Remembering Sanlando Springs, Orlando’s original summer hangout spot

Before giant water parks from Disney, SeaWorld and Universal dominated Orlando, Central Florida residents loved to spend their summers swimming and diving in the cool watering hole known as Sanlando Springs. Originally called Hoosier Springs, the Longwood spot was renamed “Sanlando” because of its location between Orlando and Sanford by developer James Franklin Haithcox when he bought it in 1925. The beautiful spring was transformed into an amusement park open to the public with a water slide, in-ground pool, bathhouse, beauty contests, dances and lush tropical plants. And they came by the thousands – generations of Central Floridians enjoyed Sanlando Springs from the 1920s until the 1970s. That all ended in 1970 when Sanlando Springs became a private community called The Springs and stopped being open to the public, according to the Orlando Sentinel. Check out these vintage photos from the State Library & Archives of Florida and reminisce on the Sanlando Springs that once were.