Day Tripping in Punta Gorda
Punta Gorda is a fabulous place to visit. Nestled on the shores of beautiful Charlotte Harbor, it is an ideal place to spend a vacation, be it a few hours, a few days or a few months.
This guide is designed to describe to you some of the fun and interesting things available in the area as you plan your trip to this, largely undiscovered jewel of Southwest Florida.
If you have a few hours or up to a day to spare…. Try the following:
Any trip to this quaint and beautiful location must include downtown Historic Punta Gorda and Fishermen’s Village. The two locations are only a mile apart, so you can enjoy both in half a day, and come back to enjoy more.
Downtown’s unique old-Florida architecture is what draws most visitors to its quaint, brick streets. Once here, you can browse the myriad of unique shops, galleries and restaurants. Nestled between the waterfront and the historical residential district, the downtown area is undergoing revitalization, following a catastrophic hurricane in 2004.
Interspersed with the restored historical buildings are new developments, which have started to spring up around the downtown area. These buildings have been carefully constructed to maintain the individual beauty of its downtown historical district. Take a walking tour of the beautiful murals that have been painstakingly painted on the sides of many of our downtown buildings. Take the time to view the waterfront and visit the many museums and parks that Punta Gorda boasts.
Our Events Center is ready to host conventions and cultural events. It has a 20,000 square foot “Hibiscus Hall”, capable of accommodating concerts of 1500 people or banquets of up to 900 people.
Just 3 miles away, the infrastructure is being readied for “The Great Loop.” A giant shopping and residential center on 200 acres, in an intimate and highly desirable Town Center setting, with 500 residences, 200 hotel rooms and 1.3 million square feet of shops and offices and theatres.
Punta Gorda is a walkable city – it is easily navigable, so just meander through the streets, basking in Florida sunshine. On the 3rd Thursday of the month, the Downtown Merchants present GALLERY WALK. Starting around 4pm and lasting several hours, the merchants open their doors and offer entertainment and refreshments as you stroll through the streets of the historical downtown area. There is also a free trolley service for those who don’t want to walk.
The upcoming Think Thursday Initiative will extend the Gallery Walk festivities to include the entire day Walking maps for the Gallery Walk and Think Thursday are available from the Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce office or from the participating downtown merchants.
A short walk or drive from downtown, through the historical residential area, will bring you to Fishermen’s Village – a fully-restored waterfront mall and marina. You will find exclusive boutiques, shops and fine restaurants, offering great views over the harbor. Center Court boasts daily entertainment as well as nightlife with something different happening every day. From the Fishermen’s Village Marina you can enjoy sight-seeing cruises of Charlotte Harbor, the Peace River or the Barrier Islands, book fishing excursions, rent your own boat to explore the harbor or go jet-skiing.
There is much more to Punta Gorda than just these two areas.......
The Visual Arts Center presents ongoing shows of the works of local artists and well as classes in drawing, painting and pottery. Gilcrest and Ponce de Leon Parks, offer waterfront vistas and include playgrounds and facilities for tennis, fishing, nature walks and a wildlife rescue and rehabilitation center. Visit the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center on Burnt Store Road, where they offer both guided and unguided nature walks. You may even catch a glimpse of the nesting pair of bald eagles that have set up their home there. After that, drive out to the Babcock Ranch and Wildlife Park – one of the largest undeveloped expanses of Pine Flatwoods in Southwest Florida and a favored spot for horseback riding and pure nature enthusiasts. This is an ideal spot to view your first alligator – up close and personal!
Our local restaurants offer a wide variety of differing cuisines and cater to every palate and price point. Here in Punta Gorda, you’ll enjoy some of the most beautiful sunsets that Florida has to offer and, along with a diversity of activities and shopping, promises visitors a most enjoyable and memorable vacation.
Did we forget to mention GOLF?? This is a year-round haven for golf lovers the world over with over 50 municipal courses within an hours drive of Punta Gorda. We’d be happy to route you to the nearest links.
If you love sports ………
Ripken Baseball (the company founded by Hall of Fame shortstop Cal Ripken Jr.) is now in Charlotte County. The Charlotte StoneCrabs is the third team owned by Ripken Baseball along with the Aberdeen Ironbirds and the Augusta Greenjackets.
The Tampa Bay Rays are the major league affiliate of the Charlotte County team. This means that some of the Rays' top prospects will play at Charlotte Sports Park throughout the season, and it's also possible that players who get injured at the major league level may serve rehab stints in Charlotte County because of its close location to Tampa Bay.
The Rays are officially moving their Spring Training from St. Petersburg to Charlotte County at the beginning of the 2009 season. That means that the Rays will play their Spring Training home games at Charlotte Sports Park during the month of March. When Spring Training is over, the new Charlotte County team will start its minor league season at the beginning of April, and the season will last until late August. You can obtain information on season seat packages by calling 941-206-HITS (4487) to speak to a local Charlotte County baseball representative who can answer all your questions.
If you have more time to spare………………
Come and stay with us for a few days. We are currently in the process of developing several new hotels, in addition to the variety of hotels, motels, bed and breakfasts and waterfront villas currently available.
Relax and enjoy the Florida lifestyle, away from the hustle and bustle of big city life. Enjoy the wildlife and the fishing. We welcome guests from around the world. We are well known as a destination for people in the North-East and Mid-West, during the winter months, but over the last few years, our guests have been staying longer and we now have a large amount of year-round visitors, with an increasing number coming from Canada and Europe.
Punta Gorda is the place to live.
If you would like to buy or sell in Punta Gorda please do call or email me and I can show you why I live in Punta Gorda.
Genevieve Ramachandran
Punta Gorda Realty
pgrealty@hotmail.com
941-639-2788
941-268-1511
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