{"id":135,"date":"2025-03-10T15:26:27","date_gmt":"2025-03-10T15:26:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.deerparkfla.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=135"},"modified":"2025-03-20T14:20:27","modified_gmt":"2025-03-20T14:20:27","slug":"area-info","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.deerparkfla.com\/wordpress\/area-info\/","title":{"rendered":"Area Info"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Area Attractions And Activities<\/i><\/b><\/span><\/span><\/h3><\/header>
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In addition to the many activities and amenities available within the Deer Park Community and\u00a0Sugarmill Woods<\/a>, the surrounding areas of Homosassa and Crystal River offer endless adventures.<\/p>\n

Homosassa and Crystal River, which is just 20 minutes up the road offer many aquatic activities. Both names after the Homosassa River and Crystal River respectively, there are many types of river tours and\u00a0boat rentals<\/a>\u00a0in the area. From kayaks and jon boats to pontoon boats, you can either rent one yourself or sit back and enjoy the ride on a river boat sightseeing tour, sunset dinner cruise, or you can take a manatee tour, there are even airboat rides.<\/p>\n

The area is famous for its manatee tours. The many warm, freshwater springs that dot the area are home to hundreds of these gentle giants whose average weight is 1,100 lbs. These vegetarian, sea cows were once mistaken as mermaids by early sailors. You can sit in a pontoon boat, high & dry and observe the air-breathing manatees that surface often or slip into a wet suit and snorkel available for rent from the many dive shops, and swim with the manatees<\/a>. This is an experience you will not soon forget.<\/p>\n

Kings Bay in Crystal River offers\u00a0scalloping trips<\/a>\u00a0in season. Kings Bay leads out to the Gulf of Mexico and some of the best\u00a0tarpon fishing<\/a>\u00a0in the world. In fact, the world record tarpon was caught here, just off the coast of Citrus County, Florida.<\/p>\n

Other fish you can expect to catch are Redfish, Ladyfish, Amberjacks, Grouper, Yellow Tail, Cobia, Pompano, Flounder, King Mackerel, Mahi Mahi, Permit, Red Snapper, Wahoo, and Sailfish. The eastern side of Citrus County has many lakes and offers excellent bass fishing year round.<\/p>\n

Some area attractions include Alpaca Farms which often open to the public for tours. There is also the nearby Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park<\/a>\u00a0exhibiting many native Florida animals such as alligators, otters, panthers, bobcats, deer, black bears, timber wolves, bald eagles, flamingos, gopher tortoise, owls, snakes, and much more. There is even a hippopotamus named Lucifer that was made an honorary citizen by the local Mayor. And of course there are manatees, you can walk down the stairs into the underwater observatory \u201cfishbowl\u201d and see manatees glide by, some as large as a small car.<\/p>\n

There are many Florida State Parks with walking trails, and picnic areas. One of the most popular area attractions is\u00a0Weeki Wachee Springs State Park<\/a>. Billed as \u201cThe Only City of Live Mermaids\u201d, there is an underwater amphitheater where you can watch the mermaids perform their underwater shows. Next door in the\u00a0Buccaneer Bay Water Park<\/a>\u00a0complete with several large water slides for the grand kids.<\/p>\n

There are many area festivals which take place each year including: the\u00a0Homosassa Seafood Festival<\/a>,\u00a0Shrimpa Palooza<\/a>\u00a0(Mardi Gras Homosassa style), Homosassa River Christmas Boat Parade,\u00a0Manatee Festival<\/a>, Crystal River Christmas Parade,\u00a0Stone Crab Jam<\/a>, 4th of July Fireworks, Scarecrow Festival, and many more.<\/p>\n

There are many local colorful eateries and shops in \u201cOld\u201d Homosassa and Historic Downtown Crystal River. Enjoy some of the freshest seafood around at the many waterfront restaurants and bars or spend the day shopping at the many unique boutiques and antique shops at Heritage Village<\/a>\u00a0in Crystal River.<\/p>\n

For medical services, the area is surrounded by some of the top hospitals in Florida. Oak Hill Hospital<\/a>\u00a0is a full-service, emergency care facility in Spring Hill specializing in heart & surgical care and is the closest to Deer Park Cottages.\u00a0Citrus Memorial Hospital<\/a>\u00a0is a hospital and emergency room in Inverness serving all of Citrus County.\u00a0Tampa General Hospital Crystal River<\/a>\u00a0is a general medical and surgical hospital with emergency room in nearby Crystal River.<\/p>\n

There is also a vast array of diagnostic facilities on the surrounding area of Homosassa and the rest of Citrus County as well as Spring Hill to the South. Just about any medical test you may need can be done right here at a local medical facility like\u00a0Sugarmill Diagnostic Imaging<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Homosassa Open MRI<\/a>\u00a0and dozens of others.<\/p>\n

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5445 West Oak Park Blvd. Homosassa, FL 34446<\/span><\/span><\/div>
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