With summer arriving, here are some ‘hidden gems’ in Florida’s many springs and beaches, like the beautiful De Leon Springs in the De Leon Springs state park and its Old Sugar Mill Pancake house.

De Leon Springs State Park is located in Volusia County, Florida, and has a $6 fee per car and is open from 8 a.m. until dusk. The springs have several amenities, such as swimming, which is available from 8 a.m. until 30 minutes before park closing, fishing is also permitted on the park’s fishing pier, and the park also has a restaurant based on a 1800s sugar mill called the Old Sugar Mill Pancake House, which allows customers to make their own pancakes.

 Blue Spring State Park is also located in Volusia County, Florida, and it is open from 8 a.m. until dusk, with the entry fee being $6 per vehicle. Some of the park’s amenities and activities are its natural spring, hiking trail, with the longest one being the Pine Island Trail, which is 3.6 miles in length; the park also has 51 designated campsites with electricity and grills.

Weeki Wachee State Park is located in Hernando County, Florida, with the park being open from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and its fees being $13 for adults, $8 for children, and free for children five and under. Some amenities and activities in the park include an underwater mermaid show, a natural spring, five different restaurant locations, and a sandy beach in the park’s Buccaneer Bay area.

Wekiwa Springs State Park is located in Seminole County, Florida, with the park being open from 8 a.m. until dusk and its fee being $6 per vehicle. Amenities and activities in the park include bicycling with an off-road bicycling trail, 60 campsites, a natural spring, and an equestrian campground with a horse trail. Geocaching is permitted in the park. The park has a concession stand that is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The final hidden gem is Silver Springs State Park, located in Marion County, Florida, and it is open from 8 a.m. until dusk, and its fees are $8 per vehicle. Amenities and activities include horseback riding with the equestrian entrance, a kayak and a canoe launch, a glass-bottom boat tour, which can be reserved or bought at the park, cabins that can be reserved online, and the park’s Spring Side Cafe is open daily from 10:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m., with the park’s Paradise Treats Sweet Shop being open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.