Florida Mainstreet

Here in Warm Mineral Springs, Florida, the people walk slowly, contentedly, in chest-deep water. They are circling inside the perimeter of a lake that is the color of dark clouds. Walking, walking, walking. Usually in pairs, wearing their straw bonnets or their floppy cloth camp hats. Talking, talking, talking. Usually in Russian, Polish, Ukrainian or in heavily accented English.

Between 600 and 800 people a day, mostly from Eastern Europe, either walk or swim in these reputedly therapeutic waters, which are said to be richer in minerals than even the internationally famous spas like Aix les Bains in France, Baden Baden in Germany and Hot Springs in Arkansas.

When they're not walking or swimming, you'll find the visitors to Warm Mineral Springs, which is located 12 miles south of Venice, relaxing on the grassy knoll beside the lake. The soothing effect of the water makes even the most active children want to spread out their towels, lie down and just gaze up at the blue sky or the tops of the towering Australian pines.

Twenty-nine-year-old Frank Grissi has been coming to the springs since he was 2 years old as part of annual visits with his grandmother, who still lives nearby. He likes to tell the story of his great- grandmother's daughter, who experienced a remarkable healing during a childhood trip to the springs. The great-grandmother had taken the child, who suffered from multiple sclerosis, to mudbaths all over the world, with no success. By the time they arrived at Warm Mineral Springs, the girl couldn't even feed herself. After six months at the springs she was walking with a walker and lived till she was 63.

This year, Grissi is hoping that the waters will cure the knee and shoulder that he injured in a recent accident. After only two days, he says, he's already feeling better.

Anne Baxter, the lifeguard at the springs for the past 15 years, is, surprisingly, more skeptical. "You really don't think there's anything curative about the water itself," she says. "What really makes people feel better is the exercise they're getting in the water."

In any case, Warm Mineral Springs is not your New Age spa. Instead, the springs offers a reassuringly old-fashioned, old-world feel. The cafeteria serves cheese knishes and apple strudel and very liquidy home-made yogurt that tastes like sour cream. The drinking water from the springs, available free for the sipping from a public fountain or sold in gallon containers, has a strong sulphuric taste and a mild laxative effect (consider yourself warned).

On site is a health studio where you can schedule a massage ($25 for 30 minutes) or reserve a whirlpool mineral water tub that accommodates up to four people ($10 for 30 minutes). A homeopathic doctor is also available for consultation.

At 1 p.m. the doors to the cyclorama building open for a free presentation of a quaint, albeit dated and fictionalized, account of Ponce de Leon's search for the Fountain of Youth. A life-sized diorama leads the viewer from one historic or pseudo-historical vignette to the next, suggesting that this was the spot that de Leon fought € and died for. It's up to you whether to believe the story. You may or may not leave Warm Mineral Springs feeling any younger, but you will definitely emerge from the healing waters feeling refreshed.

Where to stay

• Warm Mineral Springs
  
  Apartments 941-426-9581 Apartments range from a room with kitchenette to the Executive Villa, which accommodates six. The following are double-occupancy rates, listed by season.
  
  April 1- November 30: $145-250 per week;
  December 1-January 30 and April: $185-320 per week; February 1- March 31: $225- 390 per week.
  
  Note: Credit cards are not accepted. Checks accepted with ID.

• Warm Mineral
  
  Springs Motel: 941-426-4029
  Rooms for two can run as little as $40 per night off-season (May through November) or as much as $135 in the high season (February through April). Call for details.

If You Go

Take I-75 to Exit 34 to U.S. 41, south three miles.

Warm Mineral Springs Resort and Spa, 12200 San Servando Ave., Warm Mineral Springs, Florida. 941-426-1692.