by | August 27, 2025
Get Lost in Nature, Art and Craft Brews in West Volusia
From murals to manatees and miles of pristine wilderness, the eclectic trails of West Volusia offer much more than a walkabout.
One minute you’re pedaling past a patch of fairy wings in Cassadaga, the next you’re sipping a themed cocktail in downtown DeLand. Whether you hike, bike or amble at your own sweet tempo, West Volusia County’s trails offer more than a way to get your steps in (although there are dozens of miles of them, winding from DeLeon Springs to Osteen). They’re about the surprises you’ll find along the way: murals that take flight, springs bustling with manatees and beer gardens in full bloom. So lace up your hiking boots, it’s time to explore.
Wings of the West
What began in 2014 as an inspired chalk drawing of angel wings outside a boutique in downtown DeLand has grown into a viral social media phenomena (#Delandwings) and permanent county-wide public art installation by local artist Erica Group. Group’s creations, each one a colorful depiction of different kinds of wings, give this trail its name and ample photo opportunities for folks to explore and pose for selfies along the way. With each new mural, Group reflected the character of the locations. Visit the Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp, the psychic capital of the Southeast, where mystical uplift is symbolized by Group’s pink, green and purple streaked fairy wings, fluttering at the end of the town’s Fairy Trail. Spend a day surveying the Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge, and its 22,000 acres of migratory bird sanctuary, teeming with otters, marsh rabbits and gopher tortoises among other species. Then, step into the scene yourself, slipping your shoulders between a pair of painted swallow tail kite wings for your own moment in flight. Strut your stuff at the Barberville Pioneer Settlement, where a mural of opulent peacock feathers honors the resident showbirds who parade through the living history reenactments in a recreated 19th-century rural village. The trail culminates with stops at the Lyonia Environmental Center in Deltona, where Group has painted a pair of scrub jay wings adjacent to the pollinator garden and its kaleidoscope of butterflies, and Skydive Deland, where it’s not a bird, it’s a plane—the artist’s version of an old-time biplane, that summons shutterbugs.
Spring to Spring Trail
Florida’s natural springs are one of the state’s true wonders, and they abound on this eponymous corridor, a paved route that winds (an occasionally interrupted) 27 miles from DeLeon Springs State Park to Gemini Springs Park in Deltona, part of a major national network of trails called the East Coast Greenway, which stretches all the way to Maine. It’s also part of the St. Johns River-to-Sea Loop, whose trails tie together five counties across 260 miles. Stops along the Spring to Spring Trail are ideal kayaking, canoeing, swimming, diving and watching wildlife. Some highlights include Blue Spring State Park, a warm-water getaway for manatees who paddle here by the hundreds between November and March each year. The official refuge welcomes human visitors to check out the so-called sea cows from an observation platform. Follow the trail onto DeBary, home to Lake Monroe and the sprawling DeBary Hall Historic Site, where you can bone up on centuries of history in the St. Johns River region. Close by is the 210-acre Gemini Springs State Park, where guests can enjoy the sparkling waters of the twin springs and, on the opposite side of Interstate 4 in Enterprise, witness the sulfur waters of Green Springs, believed by the indigenous Mayaca and Seminoles to have restorative powers, and by the mid-1800s the home of a celebrated health spa. (Alas, bathing is no longer allowed).
CoolCraft Beverage Trail
No need to stay thirsty when you’re trekking across West Volusia. Since 2020, the CoolCraft Beverage Trail—which runs from the Elliott Vineyards in Pierson and Spring Garden Vineyard in DeLeon Springs onward to DeLand, Orange City and DeBary, not only encourages foot traffic to local businesses, but rewards urban explorers with a bubbly array of drink selections (and tasty treats) from an exciting cross-section of craft breweries, wine bars, eateries, candy shops and java joints, more than 30 in all. Visit such homegrown favorites as Persimmon Hollow Brewing Co., DeLand’s very first brewery, or indulge in one of the bespoke elixirs at DeLand Eatery, like the Elijah Minnelli, named after the British DJ and producer, a heady mix of bourbon, scotch, cinnamon and cherry. Further south, check out Blue Springs Brewing and Amor Du Vin in Orange City.
