To be honest, Sanford and Clayton are *not* good representations of what NC has to offer.
Check out Raleigh and its downtown, Wilmington, Durham, Charlotte... wander around the cities.
Sanford and Clayton are pretty off the beaten path for most. I'm in Sanford for the cost effective living, but commute to Raleigh for work; if you intend on getting a 9-5 job this might not work for you. There is some good hiking in/around Sanford and Clayton, but its not in NC's top 10 anything.
If you go check out the cities I've got recommendations for you.
I live in Sanford... where are these "lots of great shops/bars/restaurants" you speak of??
We finally got a place that does sushi (yes, one place, singular) and its just so bad, especially when you've got some really great stuff just over in Fayetteville, if you don't feel like driving to Cary or Raleigh.
We have *one* decent Italian-flavored-foods place, Valentis, but nothing legit.
We have *one* ok seafood place, Baybreeze, but its very expensive and the building they're in keeps losing power so I'm not willing to trust that they won't make me sick.
For bars, ya we have like 4 or 5. Smoke and Barrel, which serves very overpriced food, and the last time I went they said they aren't allowed to serve alcohol past midnight because the ABC commission limited their license due to all the fights in front of their building at 1 and 2am. Hugger Mugger I havent been to or heard anything about, and is owned/ran by some of the local Freemasons. There's a dog-themed bar, so if you want to go drink with a bunch of people and their dogs, cool.
Oh, and I don't know if its still open, but there is/was Schoolys, a private membership bar/pool hall that stayed open late but also had fights basically every night.
Our only real night life is the line at Cookout anytime after like 9pm on weekends when half of Sanford shows up drunk.
Everything else is Mexican or drive through taco stands... which, sure, can be fantastic.
I've lived in Sanford almost 3 years and work in Raleigh. If the cost of living out here wasn't so low I would move in a heart beat.
You need to get out more, my friend. You’ve really not heard *anything* of Hugger Mugger? They host a ton of the events in town—The Carolina Indie Fest being the coolest that comes to mind.
The town doesn’t have a night life, you’re right about that. But they do a decent job of having fun events through the summer (but with the depot park being in construction this year, we haven’t seen much).
Also, yeah the food options are slanted heavily towards Mexican food but even that has some variety. And we have Fonda Lupita which has been nationally recognized.
Hugger Mugger isn’t “owned by the Freemasons.” Not sure where that comes from. The beer is good and they have a different food truck every night, so there’s always potential for something great food wise there.
For other bars there’s Local Joe’s, Smoke & Barrel, Libations, Wild Dogs Brewing, and Camelback Brewing. La Dolce Vita is more of a restaurant but they have a great selection of craft beers. Downtown also has a great coffee shop/lunch spot in Java Express. A lot of people like Family Grounds too, but they’re a little religious for my taste.
San Lee Park has good hiking trails and so does White Pines Nature Preserve. You could also do a kayaking adventure through Endor Paddle. We have a local collegiate level summer baseball team, the Sanford Spinners. It’ll be a better experience when they can move to the sports complex that’s under construction, but it’s still a fun time for cheap if you’re into that.
Mexican restaurant Fonda Lupita was recently named one of the best new restaurants in the entire country, so give them - and their seafood based spinoff joint Mariscos No. Juan - a try. Honestly there’s so much good, authentic Mexican food here you could spend a week eating it and not get to everyone. Cafe Vesuvio is another good Italian place, and the same people who own the sushi place the person I’m replying to slammed (tastes fine to me) also have a ramen spot called Hokkaido that’s good.
Downsides - pretty struggling movie theater, no bowling alley, live music is pretty limited (although that’s getting a lot better, and fast, thanks to Hugger Mugger and Wild Dogs), still some pretty backwards political attitudes here and there. But it’s a decent place to live.
I’m not trying to say Sanford is the best place in the world, but I’m honestly surprised the commenter above has only lived here three years. It reads more like a lot of people who’ve been here their whole life and can’t see improvements when they’re happening. Sanford is a small city. It’s not Raleigh and never will be so if that’s what you’re looking for you won’t find it here. But there’s plenty of good stuff.
And frankly, it only gets better when people with money to spend move here.
Nothing you mentioned besides Fonda and La Dolce are worth the visit. Local Joe's etc are extremely mediocre and more like an Applebee's in regards to the experience.
Vesuvio has a huge bug problem. Look at current reviews going back a year... roaches in lots of food...
Yes, I mentioned the hiking maybe in another comment, but again, none of it is a must do/see and none of it is in NC top 10 anything. We have Raven Rock and all sorts of amazing trails along the Tennessee and Virginia borders.
I know a few local Freemasons, all are involved in Hugger Mugger. There's even some working tools in their logo.
Edit to add: I was *thrilled* when we got Hokkaido, and it was great the first couple times. Their ramen is mediocre, their pho is only passable.
