Introducing the Virtual Sugar Mill Ruins Nature Trail

This week, we rolled out a new interactive component to the nature trail at Sugar Mill Ruins. The new feature leverages modern technology to enhance the hiking experience, especially for nature lovers unfamiliar with the hidden gem.

While a student in the Florida Master Naturalist Program, my final project was to create this interactive component to the nature trail. The basic premise was to place QR codes at strategic locations on the trail, denoting plants that can be identified nearby. I chose the Sugar Mill Ruins trail due to the rich diversity of plant life tucked into the small space.

To access the information, visitors only need to point their smart phone camera at the respective QR codes to open up specific pages on each of the 11 marked locations. The website can be accessed here if you’d like to take an online tour.

The park is managed by Volusia County Parks and Recreation and is a site of significant historical interest located at 600 Mission Drive, New Smyrna Beach, FL. You can learn more about the Sugar Mill Ruins Park on the Volusia County website here: Sugar Mill Ruins.

The project was a joint effort between the Volusia County Florida Master Naturalist Program and several local county agencies. The Florida Master Naturalist Program is an educational outreach program sponsored by the University of Florida. The highly interactive program provides numerous formal and hands-on learning opportunities to locals with a yearning to learn more about the environment.

You can learn more about FMNP here: Florida Master Naturalist Program.

Special thanks to Trey Hannah, Kalan Taylor, David Griffis and Ray Jarett for donating their time to support this effort.

Thanks,
Bob Creedon