Day 303 – Swamp House Grill Debary

Swamp House Grill Debary FL

A friend of us, Stony Sixma, had been inviting us for months, if not years, to come watch him play music at the Swamp House Grill in Debary (Highbanks Marina and Campground). I am happy that we finally made it out there! We had a great time at the Swamp House Grill and I really enjoyed not only the excellent live music (thanks Stony!) but also the laid back atmosphere and gorgeous views of the St. Johns river.

We took advantage of the daily happy hour (Mon-Friday 2 for 1 drinks, open to close!) and had a great appetizer (included alligator!). Jose even went on “stage” to perform “La Bamba” with Stony (hilarious!). Too bad the Swamp House closes so early (we were out by 10:30pm), we would have loved to stay longer. The service by the way was also great. If you’re looking for a relaxed night out with friends to share some appetizers and cold beer, this is a great place to do so. Other weekly activities at the Swamp House Grill are Monday Trivia Night and Thursday Karaoke.

Located just below the Swamp House Grill is the Happy Snapper Tiki bar (so essentially the Swamp House Grill is a 2 story place) where you can also enjoy great cocktails and of course, just as above in the Swamp House Grill, amazing sunsets on the St. Johns River.

Here is their info:

Swamp House Grill
488 W Highbanks Rd
Debary, FL 32713
(386) 668-8891

Below are some more pictures of our fun evening at the Swamp House Grill.

Inside the Swamp House Grill

Swamp House Grill Debary

View from the Swamp House Grill

Inside the Swamp House Grill

Jose and Stony

Lupe and I

Day 302 – My Favorite Lake Monroe Scenery

Lake Monroe Sanford FL

Lake Monroe in Sanford has a lot of beautiful views to offer. I have taken pictures from many spots and angles but I think this is probably my favorite scenery of Lake Monroe. Doesn’t the lake look huge? The deep blue water is fascinating, too bad it doesn’t always look like this

What is your favorite view of Lake Monroe?

Day 301 – Sanford Idol

Sanford Idol Competition

Just a quick impression from the Sanford Idol competition at the Sanford Wine Company. I enjoyed it a lot and the contestants were awesome that night! The picture was taken with my phone camera which explains the bad quality…

Sanford Idol

I am catching up on my blog right now, so this picture was taken not this past Wednesday (which was the grand finale week) but in a prior week. Sorry for the delay in updating Sanford365, it’s been some busy weeks. I am still taking pictures though every day so I am on track, only a bit behind in the writing part Should be “up to date” soon, I promise!

If you want to know who was the winner of Sanford Idol click here. While I am writing this the Sanford Wine Company hadn’t been updated yet as to who won Sanford Idol but I am hoping it will be soon.

Day 300 – Winter Park is Little Europe

Little Europe Building

Walking down Park Avenue in Winter Park I noticed this building, the Swetman building with the sign “Little Europe” on it. That name is actually quite fitting for the entire Park Avenue area because people often notice that Winter Park’s Park Avenue has a European flair. I think I can agree with that,  this street along with its little stores, quaint cafes and restaurants does come very close to a typical European city (it does remind me a bit of Munich actually). Needless to say, I love the area for that reason (among others).

So Winter Park, within Orlando, is my “Little Europe” and after doing some research I found out that the Winter Park Historical Association offers a Park Avenue/Winter Park Walking Tour. The tour will explain how Winter Park indeed got its nickname of “Little Europe”.

For more information about this tour, please contact the Winter Park Historical Association directly. Here is their contact info:

Winter Park Historical Association
200 West New England Avenue (this is the location of the Historical Museum, here you pick up the brochure to go on this self-guided tour)
Winter Park, FL 32790
Phone: 407-647-8180

Day 299 – Deer in Alaqua

Deer in Alaqua

While showing a home today in the Alaqua subdivision in Longwood I got to see this beautiful deer. We stopped the car to take some pictures and stood there for quite some time. The deer just quietly kept eating. Isn’t it amazing that there are still so many communities out there in Central Florida where you can see deer just running around in your front or backyard?

For those of you interested, here’s a bit more about the home and subdivision of Alaqua.

