Many tales from spirit guides to health reasons relate how spiritualist George Colby came to central Florida to develop the Cassadaga Spiritualist Camp in 1895. Located at Lake Helen, and a short drive to the historic and quaint town of Deland, Cassadaga sits on 57 acres with several buildings and homes and is the oldest active religious community in the southeastern United States.
It’s here that one can speak to those on the other side through certified mediums, healers and teachers. There’s also classes in metaphysics, services, the Fairy Trail Park, a labyrinth and places to meditate in gardens.
Despite its name, visitors can’t camp in Cassadaga, but they can enjoy a full-service hotel, the Ann Stevens House bed and breakfast or the many accommodations in delightful nearby Deland.
Stay
Along with George Colby, Ann Stevens helped create the historic town of Cassadaga. Today, her Victorian home and its more modern Carriage House serve as a bed and breakfast with its present owner a native of Louisiana. It’s said that Stevens, as well as a few other spirits, still frequents the house.
The 1927 Cassadaga Hotel sits within the camp’s historic district but is privately owned. The multi-room hotel includes Sinatra’s, the only restaurant in town, and psychic readers.
Deland has many options including two historic properties—the Deland Hotel and The Artisan Downtown—plus the comfortable Courtyard by Marriott close to Deland’s historic downtown and Stetson University.
Dine
Downtown Deland contains fun places to enjoy Florida beers and wines and a wide variety of outstanding dining options. Tour the world for breakfast by sampling the arepas breakfast at Parva Deland Columbian Bakery and Restaurant or sangria and tapas for brunch at De La Vega. For something truly unique, try breakfast and lunch at Trilogy Kitchen with a visit next door to the Deland Cat Café, the latter sans food but a feline adventure where all, with the exception of the very young kittens, are available for adoption.
Choose a flight to sample Persimmon Hollow Brewing Co.’s collection of local brews or enjoy a craft beer or coffee while perusing the midcentury furniture, clothes and eclectic décor of Sidecar Market. Half Wall mixes drinks and great pub fare.
For dinner, Bakechop serves up scratch kitchen, hand-crafted entrees that are locally sourced. Meats are hormone-free and desserts created in-house.
Take a Stroll
Cassadaga offers one-hour walking tours of the camp Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Spirited tours after dark examine how to investigate and classify the manifestations of spirit, many times caught on camera by participants. We enjoyed the “Nighttime Encounter the Spirits (Orb) Tour” for the paranormal information as much as the walk through the camp by twilight.
As much as you might want to visit the Lake Helen Cemetery after dark, the gates close at twilight. Daylight provides a better view at what some deem the devil’s work — a beer placed on a brick bench at the grave of a loved one, where the beer turns up empty! Folks who witnessed the event, or heard of its happening, quickly labeled it evil, calling the innocuous stone benches placed by graves, “the devil’s bench.” If it was Louisiana, we would assume visitors drank it before they left, which is exactly what really happened, pranksters tapping the beer cans.
What is Spiritualism?
Call it science, philosophy or religion, spiritualism embraces the idea that life continues after death, that energy cannot be destroyed, and that those on the other side may be reached through mediumship. One does not need to be a medium to be a spiritualist. The movement originated in New York in the 1800s.
