Put Cassadaga in Florida as the centerpiece of your holiday trip if you want a vacation with a spiritual flavor to it.
After all, this small unincorporated town of Volusia County in east-central Florida has earned fame as the “Psychic Capital of the World.”
Cassadaga began building this reputation in the mid-1890s when it was established as a winter retreat for spiritualists from Lily Dale, NY.
The town’s founder, George P. Colby, claimed that the Native American spirit guide, Seneca, led him to Cassadaga.
The name that Colby adopted for the town is a Seneca Indian word meaning “water beneath the rocks.”
This alone is a hint at the myriad of joys to discover not only in Cassadaga but also in east-central Florida.
Here are the 15 best things to do in Cassadaga that you can calendar for an extraordinary visit to Florida:
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Tackle the short uphill path of Seneca Street from the Colby Memorial Temple to the enchanting Horseshoe Park and Fairy Trail.
Horseshoe Park preserves the lush woodlands of the meandering horseshoe-shaped roadway in the original survey of the Cassadaga community.
The northern side of the park serves as the whimsical setting of the Fairy Trail under the shadow of thick tree canopies.
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This trail is short, looping at just 0.2 miles, but here, you can imagine yourself within the realm of sprites, pixies, gnomes, and other kindred nature spirits.
Like other past trail visitors, you can hang sparkling and colorful beads on tree limbs as your memento for the place.
Along the trail, you will have photo-ops in its labyrinth and fairy houses, as well as with the fairy wings strategically placed near the trail’s entrance and exit.
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Access the 146-acre Colby-Alderman Park at 1099 Massachusetts St. for a soothing outdoor experience in Cassadaga.
This park’s name is honorific of spiritual medium George Colby, founder of the nearby Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp, and the Alderman family, donor of the parkland.
Lake Colby spreads adjacent to this park, providing a scenic backdrop to its lush trees and vegetation.
The Colby-Alderman Park provides a boat ramp for fishing and boating in the lake.
In this park, you can follow a 1.5-mile, out-and-back nature trail suited for walking, jogging, or biking.
The park also offers two pavilions, picnic tables, an outdoor volleyball court, a kids’ playground, and ample parking spaces.
Check out the C. Green’s Haunted History Museum housed in a historic one-story structure at 1079 Stevens Street.
This museum features more than 2,000 square feet with 25 rooms where you can experience the macabre and paranormal in its collection.
Family-friendly in concept, it features more than 300 items on display that includes haunted dolls, crystals, Ouija boards, and a 1900s rental casket.
The museum is open Friday to Saturday, and if you visit the museum early, you can return later with your ticket for the haunted house tour at no added cost.
Psychic readings are offered in the mini-garden of this museum, where you can also buy crystals and jewelry.
Drop by the Cassadaga Spiritualist Psychic Center at 1048 Marion Street for readings on your life journey.
This center offers the psychic reading services of a brother-and-sister tandem, Chris and Kathy.
These two are certified mediums for psychic readings, life coaching, tarot cards, and other spiritual services.
As a full-time international psychic, Chris is not only a holistic life coach but a healer as well, offering one-on-one sessions either in person or by phone.
His sister, Kathy, is a fourth-generation psychic reader who is also a mystic and can do readings by phone too.
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The Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp is your logical first stop for an immediate grasp of the town’s psychic character.
The hub of this camp, which was designated in 1991 as a Historic District and listed on the National Register of Historic Places, is at 1325 Stevens Street.
The Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp spreads over 53 acres and hosts a 55-home neighborhood where the residents worship at the Colby Memorial Temple.
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Visitors are welcome in this camp, and you can seek the apartments or homes of the camp’s residents who offer their services as healers and mediums.
The camp also holds tours, workshops, and seminars that you can check out at spiritualists’ administrative office at Stevens Street.
On this same street, you can shop for books on spiritualism and metaphysics as well as other related items at the Andrew Jackson Davis Bookstore & Information Center.
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Book a room at the Cassadaga Hotel that was built in 1922 precisely to accommodate the growing visitors of the Spiritualist Camp.
This small, 14-room hotel reminiscent of intimate travel accommodations of the 1920s is located at 355 Cassagada Road, just across the spiritual camp’s administrative building.
This hotel claims that it is haunted but also swears that its resident ghosts are friendly spirits.
Many Cassagada visitors were said to have taken pictures of spirit energies in and around this offbeat hotel.
The hotel’s gift shop offers a wide variety of specialty books andsouvenirs, such as candles and sterling silver jewelry.
For an exquisite dining experience, you can try the Italian dishes of Sinatra’s L’Aldila Restaurant inside the Cassagada Hotel.
Cassadaga features two other parks worth exploring for their spiritual attributes—Seneca Park and Medicine Wheel Park.
Seneca Park is located at 1099 Marion Street and was developed to celebrate the spirit guide of George Colby, Seneca.
Embraced by lush trees, this park has a centerpiece gazebo overlooking Spirit Pond, ideal for meditation.
You can also turn to reflection and meditation at Medicine Wheel Park, which was developed to honor sacred Native American traditions.
Sitting in an incline near the Fairy Trail, this park is located at 535-501 Lake Street.
Book a ticket to the Cassadaga after Dark: Find the Spirits Tour typically held each Friday starting from 8:00 p.m.
This tour’s tickets can be bought at the Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp’s bookstore at 1112 Stevens Street.
