While walking across from Lake Monroe in Sanford I spotted this unique art piece in front of the…read moreSanford Civic Center. I was instantly drawn to the beautiful wood carvings of animals. After an old laurel oak became diseased and died, the City of Sanford put out a request for an artist who could make something beautiful out of the tree rather than just cut it down. In 2022 renowned chainsaw artist Mark Rice created this piece out of a tree over 13 days using 12 different chainsaws. He was one of the artists chosen to make art of the remains of The Senator, a champion bald cypress in Longwood that met its end due to an arson fire. The carvings in the tree feature the wildlife you see along the St. John's River. These include a bear, an eagle, owls, and a great blue heron. The front of the tree has a likeness of Sanford's clock in the Town Square. I love how this art piece enhances the beauty of downtown Sanford while bringing an awareness to the ecology of the St. John's River.

I discovered the public art installation, Gulls in Flight while driving back to Sanford from the…read moreCentral Florida Zoo. They were so captivating that I had to stop and take a closer look. You can find this installation where Seminole Boulevard and French Avenue meet. It is in the grassy swale next to West Kelly Quarters, an event venue across the street from Lake Monroe at the start of phase 2 of the RiverWalk. Gulls in Flight are stainless steel seagull sculptures mounted on steel poles of various lengths. Each gull has a wingspan of 6 feet. According to the artist "The polished surface of the gulls plays with the natural light and gives the illusion of motion from different angles." This installation was created for the City of Sanford by Massachusetts artist and metal fabricator, Dale Rogers. He creates all of his pieces in his Haverhill studio which he opened in 2002. Rogers creates art for municipalities, corporations, and private owners. He started out welding farm equipment for repairs on the family farm and then moved into welding sculptures. Dogs are another favorite subject matter. Former President Bill Clinton purchased one of his iconic American Dog pieces for his home. I love how this sculpture takes its inspiration from something you would see in nature. It looks lovely against the backdrop of Lake Monroe. Now that I am familiar with Dale Rogers work I spotted it in a few other spots around town. Count me a fan.

Located in historic downtown Sanford is a mural commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Sanford…read moreFire Department which is the second oldest Fire Department in Florida. Key West has the oldest fire department in the state. The mural was painted in 2023 by celebrated local artist Bruce Merrell. Merrell is a Florida native and he served in the US Army before attending art school. His art career has included graphic design, scenic art for theme parks, and faux finishes and murals. Merrell's work has a strong focus on wildlife and landscapes representing the natural beauty of Florida. You can find this 16 foot by 24 foot mural in Paulucci Park. It was funded by the Sanford Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and commissioned by the Public Art Commission of Sanford. The mural took five months to complete. The Sanford Fire Department was founded in 1873 and the mural depicts it's history starting in an old time sepia color before progressing into color. There is a mural key in front of it that gives more information about the significance of each image. Image #11 on the mural is Dr. Hezekiah Ross who became Sanford's first Black firefighter in February 1969. He was also the departments first Chaplain. Image #13 honors the firefighters who have been killed in the line of duty. You can learn more about the history of the Sanford Fire Department at the Sanford Museum which has a nice display and artifacts. You can even dine in the old fire house that has been turned into the restaurant The Station. Both are located close to the mural. Public art and history are two of my interests and I love how this mural brings both together. It also makes a great back drop for a photo so stop by and check it out if you find yourself in downtown Sanford.

Had the absolute best meal here and the service was absolutely exceptional…read more Looks like a classic Sanford home converted into a restaurant. The parking was easy and as you enter it's very quaint and even has the old fireplace. Serving sizes were huge and everything tasted delicious. Had penne pasta with chicken, chicken Parmesan and an order of ravioli. Happy bellies all around. The dessert was incredible featuring an almond cake which was to die for. A must visit!

