DeLand: Discover Museums, Trails, and Cultural History

DeLand offers several distinct themes to consider when planning a trip: cultural history, art, museums, and trails for walking or cycling. If you’re looking for a hotel in DeLand, you can use the visits you have planned as a starting point: Are you mainly interested in local history, an outdoor route, or both? The places and trails provide some concrete ideas to help you decide.

Trails, Parks, and Routes in DeLand

The completed Downtown Corridor of the DeLand trail network runs along Alabama Avenue from Stetson University, past Earl Brown Park, to Taylor Road. Its route is described by these landmarks and the stretch between them. This distinguishes it from the trail in Earl Brown Park, whose length is specified: the park has a one-mile trail for walking and jogging. These details help you choose between a route described by its named landmarks and one with a stated length.

Earl Brown Park is also home to the DeLand Skatepark. Chess Park is east of the courthouse and has a fountain with a water wall, as well as a tree-shaded walkway. These places offer different ways to spend time outdoors: a trail for walking and jogging, a skatepark, and a walkway in Chess Park. You can choose among them based on what best suits your trip plans.

For a different kind of exploration, the DeLand Black Heritage Trail offers self-guided cycling routes that connect local sites of Black history. Here, the focus is on cycling between historic sites, while walking and jogging are specifically mentioned in the description of the trail in Earl Brown Park. The DeLand Historic Mural Walk takes you past the city’s murals and shares their stories and locations. This gives you the choice of a cycling route focused on local history or a walking tour featuring artworks and the stories behind them.

Museums, Art, and Local History

The DeLand House Museum is a house built in 1886 in the Frame Vernacular style. If you’re interested in the architectural history of a house, it offers a specific historical point of reference. The DeLand Memorial Hospital and Veterans Museum covers a broader range of subjects: its exhibits explore medical history, Black history, and military history. The two sites therefore have different focuses—from a named house style and year of construction to several historical exhibition themes.

The African American Museum of the Arts offers educational, historical, and cultural programs in the visual, literary, and performing arts. The Museum of Art – DeLand is accessible in accordance with ADA standards. If this information is important for planning your visit, please check the latest visitor information before you go. DeLand’s art and museum offerings range from a wide-ranging program spanning several art forms to an art museum with designated accessibility.

The Athens Theatre is also part of the city’s theatrical history. Its history as a theater in DeLand dates back to 1922. Together with the museums, the DeLand Historic Mural Walk, and the historic sites on the Black Heritage Trail, it offers another way to explore cultural history—through theater history, exhibitions, murals, or routes to sites of local history.

Getting There and Practical Information

DeLand is accessible via exits 116 and 118 on Interstate 4. If you’re planning to drive, you can use these two exits as reference points. All parking spaces in downtown DeLand are free; check the current regulations before your visit, as parking conditions may change.

When choosing a hotel, consider which of the themes mentioned above you’d like to shape your stay: trails and parks, local history, art, or a mix of these.

Explore more destinations: Port Orange, Osteen, De Bary, Edgewater, Orange City, Timber Pines, Deltona, New Smyrna Beach

For the broader travel overview: Volusia.