During this two-hour tour, the psychic investigators of the camp will guide you on the scientific side of spiritualism.
In this tour, you will have a nighttime walk-through of the Victorian-era community of Cassadaga and enter two of its spiritual hotspots.
You will learn how the camp’s psychics probe, analyze, and classify spirit manifestations.
With your digital camera, you may be able to capture images of these manifestations that can come out as energy orbs for you to fathom later.
This learning tour about Spiritualism, Mediumship, and Physical Phenomena will take you to rugged terrain, so be sure to dress appropriately.
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Include an excursion to Daytona Beach when visiting Cassadaga, as just some 20 miles separate these two amazing Florida destinations.
Located northeast of Cassadaga, Daytona Beach offers 23 miles of white-sand coastline and plenty of water-based recreational activities.
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Your choice in this east Florida coastal attraction includes not only swimming and sunbathing.
Dubbed as “The World’s Most Famous Beach,” Daytona Beach is also a haven for surfing, parasailing, and fishing.
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Daytona Beach is accessible to visitors for free 24/7, and parking is allowed in several designated beach areas.
In addition, you can enjoy a mile-long zone surrounding the Daytona Beach Pier open to pedestrians only.
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The Daytona Aquarium is one interesting place to visit coming from Cassadaga, especially if you love keeping and growing exotic tropical fish.
Only about 17 miles northeast of Cassadaga, the Daytona Aquarium is located at
3131 West International Speedway Blvd.
This aquarium boasts 30 years of experience in tropical fish breeding, raising, and selling.
The Daytona Aquarium’s specialization is cichlids, but it also offers a large variety of freshwater fish.
On its site, this aquarium maintains more than 30,000 gallons of fresh water in its tanks, all filled with tropical fish in an amazing rainbow of colors.
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Located just 20 miles northeast of Cassadaga, the Daytona International Speedway conducts daily tours of its site at 1801 West International Speedway Blvd.
In this tour, you will see up-close the behind-the-scenes in one of the world’s centers of car racing.
All these tours notably include a digital photo package that should preserve more than enough memories of your Daytona experience.
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There is also a camping option that allows you to set up your RV or trailer camp somewhere in the 180-acre infield of this famed speedway.
From your campsite, you can thus relive the heat of the thrilling Daytona races, particularly at the speedway’s famous banked turns curved at 31-degree angles.
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The Stetson Mansion is located at Northeast Camphor Lane in DeLand, about 8 miles to the north of Cassadaga.
It is often endearingly called “the house that hats built” because its owner is the famous hat maker John B. Stetson.
Built in 1886, the Stetson Mansion is reputed as the most historic home in all of Florida and the state’s lone Gilded Age mansion.
The Stetson Mansion is also considered the grandest and most innovative home ever built in Florida before the 20th century.
It was the first Florida home with Edison electricity, indoor plumbing, steam heating, and a call bell system.
The mansion’s opulent details include a parquet wood floor in 16 different mosaic patterns, 10,000 antique glass panes, and various handcrafted wood adornments.
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The Dunlawton Sugar Mill Gardens is a 10-acre historical site as well as a botanical preserve.
This point of interest in east-central Florida is located in Orange, 24 miles northeast of Cassadaga.
The Plantation’s history began even before Florida became a state of the US in 1845.
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Located near the Halifax River, Dunlawton was one of the big plantations that drove the sugar industry of Florida, then under Spanish jurisdiction.
During the Second Seminole War of 1836, the Dunlawton Plantation was the scene of ferocious battles that destroyed the mill and eventually crippled Florida’s sugar industry.
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The plantation became the site of the Bongoland amusement park, and when this was closed, the restoration of the Dunlawton Sugar Mill ensued.
Various plant collections in different gardens were integrated with this restoration project which also introduced a master gardener demonstration area.
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Have a unique experience in a tour of the Reptile Discovery Center at the corner of U.S. Highway 92 and Big John Drive in DeLand, 11 miles north of Cassadaga.
In this facility, you can stroll along its nature trail, where you will see various reptile species, including tortoises, lizards, and alligators, in their enclosures.
It also features indoor exhibits for various kinds of snakes, like mambas, cobras, and rattlesnakes.
For a more exciting visit, schedule it either a Thursday, Saturday, or Sunday, as on these days, you have a chance to witness live venom extraction at the center.
The center is also home to the Medtoxin Venom Laboratories, a commercial venom production facility, hence the extraction drills demonstrations for visitors on certain days.
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Blue Springs State Park is located at 2100 West French Avenue, Orange City, which is less than 10 miles west of Cassadaga.
You can enjoy swimming in the 73-degree waters of this park’s spring, the largest on the St. Johns River.
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The park’s waters have been designated as manatee refuge, but swimming with these endangered creatures is strictly prohibited.
The park provides a hiking trail, several picnic areas, and air-conditioned cabins for overnight stays.
Camping in this park is also an option, and facilities are available for you to enjoy boating and fishing in the St. Johns River.
A visit to Cassadaga can be full of exciting surprises, given that this town has built a reputation around mysticism.
Additionally, the strategic location of Cassadaga in east-central Florida enables the town’s visitors to immediately swing to other endearing points of interest in the Sunshine State.
Keep Cassadaga in mind when planning a holiday break, as the trip will surely be worth it.
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