Address: River Road City: Oak Hill  |  State: FL Phone: 386-345-4428

Enjoying a Rest along Mosquito Lagoon

Seminole Rest is part of the Canaveral National Seashore. It sits on a prehistoric Indian mound overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway. It is a favorite spot for residents and visitors who enjoy walks along its scenic half-mile trail.

Visitors may tour the historic main house and caretakers cottage Friday, Saturday and Sunday from noon to 4:00 p.m.  There is no charge to tour the house or surrounding properties.  The two story main house was built in the late 1800s. The post Civil War structure was built on top of Native American Middens, or waste mounds.  Archeologists have determined Timucuan Indians lived in this area from about 2000 B.C. until around 1565 A.D..  More than 3000 years of garbage went into creating this beautiful view. 

During the industrial boom years following the Civil War, these giant heaps of oyster and clamshell were often excavated to provide bedding for railroad tracks.  The pioneer settlers in this case, preferred to leave the mounds right where they were, and simply build there.  It is believed Lord and Lady Turnor of England were the initial white settlers "of note" here, building the main part of Seminole Rest some time in the 1880s.

In 1911, Wesley Snyder purchased the property and it stayed in the Snyder family until the 1980s, when the Nature Conservancy bought it.  Seminole Rest isn't the only functioning structure on the property.  The nearby caretakers cottage served as the area's post office for a while.

During the summer as many as 100 people visit each weekend. 

How to get there: Starting at New Smyrna's Canal Street, drive South on US 1, 12.5 miles.  Take a lefet on Canal Avenue in Oak Hill and travel about a half-mile.  Road veers to the right, becoming River Road.  Seminole Rest will be on your left, approximately a mile down River Road.

The park is open from 6:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.