, but by the time we left the parking lot was getting full. Besides viewing the manatees, you can also take a river cruise down the St John’s River, rent kayaks and canoes, fish, or tour the historic Thursby House.
The neighboring town of DeLand has a cute little downtown area with lots of shops and restaurants and is home to a branch of Stetson University. We stumbled upon a great chocolate shop on the main street that required several visits! There are many golf courses and numerous lakes in this area. Daytona Beach is only about 30 minutes to the east and Orlando is about an hour south.
We discovered a great spring to spring trail system in Volusia county. From Beresford Park we biked to Blue Springs State Park and back for a total of about 15 miles. The paved paths were in excellent shape and the ride through the wooded area was beautiful and peaceful. Mike also participated in the Run for the Woods half-marathon at Seminole State Forrest.
It was a pleasant surprise to find so many options in this small town. You could also base out of here to venture to the Orlando or Daytona Beach areas if you wanted a small town feel. We enjoyed our 4 days here…..and it was even better because our campsite was free!
All of this and for free! SCORE! You had me at chocolate too. I would love to kayak and bike ride here as well. Looks like a great time.
It’s amazing how many free activities there are when you know where to look. So many parks and trails in this area! Of course I am always on the lookout for good chocolate too:)
Such a beautiful place and so much to do. The chocolates looked good but that milkshake looked delicious.
Yes the milkshake was amazing and very rich! We were each going to order something and the lady said we had better split just one because they are so big. lol