Florida

There is plenty of sea, sun and beach around The Sunshine State, but another type of water is equally inviting and invigorating: mineral springs.

There are 1,000+ springs in Florida, but the state’s only warm water mineral spring is in North Port. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it’s reported to be the largest mineral spring in the world with the surface area being a round pond that is 1.4 acres in circumference and nearly 250 feet deep. A day spa and resort broaden the options here.

North of Tampa, American Indian tribes migrated to what is today the town of Safety Harbor for the healing powers of natural mineral springs. Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto thought he had found the Fountain of Youth in 1539 and named it Springs of the Holy Spirit. A historic hotel is among the lodging options in Safety Harbor, offering spa treatments and swimming pools.