Our Florida Tour Part 7: Tomoka State Park, Ormond Beach, FL; Thursday, Nov 29 to Wednesday, Dec 5, 2012

Our Florida Tour Part 7: Tomoka State Park, Ormond Beach, FL; Thursday, Nov 29 to Wednesday, Dec 5, 2012 

This is a park we’ve been to once before, several years ago and I brought Beth and Rick back in 1983 or 84.(Boy, did I have a time setting up the big, old tent with my only help Rick at 4 or 5 and Beth at 6 or 7!) In spite of having been here before, we’ve never “explored” the park, which is a shame since there is so much there.

From the dock at the camp store

Little Blue Heron

We took one day and learned a little about the area and several of the parks nearby. Tomoka is on the Intracoastal Waterway, and was inhabited more than 14,000 years ago by the Timucuan Indians. The Timucua consisted of various tribes which spoke related dialects and occupied most of Northern Florida. The Tomoka area also boasts of the ruins of Dummett Sugar Mill, the oldest sugar mill in Central Florida. Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park and Bulow Creek State Park are located just to the north of the campground. There are a total of eleven known plantation sites in Tomoka State Park.

Statue of Chief Tomokee

Path to the water

Bulow Creek State Park protects one of the largest remaining stands of southern life oak forest on Florida’s east coast. Here, you will see the cathedral-like Fairchild Oak – more than 2,000 years old with a spread of about 200’, and a trunk diameter of around 24’. It is huge, beautiful, and standing beneath its gnarly limbs is awe-inspiring.

Fairchild Oak

Fairchild Oak - the rest of the right side of it

Bulow Plantation Ruins is an interesting place, with the ruins of the sugar mill accessible by car or hiking trail. There are signs and audio information kiosks around the ruins as well as an interpretive center which tells the story of Bulow Plantation and the turbulent events that led to its destruction. (More of the Seminole War story, which has been a fairly constant theme at many of the parks we visited this trip.)

The one lane road back to the ruins

This area is full of salt marshes, hammocks of oaks, red cedars, and palmettos, and fishing abounds, with everything from catfish to drums being caught. We fished for an hour or so, but had no luck.  None-the-less, it was a beautiful day to be outside and we saw some interesting and gorgeous spots.

Daytona Beach is just south of here and one of Rich’s favorite breakfast/lunch spots, Mike’s Galley, is there along with my favorite spot here, Vittoria’s Italian Pastry Shop.  There are many other good places to eat and plenty of things to do in the Ormond Beach/Daytona Beach area, but Tomoka State Park can keep you busy for a couple of days.

Now it’s off to our last stop before we head home: Fort Clinch in Fernandina Beach.