Scenic Drive to
Southern Hill Farms

This route transitions from the river floodplains of the St. Johns to the rare, rolling elevations of Florida’s ridge country.

From the St. Johns to DeLand

The drive begins in Oviedo, moving northeast through the rural corridors of Geneva. As you head west on SR 46, you’ll cross the George C. Means Memorial Bridge, which offers an expansive view of the St. Johns River marshlands. The road then skirts the northern shore of Lake Monroe, shaded by live oak and cypress canopies, passing through DeBary before reaching the historic brick-lined streets of DeLand.

The Ridge and Scenic Byway

From DeLand, SR 44 carries you southwest into the rolling terrain of the Lake Wales Ridge. The scenery shifts as you enter Mount Dora, a town defined by its lakeside bluffs and large camphor trees.

The journey then follows the Green Mountain Scenic Byway as it winds around the western shore of Lake Apopka. Here, the landscape tightens into a series of curves bordered by hardwood hammocks, leading to the ascent of Sugarloaf Mountain Road. With a steady 10% grade, this climb reaches one of the peninsula’s highest points at 312 feet, providing a panoramic view of the Lake Apopka basin before descending toward the open agricultural vistas of US 27 and the blueberry fields of Southern Hill Farms.