Historic Downtown Sanford: Craft breweries, restaurants, gastropubs, events, tours, things to do in Sanford, FL
Food·Drink·Events·Music·Tours
We are a community driven blog that promotes the Historic Downtown Sanford District in Central, Florida as a
food & beverage destination to a global audience for tourism, film locations, community events & investment.
Growth Watch
St. Johns Rivership Co Unique River Cruise Experience Under New Ownership
Over the last few years, Historic Downtown Sanford has become a recognized and preeminent destination within Central Florida for its...
Introducing Blend & Barrel – Upscale Destination Cigar Lounge Rebrands
Rebrand from Executive Cigar Shop & Lounge Highlights Blend of Tobaccos, Blend of Customers & High-End Cocktails In late 2022,...
The Wildflower Provisions & Cocktails to Open in Old Smiling Bison Space
Historic Downtown Sanford will soon have a fabulous new venue to grab an elevated cocktail and delicious bite as the...
Workspace Collective to Bring Flexible, Upscale, Affordable Co-Working Office Space
Influx of professionals into Historic Downtown Sanford to amplify weekday foot traffic, business networking & growth. Historic Downtown Sanford continues...
Dragons Will Descend Upon the Historic Wells Fargo Tower
The Dragon Vault Promises to be an Experience in Authentic Reality In times gone by, perhaps nothing very interesting was...
Introducing The Joint at West End – The Cure for The “Munchies”
If you've been to Historic Downtown Sanford, you're likely familiar with both the West End Trading Co. and Hollerbach’s German...
Train N’ Wheelz Opens with a Mission on Sanford Ave
Located at 112 Sanford Ave, Historic Downtown Sanford’s newest retail location is Train N' Wheelz, an adaptive bicycle and skateboard...
Mark Nation Group Poised to Open Upscale Coastal Cuisine Restaurant ‘Keely’s Garage’
18 months have gone by since I first visited with Mark Nation to discuss his plans to build a destination...
The ‘Famous L’ Collective Embodies Collaboration & Synergy
Amidst the world-class culinary and craft locales in Historic Downtown Sanford, a new organization comprised of business owners from the...
32nd Annual Sanford Holiday Tour of Homes by Sanford Historic Trust
The Sanford Historic Trust is preparing to once again bring Historic Downtown Sanford a “must-see” event, as the 32nd Annual...
Tuffy’s Bottle Shop & Lounge Then and Now
Tuffy’s Bottle Shop & Lounge and Tuffy’s Music Box – Quintessential Example of Growth in HDS Historic Building Reclaimed &...
Behind the ‘Historic Downtown Sanford®’ Brand
Historic Downtown Sanford® Selected as the Official Marketing Partner of Sanford Main Street In just three short years, Historic Downtown...
New Business Bicikleta Bike Shop Opens in Historic Downtown Sanford and Promises to ‘Create Cyclists’
Sanford locals, neighbors, friends, and bicycle enthusiasts Jimmy Galvez & Theo Hollerbach are opening up a new business in Historic...
San Leon Mixed Use Development on Sanford Ave. Nearing Completion
Since the razing of the San Leon hotel in 1917, no new structures have been built on the prominent corner...
51-Room Boutique Hotel, 32 Townhomes Coming to West Side of Historic Downtown Sanford
A 51-room hotel may soon be located on the corner of 1st St. and Oak Ave in Historic Downtown Sanford,...
New & Fun Tourist Attraction Coming Soon to Lake Monroe
In a matter of weeks, Historic Downtown Sanford’s residents and visitors will spot something new maneuvering on the waters of...
Update: Orlando Attorney Mark Nation Plans New Orleans-Style Destination Restaurant & Distillery
When I first wrote about the forthcoming project from local attorney Mark Nation and his partners, visions of the New...
The Yardery: New Outdoor Dine & Play Experience Coming to Historic Downtown Sanford
Historic Downtown Sanford continues to grow! Among the several upcoming venues set to take #Sanfording even further is "The Yardery...
The Sanford Civic Center – City Awaits Assessment on Viability of Refurbishing Mid-Century Modern Structure
Amid a rising tide of new development in Historic Downtown Sanford, the Sanford Civic Center has been a topic of...
