Questions or comments can be directed to: [email protected] Please provide complete contact information if you wish to have someone get back with you. Dragonfly Landing is on Lake Beresford, part of the St. John’s River, just west of DeLand, FL. You can cast off from the Lake and boat all the way to St. Augustine and the Atlantic Ocean. Deland is home to Stetson University, Florida’
s oldest private college. As a former Chamber of Commerce president once observed, “Stetson provides an intellectual atmosphere and vibrancy that separates DeLand from other small southern towns.” The City’s small downtown has been recognized as a national MainStreet award winner and features many outstanding restaurants and delightful shops. Our home is located on the Hontoon Peninsula, an area roughly 3 miles in length defined by the St. Johns River to the west and Lake Beresford to the east. We are on the western shore of Lake Beresford. Hontoon Road, the only road access to the Peninsula, is part of the Florida Birding Trail. You’ll likely encounter osprey, sandhill cranes, red-shouldered hawks, white ibis, wild turkey and cardinals as you drive down Hontoon Road or Lakeside Drive. Along the water, particularly at dawn and dusk, you will see great blue herons, great and snowy egrets, a variety of other long-legged waders, as well as kingfishers, purple martins, wood ducks, coots and gallinules, swallow-tailed kites and the occasional limpkin. You may even see one of the area’s bald eagles perched in a cypress tree, looking for its next meal. Parks and public lands abound in this area. Hontoon Island State Park lies at the southern end of the peninsula. Blue Springs State Park, famed winter home to manatees, is approximately 2 miles by boat from our home. The 600-square mile Ocala National Forest is just over the SR-44 bridge, about 2 miles away. The Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge, 8 miles to the north, is a 22,000-acre migratory bird refuge. Like to bicycle? In addition to countless miles of country roads, the Spring-to-Spring multiuse trail is less than a 2-mile ride away. Across the lake is Lake Beresford Park, which features a 1.8-mile paved loop, several miles of the Spring-to-Spring Trail, horse trails and a kiddie playground. The Volusia County website says,
“When complete, the Spring-to-Spring Trail will stretch 26 miles from Gemini Springs Park to DeLeon Springs State Park. It is being designed to accommodate walkers, joggers, inline skaters, bicyclists and people with disabilities.”
Prefer to row? A ten-mile primitive canoe trail around Hontoon Island is nearby. Seehttp://www.volusia.org/core/fileparse.php/4549/urlt/hontoonblueway.pdf Of course, you could carry your canoe or kayak to Alexander Springs or Juniper Springs to paddle down their crystal-clear runs. If you prefer sculls, Stetson’s Aquatic Center and Boathouse is within a half mile. Lake Beresford attracts crews from all over the northeast during the winter. From our back porches, enjoy the gentle beauty of collegiate and masters crews gracefully gliding across the Lake…or learn to row yourself. Fishing is nice. Large-mouth bass, blue gill, and crappie are local favorites and can be found in abundance in the lake and river. How about motorsports? Daytona International Raceway, home to the Daytona 500 and 24 Hours of Daytona, is half an hour away. Motorcyclists cruise the area’s country roads year-round but particularly during Biketoberfest, Bike Week and the Deland Bike Rally. Ever try skydiving? The DeLand Airport, built as a WWII training flight facility, is an internationally-famous skydiving destination. But, you don’t need to be an expert to try the sport. Book a tandem dive. Or just watch teams from around the world try to set a record. Landscaping. We have landscaped our property with many Florida native plants as well as butterfly larval and host plants and hummingbird attractors. We also have several blueberry bushes, a small, producing Fuyu persimmon, and oranges. Expect to see Zebra Swallowtails, Zebra Longwings, Giant Swallowtails, Eastern Tiger Swallowtails, Gulf Fritillaries, Monarchs, and White Peacock, among many others. Florida native plants in our yard include:
American Beautyberry
American Holly
Bald Cypress
Bayberry
Beach Sunflower
Blue Porterweed
Carolina Jessamine
Confederate Jasmine
Coontie
East Palatka Holly
Firebush
Laurel Oak
Magnolia
Milkweed
Muhly Grass
Passion-flower Vine
Red Maple
Redbud
Sand Cordgrass
Saw Palmetto
Shumard Red Oak
Simpson’s Stopper
Walter’s Viburnum
Wild Petunia
Yaupon Holly
There is tremendous flexibility in how this home can be used. This house is smart and versatile. There is abundant storage and generously proportioned rooms. (see room dimensions)
