Deltona's Thornby Nature Park a finalist as a 'Healthy Place.' Here's how to vote.
Deltona's award-winning Thornby Nature Park is vying for another accolade.
The nature park at 110 Providence Blvd., is one of four finalists competing for the title of "Great Healthy Place in Florida," a people's choice award from the Florida chapter of the American Planning Association.
Last year, the Florida Planning and Zoning Association recognized the park for improvements made to the site including an outdoor classroom with granite-bench seating and a wooden footbridge across a historic irrigation canal.
The nearly 40-acre wooded site, which includes 1,000 feet of shoreline along Lake Monroe and the St. Johns River, features an all-inclusive playground and a trail with ADA-certified ramps and bridges. The park also uses engineered wood fiber, a type of mulch that compacts over time and is a stable surface for wheelchairs.
Thornby also has the National Audubon Society's "Birdability" designation by "meeting stringent criteria set for handicapped nature enthusiasts in wheelchairs to enjoy nature experiences," according to the American Planning Association.
The park, which is co-owned by the City of Deltona and Volusia County, is competing against Collier County's Bayshore Drive, Tallahassee's Capital Cascades Trail Segment 3 and St. Petersburg's Downtown Waterfront Parks.
Orange City's Mill Lake Park Continuum took home the honor in 2021.
Visit form.jotform.com/fapa/GPIFvoting to participate. Voting closes Sept. 23 at 5 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Deltona's Thornby Nature Park a finalist in state contest; vote now