$55M Lakefront Catalyst Site Project ‘Heritage Park’ Receives Site Plan Approval
Moves Forward with Development of Three City Blocks in Historic Downtown Sanford Located in the heart of Historic Downtown Sanford...
Media 1 Acquires 2.9M Warehouse in Sanford’s District One, Brings Jobs
While the focus of Growth Watch is growth and development primarily in Historic Downtown Sanford, this week I took a...
3 Story San Leon Project Poised to Bring Living Units, Retail Shops to Sanford Ave
Growth Explosion to Continue with Mixed-Use Concept Adjacent to Sanford’s ‘Famous L’ A survivor of the September 22, 1887 fire...
Sanford’s Historic Golf Course – Today, Yesterday, and Tomorrow
Mayfair Country Club, owned by the City of Sanford, is historic Sanford’s only golf course and one of the oldest...
Brix & Mortar Urban Winery Poised to be Sanford’s First Wine Producer
Craft Explosion to Continue with Upscale Venue in Historic Downtown Sanford’s ‘Famous L’ For Daniel Valentine, wine is a family...
Executive Cigar Shop & Lounge Continues Growth of ‘Cigar Scene’ in Historic Downtown Sanford
Seminole County local Alex Setzer was having lunch at the famed Sanford restaurant Hollerbach’s Willow Tree Café last year with...
Dees Brothers Brewery to Expand Historic Downtown Sanford’s Prominent Craft Scene
Sixth Craft Brewery to Keep Sanford’s Scene Hoppin! Benjamin and Michael Dees - the Dees Brothers - are excited to...
Marina Isle Waterfront Assisted Living on Sanford’s Marina Island Set to Open in New Year
Construction of Marina Isle Waterfront Assisted Living, located on Sanford’s Marina Island, is reaching its final stage and looks to...
Project Hollerblock Update – Expansion of Restaurant & Downstairs Bar on Schedule for November 2019
In May, readers of HistoricDowntownSanford.com's Growth Watch heard all about ‘Project Hollerblock’ and the $1.6 million expansion of the famed...
$28M Riverwalk Expansion in the City of Sanford to be Completed Spring 2021
Sanford’s growth as a culinary and craft beer destination is garnering it attention, with droves of tourists flocking to our...
Orlando Attorney Mark Nation Plans New Orleans-Style Destination Restaurant & Distillery in Historic Downtown Sanford
If you spend some time talking to prominent local attorney Mark Nation, you will discover quickly that he is a...
Henry’s Depot – Sanford’s Historic Train Station to Reopen as Culinary Collective
Sean Kelley stands and surveys the spot where former U.S. President Grant dedicated the South Florida Railroad on January 10,...
Project Hollerblock Taking Gemütlichkeit to the Next Level in Historic Downtown Sanford
Make no mistake about it; while Historic Downtown Sanford has more recently become a burgeoning collective of gastronomic and artisanal...
$50 Million Catalyst Site ‘Heritage Park’ in Historic Downtown Sanford to Break Ground ….
... in approximately 12 months. Big things are on the horizon in Sanford, Florida! Heritage Park is a forthcoming 3-block...
Resort Style Historic Hotel to Bring Visitors & Jobs to Historic Downtown Sanford
Since its construction in 1926, no architectural structure on Lake Monroe has commanded the lakefront like the old Forrest Lake...
Amazing Growth and Synergy on The “West Side” of Historic Downtown Sanford
Historic Downtown Sanford, nestled alongside Lake Monroe in scenic Seminole County, Florida, is a global destination featuring Central Florida’s most...
Introducing Growth Watch – a blog series highlighting economic development projects going on in and around Historic Downtown Sanford, Florida.
Growth Watch, brought to you by local attorney and businessman Daniel R. Lewis and HistoricDowntownSanford.com®, focuses on residential and commercial economic development, expansion, new businesses, and concepts coming to Sanford, FL and their impact on our local downtown community.
We take the vision of the owners, developers, investors, and/or dreamers in its highest dream-like form at the time and transform that into a blog piece for us to discuss and dream along with them.
We look forward to following these projects as they go from idea, to concept to reality helping to highlight all of their positives along the way to our audience.
We hope you enjoy the content! You can reach us here.