Sanford, Florida
Traveling to Central Florida? you may want to consider visiting Sanford
There’s a place in Florida called Sanford in Central Florida. It is located on the shores of Lake Monroe. But this is where a lake is not a lake, but a river. In fact this river, the St. Johns River, is a river and many many lakes. This river flows northward from Indian River County where it begins as a network of marshes, at a point west of Vero Beach. It engorges at different spots creating lakes but it’s still the river. Its final destination is Jacksonville.
Native Americans settled in the area thousands of years before settlers came from the north but the Seminoles established themselves in the area in the 1700s. Lake Monroe is pretty much where Central Florida welcomed new settlers from the north in the 1800s. Sanford is called “Historic Waterfront Gateway City.”
The new settlers and soldiers arrived from the north sailing down the St. Johns River and disembarking at Lake Monroe. The first to arrive were members of the United States Army. During the Second Seminole War in 1836 the U.S. Army established Camp Monroe on the shores of the lake. It was attacked by Seminoles in 1837 and more soldiers were brought in to strengthen it. Fort Mellon was built. Later the town of Mellonville was founded in 1842 around Fort Mellon.
In 1870 Henry Shelton Sanford purchased 12,548 acres (50.78 km2) to the west of Mellonville and laid out the community of Sanford. The city is named after him. He believed the area would become a transportation hub and called it “The Gateway City to South Florida.” In the late 1800s Sanford was the largest transport hub of oranges in the world.
Henry Shelton Sanford laid out the community of Sanford in 1870
If you like historic homes, Sanford is the place to come. Take a walk south of downtown Sanford, it makes for a nice stroll down memory lane. You can wander down Park, Oak, Magnolia or N Palmetto Avenues, and will be captivated not only by the architecture, but also by some of the beautiful gardens in some of these homes. Sanford hosts a yearly Sanford Tour of Gardens in May. If you want to learn about the old homes and other history of Sanford you could try the Downtown Sanford History Tour.
Today, the city of Sanford has put a lot of money and effort into renovating homes and businesses in city. During the last decade the buzz has definitely increased. Businesses in full swing include restaurants, bakeries, coffee shops, and now Sanford is also considered the center for craft beer production in Central Florida.
The weather is comfortable year-round in Sanford. There are many restaurants, antique shoppes and other establishments located downtown within walking distance of each other. Likewise, Sanford is the scene for many events throughout the year, including the Food Truck Fiesta held every month. Thirty food trucks meet the 2nd Sunday between 1- 6 pm.
Additionally, every third Thursday of the month Sanford showcases Art & Jazz Night at local businesses downtown. There’s a farmer’s market in Goldsboro on Friday afternoons, and a Marketplace on Magnolia (downtown) Saturday mornings. You should definitely look for the Drum Circles hosted here and there and why not try the weekly Ghost Tour?
All in all if you visit Central Florida you should consider stopping by. Sanford is full of history, entertainment and places to go.
No bias here 😉 but Sanford is one of the places to visit in Central Florida.
Here are some links to cool things in Sanford:
To view more photos I suggest you visit my blog: Getting to Travel. But what you should really try is to visit.
