Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park

Having a Florida State Park Passport I noticed in the pages Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park and wanted to go check it out. I was going to be spending about a week in Homosassa and this was just one of many places visited on the trip. There is much to see and do in the Crystal River area of Florida. This stop won’t take up more than 30 minutes of your time!

Park Entrance – don’t blink, you will pass it right by!

Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins was the site of a 5,100-acre sugar plantation, which operated from 1849 to 1862. Operated by over 1,000 slaves, the mill was abandoned during the Civil War and the plantation house burned. The most imposing feature of the plantation, the sugar mill, was located near the Homosassa River. Still standing today are the steam boiler, crushing machinery, and cooking kettles used to process the sugar cane, as well as the stonework chimney, well and foundation.A pathway leads visitors around the ruins to interpretive signs that explain how the system worked. Across the street from the ruins, the park’s picnic area features tables, grills, and a pavilion. This is the oldest historic structure remaining in the county. The park is quite small and you must cross the road to get from the parking area to the ruins. In the summer prepare for bugs and in the winter a lot of traffic.

Right next door to the park is the Olde Mill House Gallery and Printing Museum & Cafe If you have any experience or interest in history or Letterpress Printing, this is definitely a place you should visit while in the area.

This shop has everything from Hand-set lead Foundry Type to a working Linotype and so much more. The museum is a “hands on” operation to! If you have a group and call ahead to make a reservation everyone gets to try their hand at printing! Please do not forget to drop a donation in the box by the window before you leave. But I must not forget to mention that the café has the best Cuban Sandwiches in the area and has won many awards for them! In the cool winter months this place is jamming – their weekly Blues and BBQ events in the garden will have everyone smiling!

Check them out while visiting Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins State Park, it makes for a fun, educational and filling afternoon!

For more photos from our visit to the Hommosassa area please visit our online photos album at: http://notaclueadventuresphotos.shutterfly.com/pictures/926

We also have our photos on Facebook:  Yulee Sugar Mill photos click here and for the Print Museum Click Here

 For more information on outings with Not a Clue Adventures please visit our websitehttp://www.notaclueadventures.com