Description

Once called Acuera, or “Healing Waters,” by Mayaca Indians who inhabited the area. By the late 1800s, Spring Garden became a tourist destination with a steamboat and the railroad providing transportation to the area. To attract tourists, local residents changed the name from Spring Garden to Ponce de Leon Springs and referred to the spring as the Fountain of Youth. It was purchased by the State of Florida to become a state park in 1982. It was purchased by the State of Florida to become a state park in 1982 and is one of 30 Outstanding Florida Springs established in 2016 by the Florida Legislature, and one of 3 Outstanding Florida Springs located in Volusia County.