Volusia Couple Couldn't Be More Different

By ANDY SCHRADER Tribune correspondent

Published: May 13, 2007

DELAND - Cassadaga is a funny little village near the center of Florida. As far as towns go, it could be compared to somebody's weirdo uncle at a family reunion. You know, the one who lost three fingers in a woodshop accident and wears an eye patch even though he's not blind.

DeLand, a hometown-styled small town just up the road, could be considered the weirdo's wife. Proper, prettier and focused on convincing the crowd that nothing's amiss. The area is about a two-hour drive from Tampa on Interstate 4 East in Volusia County, so on a spare weekend come on up and meet the two of them.

Lights, Camera, Haunting

Every day seems like Halloween in Cassadaga. Visitors from the afterlife are not a strange and newsmaking occurrence but, instead, more of a frequent thing.

It has been a spiritualist enclave since 1895. Signs advertising psychics and mediums are the first thing you see when you drive in (as well as an occasional "Spirit Crossing" sign at intersections). The main landmark is the Cassadaga Hotel, built in 1928. Brooding and unremarkable, the hotel unfortunately looks its age. People stay there because it's cheap, but also because it's said to be one of the more haunted places in Florida.

Some of the alleged ghosts are Jack (announced by the smell of cigar smoke), Arthur (known by a tobacco pipe's smell), two unnamed little girls and even a puppy.

The town is small enough to see most everything on a 45-minute walk. Check out the bookstore and community welcome center across from the hotel. Walk by the old, pretty houses lining the streets, many of them with "Psychic Readings Available" signs in the windows.

Keep walking down to Lake Colby or Spirit Lake, both quiet spots, and relax for a few minutes. Before leaving, try to capture ghostly orbs on film by snapping your camera in the Cassadaga Hotel's lobby. We did, and I can honestly say that in my six years of shooting photographs for this newspaper, I've never seen anything quite like what we got on film. It looks like this weird little glowing ball in one corner, and in the other corner is a reflection (in glass) of what looks eerily like a child's face. When I told our innkeeper about it he was decidedly unimpressed.

"Oh, yeah," he said. "Our guests get photos like this all the time. I have no idea what it is. I just know it's there."

Best Breakfast

Downtown DeLand has a nice main street with lots of antique stores and other stores full of nonessentials that make for good window shopping. There are art galleries, bookstores, a great little Asiatic market where I bought this killer Thai hot sauce, candy shops and barber shops.

Dublin Station is a popular lunch spot for burgers and Irish pub fare. My favorite thing to do, though, is explore downtown in the morning and hit up Boston Gourmet Coffeehouse for breakfast. Founded by Boston native Joe Valente 11 years ago, the shop consistently delights folks with its specialty coffees and exceptional breakfasts. Try the French toast Panini sandwich for breakfast and the tuna melt, which has been on the menu since the beginning, for lunch.

JC Chasez from boy band 'N Sync supposedly swears by its snickerdoodle coffee, and the Crazy Colonial (espresso, steamed milk, white chocolate, raspberry and almonds topped with whipped cream and sprinkles) borders on illegally delicious.

Just outside of downtown, at the DeLand Airport, is the DeLand Naval Air Station Museum, which we really enjoyed. It's a small place but packed with interesting aviation memorabilia, and the volunteer operators give each guest a personalized tour.

Inside are plane models, assorted mechanical parts, tons of old photos, 360 books and a big browsing table on which to peruse them. Our guide, Mike Havenar, took pains to take items out from behind the glass and let us hold them. He showed us the disassembled World War II dive bomber out back as well as its fire-ravaged engine. He also showed us the signal flag that was found stuck inside the engine that may have contributed to the plane's demise.

Nature Nearby

DeLeon Springs, Hontoon Island and Blue Spring state parks are near DeLand, as is Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge.

We didn't think DeLeon Springs was anything special, although the other parks were pleasant surprises. We rode a free ferry boat over to Hontoon Island and saw lots of native green anoles on a walk in the woods there.

At Blue Spring, we followed a wooden boardwalk overlooking the wide, shallow river flowing down from the spring source. The water is beautiful and clear, filled with fish, gators and occasionally manatees (193 of the marine mammals were spotted there on a particularly cold day this year).

The river is basically an aquarium steeped in soil. Thick, mighty tarpon face into the current, looking like stationary kites. Legions of mullet swim in worried circles. We also saw largemouth bass and gar swimming leisurely down the waterway. We stood for a long time, watching the fish. It was uncomplicated and relaxing, much like a visit to the park itself.

Lake Woodruff, which has free admission, has dozens of green paths bordered by small canals and woods. Wooden benches are scattered around as well. It makes a great place to relax, read a book and watch wildlife.

On a 45-minute walk, we saw a brown rabbit, a black snake in the water, ospreys, vultures, three gators and dozens of coots (river chickens), tri-color herons and great blue herons.

We would have kept walking, but it was already 12:30 p.m., and we realized that if we hurried we could still make it back to Boston Gourmet Coffeehouse for lunch.

The ability to gaze at nature, yet still be able to check out anytime you want for a lunch break - that's one of the many nice things about the DeLand-Cassadaga area.

DELAND OF PLENTY

WHERE TO EAT: We ate dinner at the Holiday House restaurant, which has been in DeLand since 1959. You pay a certain price ($9.95 for dinner) for an all-you-can-eat salad bar and hot vegetable sides. You also get a single serving of a meat of your choice. The desserts are literally worth the trip. Go to www.holidayhouse

restaurant.com.

Also try the Boston Gourmet Coffeehouse for specialty coffees and exceptional breakfasts. Go to www.boston

gourmet.com.

WHERE TO STAY: We stayed at the Ann Stevens House bed-and-breakfast in Lake Helen, a short walk from Cassadaga and a 10-minute drive from downtown DeLand. The staff served up a big breakfast each morning. Rates start at $130 per night. Go to www.annstevenshouse.com.

The Cassadaga Hotel, in the heart of the Cassadaga spiritualist community, is a 90-year-old landmark with a haunted history. Go to www.cassadaga

hotel.com.

BICYCLE TOURS: If you would like to see the DeLand area by bicycle instead of car, check out the Florida Discovery Bicycling Center. This group offers tours that coast down undiscovered back roads of Florida, stopping at state parks, "locals only" restaurants and other points of interest. Tours last six days and five nights and include a day of safety training for novices. Go to www.florida

bicycle.org/discovery.

Andy Schrader, a freelance travel writer, is author of "Eurostumble: A College Student's Guide to Europe." See more of his work at www.andyschrader.com.