Sanford is the largest city in Seminole County in land area with 13,853 acres.

Leave a comment

 

Welcome back to Sanford for a bit more of a view of the town….and all the things we missed last week….and away we go

Oh and the two pictures here are mine from the Historic Sanford Welcome Center  Christmas Events.

 

 

 

The first “Yankee” name to appear among the national figures after the cleavage of the sixties (Civil War) is that of General Sanford, former United States minister to Belgium, who was personally responsible for the fact that his name is on Florida’s map.”

PLACES IN THE SUN:  THE HISTORY AND ROMANCE OF FLORIDA PLACE NAME

 

 

If you’re looking for things to do in Sanford this one is on top of the list—on 17-92 as it skirts Lake Monroe (part of the St. Johns River system is

THE CENTRAL FLORIDA ZOO

http://www.centralfloridazoo.org/visit

I brought a Meet-Up group here in 2017 and we all enjoyed the day spent there very much….its a great place for kids of ALL AGES.

 

 

On Saturday in the attractive square is the Farmer’s Market with all manner of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as prepared foods.  You can also purchased hand crafted jewelry and the like with a few feet of lots of free parking and all manner of food and drinks available.

I’ve enjoyed this fun shopping adventure many times and though it’s not large it’s plenty big enough to be worth the visit.

http://www.sanfordfl.gov/index.aspx?page=1021

 

 

And for those of you who love Country–

THE BARN

A county-western hot spot bar features live entertainment and lots of dancing.   In fact they have over 16,000 sq. feet of entertaining area which includes 7 bars with 34 TV’s throughout as well as a mechanical bull upstairs, pool tables, large dance floor not to mention great names entertaining there livee.

Though I am not a C&W fan I’ve heard loads of thing about this ent- ertaining venue

https://www.facebook.com/thebarninsanford/?rf=284157751658301

 

 

“Sanford is a city of boat owners who take advantage of the lakes and natural waterways for boating, fishing, sailing, waterskiing and canoeing.  Residents of Orlando and surrounding cities keep their boats at the Sanford Marina on the St. John’s River…to enjoy on the weekends.”

THE INSIDERS’ GUIDE TO GRRATER ORLANDO FOR LOCALS AND NEWCOMERS ONLY

                                                                  Orlando Sentinel

 

 

 

Daytona 500 1991 Program With Ricard Petty on cover
 Daytona 500 1991 Program With Ricard Petty on cover
$65.25
Sanford has an abundance of restaurants—involving all varieties and many global location:
ZORBA’S 
The chef here:  Chef Tony is a native of the island Lesvos, Greece. He has worked, operated, and owned several restaurants in Connecticut and Massachusetts. He has owned and operated this particular restaurant on 1st Street in Sanford for 30 years and his staff knows their menu and most of have worked here for years as well.  The food is great and they serve lunch and dinner, I’ve tried both and can recommend the food highly.
Hollerback’s
WILLOW TREE CAFE
Also on 1st Street I have spoken with Germans who live in Florida who describe this as the best food in the state.  The menu has many favorites and the place with a large outside (see picture below) as well as inside seating area and live music is a noisy place that keep polkaing from opening to closing–they also own a clothing shop https://www.hollerbachsoutfitters.com/ and a European Deli https://magnoliasquaremarket.com/ all with in a short walking distance of the restaurant.
Other places to eat in downtown Sanford (to name a few I have tried):
The Breeze Way Restaurant and Bar
                                                                          Seafood and lots of outside seating

 

 

THE ORIGINAL CHRISTOS

https://www.zomato.com/orlando/the-original-christos-sanford/menu

Burgers, Pizza and Ribs

 

 

ST. JOHNS RIVER STEAK AND  SEAFOOD

https://www.facebook.com/stjrss/

Lake side dining with seafood and a full bar

 

“Once this rich soil supported such a vast acreage of celery that Sanford became known a Celery City.  In those days a railroad spur to those fields enable the planters to load their produce right onto…freight cars that hauled them to northern markets….But when outside competition captured American markets,  celery production ended.

BEST BACKROADS OF FLORIDA

Volume 1

Douglas Waitley

 

Boyd Bear Anticipation Momma Bear--Bear Expecting

Boyd Bear Anticipation Momma Bear–Bear Expecting

$7.99
Special Point of Interest
The Hotel Forrest Lake Built
Former Mayfair Hotel
                                                                           http://www.orlandosentinel.com/os-sanford-mayfair-hotel-lake-monroe-20170615-story.html
Forrest Lake was elected Mayor of Sanford a total of 11 times in the early 20th century…He is the founder of Seminole Co.–for which he ran for state office—got the bill past pulling the land out of Orange County–that had made a much less developed city (at the time) County seat—and made Sanford the County Seat—then didn’t run again and returned to being mayor.  By the 1920’s the economy was great in Florida and late into the 20’s he decided to build the 158 guest rooms and all the trimmings hotel on Lake Monroe and since he was also president of the Seminole County Bank he was able to get a loan with no collateral to build it.   But just about the time it was opening the bottom was falling out of the Florida real estate market, one of the fore warnings of the Great Depression and when the hotel  failed he was forced to resign both as mayor and his position at the bank….he was later put on trial and found guilty of embezzlement and false issuing of city bonds and at 62 he did 3 years hard time for his crimes.    He returned to a city that had been seriously affected by his crimes and he wandered the streets shunned and hated until his death in 1939.
The hotel has been many things since then, including most recently The New Tribes Mission—which no longer belongs to.  Check at the Web Site listed above for an update on its history as well as its current position of uncertainty again.

“…Fort Mellonville (on site of what is now Sanford), one of the army’s most important outposts during the Seminole War.  The fort received its name after the Seminoles attacked it in 1837.  Although the soldiers repulsed them, their commander, twenty-three-year-old Charles Mellon, was killed.  His bones presumably still lie in a lost grave somewhere on the site.  (On Mellonville Ave–north at stop light on Celery Ave.) …The fort ha long since vanished, but the outline of its grounds and the village of Mellonville, which grew up around it, can be discerned in the configuration of the streets on the right side of Melolonville Avenu, ending at Seminole Blvd on Lake Monroe.”

BEST BACK ROADS OF FLORIDA VOL 1

Want to learn more about Ft. Mellon:

FORT MELLON 1837-1842

By Arthur Francke, Jr

 

 

 

 

Enesco Otagiri Minature Purple Rose Vintage Teapot
Enesco  Purple Rose Vintage Teapot
$20.00

stay tuned for One  more things to do in Sanford Blog next week, which will include more facts, history an even some literary connections…..and I’ll do some places to stay the night that are actually currently open for service.

 

 

 

Three Antique Cobalt Medicine Bottles
 Three Antique Cobalt Medicine Bottles
 $60.00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leave a Reply