🍻Brews, zoo and ‘Memory Wall’ make Sanford unique Florida city

SANFORD, Fla. – Let’s take a drive to the 32771, that’s the ZIP code for Sanford.

On the western end of the city, you’ll run into the Black Bear Wilderness Area.

The 1,600 acres of wetlands houses a variety of vegetation and wildlife.

“I’ve seen a lot of alligators, owls, otters, and snakes,” said Laurie Wilkinson visiting from Deltona.

She said Black Bear Wilderness is a popular spot for locals and visitors to explore.

“The weekends can get real busy. Sometimes it’s hard to find parking,” said John Theison, walking the trail with Wilkinson.

The Black Bear Wilderness Trail is a 7.1 mile loop along the St. Johns River and while some areas are paved or have a boardwalk, it is a remote trail, so if you need a little help, pay attention to these arrows and safety markers posted along trees throughout the trail. They will guide you to and from the entrance.

“It’s just a real nice relaxing trail, and also now during the summer, it’s mostly under trees so you stay out of the sun,” Theison said. “What people might find out here: Peace, relaxation. Getting away from the traffic and getting outdoors.”

The next stop on our Sanford tour is the Central Florida Zoo and Botanical Gardens. Here, you’ll find hundreds of animals including a Rhino, monkeys and it’s newest baby – the Blue Duiker.

There’s also a splash pad to keep the kids cool.

The animals aren’t the only attraction here. You can get a ride on the zoo train.

The zoo is also a short distance from the larger Sunrail commuter train station with several stops throughout Central Florida.

Back on the road to the Seminole Towne Center, where Elev8 Fun brings new life into the mall. The old Sears was converted into a two-story adventure park with games, go-karts, and virtual reality experiences.

Heading east, Sanford is also home to the historic Hopper Academy on Pine Avenue. It was one of the few schools in Florida serving Black students in the early 1900s. It’s now a community center, offering art classes to underserved kids through the Art for Kids Art Center.

“What we do is teach self-esteem because our motto is ‘there is nothing in here that isn’t a masterpiece,’” said Sanford Festival of the Arts Treasurer, Liz Darwick.

Now, we head to downtown Sanford with historic buildings and unique landmarks along Lake Monroe.

There is a rich history in Sanford, with some buildings still standing from the late 1800s, but did you know some iconic Hollywood movies were filmed there as well?

Sanford Tours & Experiences guides share some of those star-studded landmarks, offering history tours through Sanford.

“It’s really a filmmaker’s destination here because there are so many options. We have First Street with the old community feel, epic churches, and buildings,” said Brenda Urias, owner of Sanford Tours and Experiences.

Sanford was used to depict a Pennsylvania neighborhood in the coming-of-age comedy-drama, “My Girl” filmed in 1991. Scouts were looking for old historic homes and it was too cold to film in Pennsylvania.

Parts of the American martial arts movie “Never Back Down”, starring Sean Faris, Cam Gigandet, and Amber Heard, were also filmed in Sanford before its 2008 release.

“Unfurl Collective is the scene of ‘Never Back Down’ it was the martial arts gym used in the movie. It’s now a shopping environment. Right up front is where people would come in and out and there’s a couple of fight scenes that happened in the parking lot,” Urias said.

Some of the training scenes took place at the Sanford Riverwalk.

The downtown area is also a hot spot for breweries and bars like Hollerbach’s and Sanford Brewing.

“It’s just the perfect environment for anything with a local flair. It’s walkable, it’s got a great community of regulars,” said Sanford Brewing Owner, Christopher Esser.

The historic buildings downtown are filled with local businesses like Jeanine Taylor Folk Art. Mr. Imaginations Memory Wall, a masterpiece by Gregory Warmack, was created on the facade of the building using concrete and items donated by locals including a sprinkler from the last orange grove in Seminole County, a Jackie Robinson pin, old phones, and a watch belonging to Taylor’s late husband.

“We have a lot of groups who do use this as a scavenger hunt, but for me, it’s truly a memento of the community because almost all of these things meant something to someone,” said Taylor.

Let us know what you like to do in Sanford using the comment section below.

You can join us as we bring the WKMG newscast live to Sanford on Wednesday, April 10 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Hollerbach’s Restaurant. The event is free and you’ll have an opportunity to meet WKMG anchors, and investigative reporters and watch a live broadcast.