It's a converted old frame house. They could definitely do something more with antiques. We were…read moreseated promptly. It took a while to get water to our table. Otherwise, the food came out within a reasonable time. The service was very good. The food was delicious. As for the portions, they were quite a good size. The Chicken Parmesan was the favorite at our table. The chef really piles on the tomato sauce, which is chunky. Let them know if you want less sauce. We had the Almond Cake for dessert. It's more like a Tiramisu than cake. It was sweet creamy with a hint of Almond. We highly recommend it.

This is a great little museum tucked away on a "no name of a road in Sanford". What used to be the…read moreonce, 13th Street, It is now been renamed to show the local flavor, now calling it, Goldsboro Blvd. I met the Curator, Miss Francis, for the first time, a year ago at a Christmas Party- and she is an absolute asset to the community. The atmosphere is primitive and folksy. And although there is no charge, you are "Free" to make a donation. he he Across the street is the Welcome Center. It is welcoming but again, very primitive, in a "grandma's" house kinda way. The biggest thing is the education, you will learn about Goldsboro, before it was Sanford. Hopefully, some day they will Incorporate the old Booker Town of Sanford, located on the other side of the Sanford Rail. (Shoot, I remember those days too). The second thing is, White people are truly welcome. No one stares, no scene to be had. They are actually glad you showed, And you will be too. These are not the olden days of Circa 1990, assuredly, it is NOT. Also, they do Charity work for the Community. I missed out on the last phone drive, but to give you an example: it was for a bus pass for a week for citizens of Orlando to get a job in Orlando. This is a grea tplace for kids and teens alike. The is one off putting thing, at least to me, Is the Trayvon Martin scene. I just don't like it when any museum, funded by public, take on Political views. I think it is inappropriate. Sorry for any typo's- he he.

While there is not much to this historic district, I always enjoy going and finding these locations…read morewhere a community started. It is hard to imagine the Florida that these early settlers new. Imagine a world with no air conditioner and an environment that's certainly was not friendly. This was the community that these brave men and women came to to start a new life. With its close proximity to the lake, I am sure that these early settlers looked at that water as a major form of transportation. There is still not a lot to do when you speak of Enterprise, Florida, but people moved here with little more than a dream and created a community. We should embrace that and honor these brave souls who came to a hostile environment looking for a better life. I am glad I came across this little part of Florida and this small street. It reminded me again to always appreciate the people who carved such a great place to live out of the desolation inhospitability of a swamp land.

I have seen the Limo Cycle roll through the downtown area every so often and I have always wanted…read moreto try it out! Despite being a small group, 3 of us registered and ended up crashing a birthday celebration! The group that was there was cool about being with other people & were super welcoming! Our driver gave us all the rundown of how Limo Cycle works which involved all of us pedaling to power the vehicle, she would serve us drinks as needed (always safely pulling over), and jamming out to great music! It was a fantastic time and other than it being hot we had such a blast! We got to stop at 3 different bars which allows us to support local businesses and try new places, which we loved! You can also bring your own alcohol that is stored in a cooler but they have to be canned and unopened. The max capacity I believe is 15 people and there are 4 seats on board that don't have pedals so if you have limitations or just don't want to pedal, there are places for you to sit! I would love to come back and try this when it's not as hot, as this could be a great event with a large group or if you want to meet new people you can roll the dice with a smaller group like I did!

This was a great team building experience. We had a lovely time checking out Sanford and had some…read moreamazing food and drinks. Our driver Mary was so much fun and made it a great experience for all of us. I would absolutely recommend Limo Cycle to others and look forward to doing it again!

Visiting for the first time, and wondering why more towns across the country cannot copy the…read moreformula here. The people are warm and friendly, they have the greatest German restaurant ever! Rolling in off the Amtrak auto train, we headed into town - once the Citrus Capital in the early 1800's, a devastating fire followed by an even more disastrous freeze ruined the citrus industry. Celery became Sanford's answer in1896 and because of this Sanford is nicknamed the "Celery City. The historic downtown area, with its brick paved streets and restored buildings is super charming and chock full of cool shops and thriving- pre Covid - restaurants. Hopefully the vaccine will provide much needed relief. A few blocks away is Lake Monroe and a beautiful river walk, and the town has access to the St Johns River to boot, making it a water lover's dream. A bit more history -- Sanford Field, built in 1926, was the location where Jackie Robinson first took the field in 1946 to play a member of a racially-integrated baseball team. Then Trayvon Martin. Lots to reflect on, experience and enjoy here.

