{"id":55282,"date":"2016-08-28T17:48:24","date_gmt":"2016-08-28T17:48:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2016\/08\/28\/eclectic-sights-and-bites-with-old-florida-appeal-in-sanford\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T09:46:21","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T09:46:21","slug":"eclectic-sights-and-bites-with-old-florida-appeal-in-sanford","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/off-duty\/2016\/08\/28\/eclectic-sights-and-bites-with-old-florida-appeal-in-sanford\/","title":{"rendered":"Eclectic sights and bites with Old Florida appeal in Sanford"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Just a short drive from greater Orlando\u2019s theme park zoo is a region touted as &#8220;<a class=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.visitseminole.com\/\" title=\"Link: http:\/\/www.visitseminole.com\/\">Orlando\u2019s Oasis<\/a>.&#8221; Indeed, visiting places such as the historic town of Sanford is like stepping back into Old Florida \u2014 and I don\u2019t mean that in a geriatric sense.<br\/><br\/> <span class=\"s1\">The historic St. Johns River, once the major transportation and exploration artery to Florida\u2019s interior from Jacksonville, passes by Sanford. The waterway is a source of recreation, ranging from fishing to eco-touring to bird watching. Several companies operate airboat tours, and a number of quality fishing guides can introduce you to the winding river\u2019s unique freshwater fishing opportunities.<br\/><\/span><br\/><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Captain Tom Van Horn operates <a class=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.irl-fishing.com\/\" title=\"Link: http:\/\/www.irl-fishing.com\/\">Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters<\/a>. A trip with him includes loads of local history, plus tutorials on the flora and fauna and how and when to catch fish. (Hint: Spring and fall are the best.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1575\" height=\"1028\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/tom-van-horn.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-93368\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/tom-van-horn.jpg.jpg 1575w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/tom-van-horn.jpg.jpg?resize=300,196 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/tom-van-horn.jpg.jpg?resize=768,501 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/tom-van-horn.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,668 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/tom-van-horn.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1003 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1575px) 100vw, 1575px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span>Captain Tom Van Horn operates Mosquito Coast Fishing Charters.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span>Photo Credit: Ken Perrotte<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br\/>Canoeists and kayakers like <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.floridastateparks.org\/park\/Wekiwa-Springs\" title=\"Link: https:\/\/www.floridastateparks.org\/park\/Wekiwa-Springs\">Wekiwa Springs State Park<\/a>, consisting of nearly 7,000 acres and featuring a perennially cool, spring-fed creek. Several burial mounds from the days of the Timucua Indians remain visible today. (Another hint: The park and the nearby access points to the water can be crowded in the summer as locals gather to escape the heat.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Another way to see the area is from the water. Enjoy some food and drink by cruising on the 105-foot &#8220;Barbara-Lee,&#8221; an authentic sternwheel paddleboat. <a class=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.stjohnsrivershipco.com\/\" title=\"Link: http:\/\/www.stjohnsrivershipco.com\/\">Lunch and dinner cruises<\/a> are offered. Steamships on the St. Johns carried nearly 100,000 tons of freight each week in the late 1800s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1575\" height=\"1129\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/barbara-lee-paddleboat.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-93372\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/barbara-lee-paddleboat.jpg.jpg 1575w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/barbara-lee-paddleboat.jpg.jpg?resize=300,215 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/barbara-lee-paddleboat.jpg.jpg?resize=768,551 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/barbara-lee-paddleboat.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,734 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/barbara-lee-paddleboat.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1101 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1575px) 100vw, 1575px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span>The 105-foot Barbara-Lee is an authentic sternwheel paddleboat.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span>Photo Credit: Ken Perrotte<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br\/>The Sanford waterfront is beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Veterans Memorial Park, on Seminole Boulevard, next to the marina and just off the town&#8217;s nice waterfront walkway, is an excellent place to stroll and learn more about the area&#8217;s military history and the veterans honored here.<br\/><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1350\" height=\"900\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/veterans-memorial-park-sanford-fla.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-93377\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/veterans-memorial-park-sanford-fla.jpg.jpg 1350w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/veterans-memorial-park-sanford-fla.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/veterans-memorial-park-sanford-fla.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/veterans-memorial-park-sanford-fla.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1350px) 100vw, 1350px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span>Veterans Memorial Park, Sanford, Fla.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><span>Photo Credit: Ken Perrotte<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Some dining tips include the <a class=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/smilingbison.com\/sanford\/\" title=\"Link: null\">Smiling Bison<\/a>, in downtown Sanford and featuring creative (even eclectic) dishes with unusual ingredients; and the Jolly Gator Fish Camp, a no-frills, definitely-old-school eatery near C.S. Lee Park&#8217;s boat ramp in Geneva. Assorted fish, gator chunks, even swamp cabbage are on the menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For drinks in Sanford, check out <a class=\"\" href=\"www.celerycitycraft.com\" title=\"Link: www.celerycitycraft.com\">Celery City\u00a0<\/a> <a class=\"\" href=\"www.celerycitycraft.com\" title=\"Link: www.celerycitycraft.com\">Craft Beer<\/a>.\u00a0More than 51 craft brews are on tap, including many of Florida\u2019s local favorites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For a crazy-vibe pub experience, go to the Imperial. This well-stocked bar operates inside the eclectic (there&#8217;s that word again) Washburn Imports furniture store in Sanford&#8217;s downtown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><i>Ken Perrotte is a Military Times outdoors writer.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Just a short drive from greater Orlando\u2019s theme park zoo is a region touted as \u201cOrlando\u2019s Oasis.\u201d Indeed, visiting places such as the historic town of Sanford is like stepping back into Old Florida \u2014 and I don\u2019t mean that in a geriatric sense.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":93367,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":13,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"coauthors":[733],"class_list":["post-55282","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-off-duty"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"VQS6KNOOJRGRRL24KCTAHS7HUE","arc_canonical_url":"\/off-duty\/2016\/08\/28\/eclectic-sights-and-bites-with-old-florida-appeal-in-sanford\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This 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