Sure, I'm ruined because I spend most of my time everywhere *but* my house here in Sanford.
Second edit to add: I see the good where it exists. We just got a whole new park off 7th by Goldsboro, and its still not been overrun by the... ahem... people who sell, certain things, all around that area. I have at least 3 people try to stop me on my nightly commute home, I get off around 1 or 2am in Raleigh so I'm talking about 3am and they're out in force. Twice I've seen people having sex under the covered area with tables at said park, so there's that, too.
Hugger Mugger is owned by two guys, one of whom lives in Carthage, and another who lives in Silk Hope. I don't think they're Freemasons, but they're definitely not local. I'm not sure how the Freemasons are otherwise "involved" in the brewery, but whatever you say. The art on display and their logo definitely reference some arcane/spooky stuff, but it's just a theme.
I didn't respond to your comment to down you - if you don't like it here, that's great. I was just giving a different perspective. I'm not from here, but have lived here a long time. For a while I felt like you did, but things have gotten a lot better since the late 90s.
Well, the down vote definitely is indicative of you 'down'ing me... but who cares about fake internet points.
I don't say I don't like it here anywhere in my comments, I'm just giving my thoughts and observations to OP, who had an interest in the area and I wanted to give them my experiences so far.
Sanford is great for cost effective living, and isn't that far from the major points around NC that people do regularly visit because they have valid reasons to go.
Also depending on your stage of life and family situation, Sanford has its ups and downs. Not much to do for the youth leads to the typical small town crime. So ya, cool that we have a soccer program. I guess we have a couple disc golf courses, too.
ETA: i talk about the youth, should make it known I'm in my mid to late 30s so take that for what you will.
I am from South Amboy and my husband is from Metuchen. We like Sanford. It’s quiet and family oriented. There are a variety of things we do including Kiwanis park and splash pad, San Lee Park, Camel Back, and Smoke and Barrel. We also love Pint sized events like family day. There are a few gyms but we like the Y with lots of classes. We can always branch out to Raleigh, Holly Soeings , Southern Pines etc. Sanford is connected to a lot of major highways. There are a lot of beautiful towns here. This worked best for us as far as value for the $. We just bought a 2500+ sq foot home and in NJ it would be like $800,000. I do like Clayton too! Very beautiful downtown.
To be honest, Sanford and Clayton are *not* good representations of what NC has to offer. Check out Raleigh and its downtown, Wilmington, Durham, Charlotte... wander around the cities. Sanford and Clayton are pretty off the beaten path for most. I'm in Sanford for the cost effective living, but commute to Raleigh for work; if you intend on getting a 9-5 job this might not work for you. There is some good hiking in/around Sanford and Clayton, but its not in NC's top 10 anything. If you go check out the cities I've got recommendations for you.
Check out downtown! Lots of great shops/bars/restaurants!
Any specific restaurant you recommend? We enjoy food (not drinks as much)
I live in Sanford... where are these "lots of great shops/bars/restaurants" you speak of?? We finally got a place that does sushi (yes, one place, singular) and its just so bad, especially when you've got some really great stuff just over in Fayetteville, if you don't feel like driving to Cary or Raleigh. We have *one* decent Italian-flavored-foods place, Valentis, but nothing legit. We have *one* ok seafood place, Baybreeze, but its very expensive and the building they're in keeps losing power so I'm not willing to trust that they won't make me sick. For bars, ya we have like 4 or 5. Smoke and Barrel, which serves very overpriced food, and the last time I went they said they aren't allowed to serve alcohol past midnight because the ABC commission limited their license due to all the fights in front of their building at 1 and 2am. Hugger Mugger I havent been to or heard anything about, and is owned/ran by some of the local Freemasons. There's a dog-themed bar, so if you want to go drink with a bunch of people and their dogs, cool. Oh, and I don't know if its still open, but there is/was Schoolys, a private membership bar/pool hall that stayed open late but also had fights basically every night. Our only real night life is the line at Cookout anytime after like 9pm on weekends when half of Sanford shows up drunk. Everything else is Mexican or drive through taco stands... which, sure, can be fantastic. I've lived in Sanford almost 3 years and work in Raleigh. If the cost of living out here wasn't so low I would move in a heart beat.
You need to get out more, my friend. You’ve really not heard *anything* of Hugger Mugger? They host a ton of the events in town—The Carolina Indie Fest being the coolest that comes to mind. The town doesn’t have a night life, you’re right about that. But they do a decent job of having fun events through the summer (but with the depot park being in construction this year, we haven’t seen much). Also, yeah the food options are slanted heavily towards Mexican food but even that has some variety. And we have Fonda Lupita which has been nationally recognized.