Day 298 – Building Number in Downtown Sanford

Numbers in Sanford

Here’s just a random shot taken in downtown Sanford. I loved the contrast of the white building number on red brick of this building in historic Sanford. Can you guess which building this is

Day 297 – Sanford Wine Company and New Trivia Night

Sanford Wine Company

The Sanford Wine Company is one of the most popular bars in Sanford. It is located on Palmetto Avenue in the Historic downtown district of Sanford. This unique little bar is a great spot for a fun evening with friends. The list of available wines is long and special, the atmosphere casual yet trendy: industrial style with brick and strong accent colors, bar chairs and a very comfortable black leather couch inside and a romantic courtyard deck in the back.

At the Sanford Wine Company you can not only enjoy an exquisite selection of wine and beer from around the world (love their Belgian Raspberry beer!) but also buy wine (perfect gift) and get professional advice and answers about your wine related questions. On top of that the bar has a great weekly entertainment program, including live music on the weekends, open mic and various other events during the week. Their newest event is Wednesday’s Sanford Idol, a singing competition open to everyone. There is still another 4 more weeks left (grand finale is July 29th) to hurry out to enjoy some of Sanford’s finest singers!

The Sanford Wine Company is also available for private parties and can host events up to 2,500 people! Check out their web site for even more programs and services offered by this unique little wine bar.

Inside Sanford Wine Company

Then, starting on Thursday, August 20 at 8pm, the Trivia Tart will hold her popular Trivia Night at the Sanford Wine Company. Many of you have been to her Trivia Nights at the Black Swan (I had previously blogged about those fun events on Day 28) so please note the change of date and location! The Black Swan will still hold Trivia Nights however without the Trivia Tart! For more info about the Trivia Tart and her event schedule check out her web site here.

Here is their complete info:

Sanford Wine Company
114 South Palmetto Avenue
Sanford, FL 32771
Phone: 407-302-8620

Inside Sanford Wine Company

Day 296 – Little Fish Huge Pond Sanford FL

Little Fish Huge Pond

One of the most unique bars and nightlife spots in downtown Sanford is Little Fish Huge Pond, located on First Street in the Bishop Block building. The inside decoration and atmosphere is cozy (couches and sofas) and I felt like walking into one of my cool friends’ living room hangout (which I loved!). Obviously, the atmosphere is friendly and very laid back, another plus. I think this little bar is a great spot to meet up with friends for drinks, listen to some non-mainstream music and just be different. Little Fish Huge Pond also pays homage to the classics – they have a Classic Album Night (Tuesdays) and a Cult Movie Night (Wednesdays) where you can watch a free movie while enjoying the unique atmosphere (again, like a movie night at a friend’s house). On weekends Little Fish Huge Pond features different events (including House, Techno and Hip Hop music events with DJ), sometimes with cover charge.

The bar strikes me as creative and youthful and I will definitely be back for more (still can’t believe it took me so long to write about it here…). Be sure to check out their web site for more info about events.

Here is their info:

Little Fish Huge Pond
309 E. First Street
Sanford, FL 32771
Phone: (407) 321-2264

Closed on Mondays.

Inside Little Fish Huge Pond

Day 295 – Gradient Sky and Mall

Gradient Sky in Sanford FL

A rainy day in Sanford. I wanted to take our guests out a bit so we decided to run over to the mall. As we left the house I looked up in the sky and saw this amazing “gradient sky”. The designers among you will understand why I am so fascinated with this truly natural gradient Sometimes the sky looks amazing just before a thunderstorm and it produces gradients that can’t be topped by Photoshop.

Below another proof that it is true: H&M will be at the Seminole Town Center this Fall! And it will be a quite a huge store! Counting the days…

H&M at Seminole Town Center

Day 294 – Taco Eaters in Lake Mary

Eating Tacos at Carlos and Charlies

Carlos and Charlies at Colonial Town Park has become one of our favorite destinations for a fun evening or dinner, or a good happy hour. Since our good friends from Detroit are visiting this week we brought them over here for lunch and the Margarita Happy Hour ($2 margaritas, daily from 3pm-7pm).

As you can see, Taco eaters at Carlos and Charlies are “required” to wear some “protection”.

The food was great by the way. I tried their fish, 3 of us had tacos (delicioso!) and the rest was a mix of burritos and Quesadillas. To top it off we had 2 amazing desserts – I can highly recommend the chocolate mousee and flan, they were fantastic!

Lupe and Sebastian visiting from Detroit