Yulee Sugar Mill

Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park

The remnants of a sugar plantation reveal a complex history of slavery and a country in turmoil

Hours

8 a.m. until sundown, 365 days a year

Fees

No fee required

Location

State Road 490
Homosassa FL 34446

Get directions

Contact Info

352-795-3817

Welcome to Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park

This site was once part of a 5,000-acre sugar plantation owned by David Levy Yulee.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, this site was part of a sugar plantation that was operated with the labor of enslaved people during the 1800s. The park features remnants of a steam-driven mill that processed sugarcane into syrup, molasses and rum. Remaining structures include a 40-foot limestone masonry chimney, iron gears and a cane press. The mill operated from 1851 to 1864 and served as a supplier of sugar products for Southern troops during the Civil War.

Yulee was a member of the Territorial Legislative Council, and he served in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate after Florida statehood. 

The park is located in the small town of Homosassa, about three miles west of the city of Homosassa Springs. Take U.S. Highway 19 (northbound or southbound) to the town of Homosassa Springs, then turn west onto County Road 490 West (Yulee Drive). Proceed for 2.5 miles to the park. Brown and white highway signs will lead you to the park. The ruins of the mill are situated within five feet of the road and can be easily seen. 

The site offers a picnic pavilion, tables for picnicking, and grills.

Plan Your Visit

A smiling park ranger wearing class A uniform in front of a lake with trees on the far shore of the lake
Learn

Manager's Message

Planning a family event? Picnic or grill under the park’s open air pavilion. Looking for a quiet, beautiful place to eat lunch under the oak trees? Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park is the place for you.
a picnic pavilion with tables sits in a lot under oak trees.
Learn

Picnic Area at Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins

On one side of the street lie the ruins of the historic sugar mill, abandoned at the end of the Civil War, while on the other is a pleasant, open grassy area with tables and a pavilion.

Amenities

Historic Site
Historic Site
Interpretive Exhibit
Interpretive Exhibit
Parking
Parking
Picnic Pavilion
Picnic Pavilion

a rusted metal boiler set into a stone wall
Yulee Sugar Mill
An open grassy lot with oak trees and parking
Yulee Chimney
a stone building with metal wheels and other parts and a sign
two metal kettle drums are partially submerged in the ground by an old stone wall
a path lined with trees and signs runs alongside a stone structure
Yulee Sugar Mill
Two large metal rusted wheels above a gray stone wall.
Learn

History of Yulee Sugar Mills

Operated with the labor of enslaved people, the 5,000-acre Margarita Plantation and mill processed sugarcane into syrup, molasses and rum.
a man stands on several wooden scaffolds surrounding an aged stone chimney
Learn

Mill Restoration

Located less than six feet from Yulee Drive, the towering 40-foot lime rock chimney of Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park is hard to miss.

People Make the Parks

A man in a green uniform shirt smiles at the camera

Staff Spotlight

Andy is a park ranger because he believes that his work to preserve and protect our natural and cultural resources is the best way to give back to his community.
Volunteer Heather Nagy.

Volunteer Spotlight

In 1978, Heather and her husband visited Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park for the first time. She has returned countless times since then, and now shares the beauty and history of this site through social media.
LOGO

The Friends of the Crystal River State Parks

Friends groups meet the critical needs of individual parks and the system of state parks. They share one thing in common - passion for parks.

Park Map

More Places You Might Like

See all parks
Crystal River Preserve Arial Image

Crystal River Preserve State Park

Discover one of Florida's most productive and biologically diverse estuaries, where freshwater from stunning spring-fed rivers mixes with the saltwater of the Gulf of America. The park borders 20 miles of the northern Gulf Coast between the cities of Yankeetown and Homosassa.

3266 N. Sailboat Ave.
Crystal River FL 34428

a monument, trees, and cannon at yellow bluff fort historic state park

Yellow Bluff Fort Historic State Park

This site was an important military position during the Civil War, allowing access to the inland areas of Florida's east coast.

9400 New Berlin Road
Jacksonville, FL 32226

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park

Visitors to this old Florida homestead can walk back in time to 1930s farm life when Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings lived and worked in the tiny community of Cross Creek. This authentic Florida cracker homestead inspired the Pulitzer Prize winning author.

18700 S. County Road 325
Cross Creek FL 32640