DeLand town

DeLand's main strip has several blocks of interesting historical buildings built around 1910. Some of them could use a facelift but they are nice to look at nonetheless. In an otherwise fairly poor part of Florida with not much culture, DeLand stands out as a tiny town with a beautiful university, Stetson University, and some nice restaurants. You can eat at Santorini's (closed Sun and Mon), a small but popular Greek restaurant. Manzano's Subs (closed Sun and Mon) is a favorite with students and locals, and has paninis with delicious fresh bread and great ingredients. The turkey panini is yummy! Bellini's (closed Sun and Mon) is a down to earth, friendly, popular little deli where you can sit and have an inexpensive pizza with excellent ingredients. It's nice to eat here where it's quiet and not too fancy after a busy day of traveling. The food is not overly rich and salty like at other restaurants. 

The stores aren't very upscale in this area but there are a few coffee shops and ice cream shops that look groovy, such as Dick and Jane's Coffee (closed Sun), and it's nice to watch the students walking around. 
Many of the restaurants are closed on Sunday, so plan accordingly. Restaurants that are open every day are: Forno Bello Wood Pizza, DeLand Fish House, and The Half Wall Beer House.
Check out the courthouse, a block back from the main strip, at 101 Alabama Ave- lovely architecture and a fountain make for a great photo!
Walk a few very plain blocks north on Woodlawn Blvd and you will come to Stetson University with its gorgeous architecture and tree-lined stretch of Woodlawn Blvd. 
Nearby, check out an amazing snake venom extraction demonstration at the Reptile Discovery Center- do not miss this! While in the area, swim at Blue Spring State Park- a peak experience in life!
Henry Addison DeLand founded this town. He was one of the first settlers in the area and used his fortunes from baking soda manufacturing in New York to develop a town. Stories say that because he guaranteed the harvest to orange farmers who rented his land, he met financial ruin during the freeze of 1885. Afterward, he moved back north (where he'd lived during the summers), but the charm of his town and the university (formerly DeLand Academy) live on. 
Check out a performance at the beautiful Athens Theater if you can while you're in town.

Directions

The main strip of DeLand is centered around the 100 and 200 blocks of N. Woodlawn Blvd. 
Santorini's Greek Restaurant, 210 N. Woodlawn Blvd, DeLand FL 32720, call (386) 736-7726. 
Manzano's Subs, 120 N. Woodlawn Blvd, DeLand FL 32720, call (386) 624-6990. 
Bellini's Deli and Restaurant, 111 E. Rich Ave, DeLand FL 32720, call (386) 736-1747. 
Dick and Jane's Coffee, 146 N. Woodlawn Blvd, DeLand FL 32720, call (386) 822-9280.

Click on map for interactive view