Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway map James Powell & Family
Astor Park Area
Touting Tourism – Leveraging Natural Resources
Bisected by the St . Johns River , landmark restaurants like Drifters Riverfront Bar & Grill ( previously the Blackwater Inn ) overlooking the natural habitat of the riverfront are popular with travelers along SR 40 , also known as the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway .
West Volusia touts its ecotourism assets , such as hiking and riding trails , boat rides and culture , swimming and canoeing at the nearby springs and hunting and fishing . Kristee Booth , vice chair of the Florida Black Bear Scenic Byway , credits these hidden gems of natural beauty along the scenic byway with helping people
discover the Astor area while providing a positive economic impact .
“ People come to the byway to learn of the history and other opportunities for things to do along the byway ,” said Booth .
“ There are recreational people who come because they know of the forest and recreational things to do there . They come and buy lunch or dinner and perhaps go for a kayak or a hike . We also see driving and motorcycle enthusiasts ,” she said .
Managing Growth and Development
While it may not have been called ecotourism in the late 1880s when the famed Astor family first invested in the Central Florida region , their plans included ways to capitalize on the area ’ s natural resources to draw visitors to the budding settlement .
Unfortunately , with the passing of John Jacob Astor on the Titanic came the closing of a chapter in history .
“ There were big plans for Astor with railroads and hotels and steamships and paddle wheels ,” said Powell . “ When John Jacob Astor died , it got pushed by the wayside .”
Powell ’ s family , arriving in the mid-60s , helped build much of Astor ’ s infrastructure , a history he ’ s proud to share .
“ They were instrumental in building a lot of stuff around here ,” said Powell , counting a grocery store , gas station , parts store , repair shop , the marina and cabins to their contributions .
Leading the area ’ s Chamber of Commerce , he ’ s pleased to see additional investments being made to transform the dilapidated 90-acre Jungle Den , once a thriving restaurant , hotel and mobile home park on the east bank of the St . Johns River , set for redevelopment .
Approved in November 2020 by the Volusia County Council , the $ 30 million project is expected to create between 40 and 50 jobs . A report in the North Lake Outpost describes demolition work in 2022 with the highly anticipated redevelopment to include a hotel ,
restaurant , supply store , RV hookups and a sheriff ’ s substation . “ You don ’ t want to see your little town grow too much , but I think that we ’ re on the right path ,” said Powell .
“ We ’ ve got a resort that ’ s supposed to be coming in where Jungle Den used to be , a lot of nicer housing is coming in , so I see our little river community blossoming and expanding and becoming a really nice community ,” he said . “ I think it ’ s going to be beneficial for all of us for something like that to come in to bring more people to our area .”
Danielle Anderson has worked in the public relations and media industry for a decade . She started her career as a reporter for Flagler Broadcasting where she discovered her passion for telling the stories of communities in Florida .
| 12 | EVOLVE BUSINESS AND ENTREPRENEUR MAGAZINE