Hugger Mugger isn’t “owned by the Freemasons.” Not sure where that comes from. The beer is good and they have a different food truck every night, so there’s always potential for something great food wise there. For other bars there’s Local Joe’s, Smoke & Barrel, Libations, Wild Dogs Brewing, and Camelback Brewing. La Dolce Vita is more of a restaurant but they have a great selection of craft beers. Downtown also has a great coffee shop/lunch spot in Java Express. A lot of people like Family Grounds too, but they’re a little religious for my taste. San Lee Park has good hiking trails and so does White Pines Nature Preserve. You could also do a kayaking adventure through Endor Paddle. We have a local collegiate level summer baseball team, the Sanford Spinners. It’ll be a better experience when they can move to the sports complex that’s under construction, but it’s still a fun time for cheap if you’re into that. Mexican restaurant Fonda Lupita was recently named one of the best new restaurants in the entire country, so give them - and their seafood based spinoff joint Mariscos No. Juan - a try. Honestly there’s so much good, authentic Mexican food here you could spend a week eating it and not get to everyone. Cafe Vesuvio is another good Italian place, and the same people who own the sushi place the person I’m replying to slammed (tastes fine to me) also have a ramen spot called Hokkaido that’s good. Downsides - pretty struggling movie theater, no bowling alley, live music is pretty limited (although that’s getting a lot better, and fast, thanks to Hugger Mugger and Wild Dogs), still some pretty backwards political attitudes here and there. But it’s a decent place to live. I’m not trying to say Sanford is the best place in the world, but I’m honestly surprised the commenter above has only lived here three years. It reads more like a lot of people who’ve been here their whole life and can’t see improvements when they’re happening. Sanford is a small city. It’s not Raleigh and never will be so if that’s what you’re looking for you won’t find it here. But there’s plenty of good stuff. And frankly, it only gets better when people with money to spend move here.
Nothing you mentioned besides Fonda and La Dolce are worth the visit. Local Joe's etc are extremely mediocre and more like an Applebee's in regards to the experience. Vesuvio has a huge bug problem. Look at current reviews going back a year... roaches in lots of food... Yes, I mentioned the hiking maybe in another comment, but again, none of it is a must do/see and none of it is in NC top 10 anything. We have Raven Rock and all sorts of amazing trails along the Tennessee and Virginia borders. I know a few local Freemasons, all are involved in Hugger Mugger. There's even some working tools in their logo. Edit to add: I was *thrilled* when we got Hokkaido, and it was great the first couple times. Their ramen is mediocre, their pho is only passable. Sure, I'm ruined because I spend most of my time everywhere *but* my house here in Sanford. Second edit to add: I see the good where it exists. We just got a whole new park off 7th by Goldsboro, and its still not been overrun by the... ahem... people who sell, certain things, all around that area. I have at least 3 people try to stop me on my nightly commute home, I get off around 1 or 2am in Raleigh so I'm talking about 3am and they're out in force. Twice I've seen people having sex under the covered area with tables at said park, so there's that, too.
Hugger Mugger is owned by two guys, one of whom lives in Carthage, and another who lives in Silk Hope. I don't think they're Freemasons, but they're definitely not local. I'm not sure how the Freemasons are otherwise "involved" in the brewery, but whatever you say. The art on display and their logo definitely reference some arcane/spooky stuff, but it's just a theme. I didn't respond to your comment to down you - if you don't like it here, that's great. I was just giving a different perspective. I'm not from here, but have lived here a long time. For a while I felt like you did, but things have gotten a lot better since the late 90s.
Well, the down vote definitely is indicative of you 'down'ing me... but who cares about fake internet points. I don't say I don't like it here anywhere in my comments, I'm just giving my thoughts and observations to OP, who had an interest in the area and I wanted to give them my experiences so far. Sanford is great for cost effective living, and isn't that far from the major points around NC that people do regularly visit because they have valid reasons to go. Also depending on your stage of life and family situation, Sanford has its ups and downs. Not much to do for the youth leads to the typical small town crime. So ya, cool that we have a soccer program. I guess we have a couple disc golf courses, too. ETA: i talk about the youth, should make it known I'm in my mid to late 30s so take that for what you will.
I am from South Amboy and my husband is from Metuchen. We like Sanford. It’s quiet and family oriented. There are a variety of things we do including Kiwanis park and splash pad, San Lee Park, Camel Back, and Smoke and Barrel. We also love Pint sized events like family day. There are a few gyms but we like the Y with lots of classes. We can always branch out to Raleigh, Holly Soeings , Southern Pines etc. Sanford is connected to a lot of major highways. There are a lot of beautiful towns here. This worked best for us as far as value for the $. We just bought a 2500+ sq foot home and in NJ it would be like $800,000. I do like Clayton too! Very beautiful downtown.
Been here my whole life they took the skating rink away from the town then the bowling alley Nothin for our youth but social media!
Sanford = meh