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By the late 1800s, Spring Garden became a tourist destination with a steamboat and the railroad providing transportation to the area. To attract tourists, local residents changed the name from Spring Garden to Ponce de Leon Springs and referred to the spring as the Fountain of Youth. The area was later developed in 1925 with a hotel and restaurant, the DeLeon Spring Inn. In 1953, it was expanded into a tourist attraction with boat tours, gardens, and a water circus. It was purchased by the State of Florida to become a state park in 1982.