I have been living here since I was 7 and I'm 45 I have seen a lot in my years things have caused…read moreme to move back up north and still came back down the city has its goods and bad just like any city.

Good service and good food Recommend…read more Looking forward for the next time. Very nice place and ambiance

Our family group of 6 ate at the DeBary location on Sunday, 8/23/26. We will NOT be going back…read more The reasons are numerous: 1. Seating. We were sat at the very front of the restaurant just inside the door. I don't know why because it was only 5 o'clock when we dined and much of the restaurant appeared to be empty, yet we were by the door with people coming and going. It was not the best situation for us. 2. Service was inattentive and slow at best. Water glasses were never refilled, beverages for the young people at our table were limited to Sprite only, but then later on only Pepsi was available for refills. There should have been iced tea or maybe a few other soda choices. Much of the time there were only a few diners present, yet staff was scarce. 3. Entrées were pricey considering that no salads were included with any of the menu items. Salad off the menu would start you at $13-$14. 4. Atmosphere was uncomfortably disrespectful. While we dined and conversed, staff set up a very long table opposite us. The table was for at least 20 diners. Heavy metal chairs were dragged across the floor and banged into place at the table, and the metallic screeching sound drowned out our conversation for the duration. The man doing the set up was oblivious. 5. Most of the food was "adequate", not great. My pasta was served in a dented little metal pot, not on a nice plate. The " crispy guancialle" featured on the menu trned out to be rubbery little chunks of fatty pork. Parmesan cheese was administered by the wait staff after our request. Can we not be trusted with a cheese dispenser at table? I was totally underwhelmed. The rest of my party felt the same only shortly after service began. La Strega looks like it is trying to be an upscale restaurant ("bistro"?) but it really falls short, in my opinion.

Large group from Arizona. We called ahead, arrived and were seated immediately. We ordered a little…read morebit of everything (Pizza, Calzone, Alfredo, Veal, Ravioli, Chicken parm sandwich) everything was AMAZING! We finished with cannolis, which were also delicious. Everyone left full and satisfied with their meal. Highly recommend. Wait staff was very attentive. Prices were reasonable.

My partner and I walked into this restaurant after picking it out from Yelp. I left very…read moredisappointed. When we arrived, we walked into the restaurant, and noticed that the noise level inside was really overwhelming, so we asked to sit outside. It was more quiet. It was raining that day so we appreciated the canopies. We thought that was a nice touch. However, when it came time to order, I had a hard time understanding the specials because the waitress had a very heavy accent. We couldn't understand a word she said so we just ordered from the menu. I ordered the pasta with eggplant and specifically asked the waitress for the pasta to be soft and not al dente. The waitress said that they make it so soft, the pasta actually breaks, and it's not a problem. unfortunately, it didn't turn out as I expected. When my pasta dish arrived, it was pretty al dente to me and also very salty. I just couldn't enjoy my meal and was so disappointed. I was hopping that our server would come over at some point to ask how everything was but she never did. We tried to get her attention, but it took a while. By the time she was available, my partner had already finished his dinner. When I was able to speak with her about my dish, she apologized and said it was the cooks who didn't pay attention to her request. At that point, I decided to take my meal 'to go' since I didn't want to stay there any longer after my partner had finished eating. After a bit of a wait for my order to be redone, it was brought over in a plastic container instead of aluminum. As by now, when very hot food comes into contact with plastic, it releases chemicals into the food. They should really consider aluminum containers. When I got home and tried the pasta, it was still hard and not cooked to the softness I had requested. Unfortunately, I had to throw it away. I really wanted to enjoy my meal, but I was totally disappointed from this experience. I will not be returning. They can't seem to take simple instructions of soft pasta! And the atmosphere was very loud too busy and too much in a hurry.