Floridian Getaways 2008 - (Page 38) FLORIDA’S Water Parks Summer means taking the family to the water. In these Florida springs, the water flows pure and clear, and it’s always cool. By Terry Tomalin Wood engraving from 1865. J Ponce de Leon ust two weeks out of school, and the kids are already bored. They’ve spent so much time in the pool that their bodies look like prunes. We’ve been to the beach so often that I fear sea oats will sprout from their scalps. It’s time for a change. “Water park,” I yell, and the little rascals come running for the car. No kid can resist a water slide or a wave pool, but my little ones are in for a big surprise. “I am going to take you to a real water park,” I tell them. From Florida’s earliest days, its springs have been the star attraction. Here, an early engraving of Juan Ponce de Leon (1460-1521), the Spanish explorer who promoted the idea of the original Fountain of Youth. Today, Ponce de Leon Springs State Park, in Northwest Florida north of Panama City, still attracts pilgrims to springs where 14 million gallons of 68 degree water flow each day. As we drive down the highway, they try to get me to reveal where we’re headed. They go through the usual suspects, but each guess is answered with a resounding “no.” Perplexed and frustrated, they nod off in the back
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