Every once in a while, it is nice to have a real weekend getaway, one to a quieter place, without crowds or tourists. Sometimes that is hard to find, when also hoping to find nice scenery, good food, and plenty of calming but engaging things to do. When that urge came across me recently, I decided to give Punta Gorda, Florida a try, having heard that it was reminiscent of “real Florida.” My weekend in Punta Gorda was a pleasant surprise. Although the list of Punta Gorda attractions was small, they were all enjoyable. There were enough things to do in Punta Gorda to have a relaxing and fun, weekend.
Certainly Florida is bursting with places to vacation, or spend a weekend. But the most popular places are overflowing with crowds and tourists, and even more low keyed places, like St. Augustine or Key West, have an abundance of visitors now. There are still some quieter places where the real Florida vibe can be had, such as Silver Springs State Park, or Falling Waters State Park, and I think Punta Gorda is one of them.
Punta Gorda is filled with natural attractions and more. It’s at the juncture of Peace River and Charlotte Harbor, In addition, the Punta Gorda attractions include bike trails, parks, and three historic districts; the African American Bethel-St. Mark Historic District, the Punta Gorda National Register District, and the Downtown Commercial Historic District. This results in the things to do in Punta Gorda being many and diverse. It is the perfect spot for water sports like kayaking, swimming, and any boating fun, and a place for exquisitely fresh seafood.
Isaac Trabue founded the town in 1884 and originally named it Trabue. Apparently, he didn’t play well with others and in 1887, 34 townspeople voted to incorporate and rename the town Punta Gorda, the original Spanish name meaning Fat Point.
Where to Stay in Punta Gorda – Fisherman’s Village
Fishermen’s Village is a mall, and much more. It’s indoors, but you feel like you’re outdoors. Downstairs, there are unique shops, restaurants, and entertainment. On the second floor, the balcony of the villas invites you to take a closer look at the unique dog friendly rooms and suites, many overlooking the marina out back.
The suites have a real kitchen and a loft for the kids. It has all the amenities you find in a fine hotel. The balcony in front overlooks the mall, but it is the view from the back balcony that is amazing. You are overlooking the sparkling waters of Charlotte Harbor. Pelicans and other water birds hang out here. Ships of all types and sizes are docked. Maybe you’ll even spot a leaping dolphin.
Downstairs, next to the marina, there is a heated pool, shuffleboard, tennis courts, BBQ and picnic area. There are laundry facilities on site. Free bicycles are available through the “Yellow Bike Loaner Program” and can be returned at any of six loner locations around town. Bike paths ring the area so you can bike almost any place in Punta Gorda safely. The city’s murals located on or near the bike paths tell its history.
You can reserve your room at the Fisherman’s Village Resort right now!
Punta Gorda Attractions – Things to Do in Punta Gorda
Now let’s get to the fun of the exciting things to do in Punta Gorda. This is not even close to an inclusive list, and in fact it is not even a long list. But, I think it is enough of the Punta Gorda attractions to fill your weekend in the city. If you are staying longer, you will have no problem finding more!
Fisherman’s Village – The Mall
Fisherman’s Village is on what was once Maude Street City Docks, built in 1928 and 29 to replace an older bit of Charlotte County’s history, the King Street Pier. Back in the 1920s there were as many as seven plants running here and deep-sea fishing industry was booming. These old companies had small “run boats” that went out to the stilt houses once functioning as fishing camps around the harbor and into what is today the intracoastal waterway. By 1930, there were just two fish processing companies left. Then, in 1939, a fire destroyed both of them. In 1980, Fishermen’s Village was born.
I certainly never thought that a mall would be among the top Punta Gorda attractions, but this mall has lots going on, so you may never want to leave. There are no chains; all the shops are individually owned. Merchandise ranges from top-of-the-line specialties to souvenirs. You can find both men’s and women’s clothing shops, sea wear, beach wear, hand made soaps, sea inspired home decor, and handmade jewelry. There is even a pet store with treats for your furry friends.
Center Court is a venue for some of the area’s top bands and musicians on Friday and Saturday night.
Harpoon Harry’s and Captain’s Table anchor the end of the mall and offer either fine dining upstairs at the Captains Table or casual dining with full bar and live music downstairs.
Another great restaurant to sample in Fishermans Village is Village Fish Market. The unusual twist for a Florida restaurant is that the food is cooked with a New England styling. It’s in the center courtyard of Fishermen’s Village with views of the sunsets over Peace River. They have a full-service bar so you can enjoy a cocktail while dining.
Get Out on the Peace River
Thinking of all that fish brings to mind the extensive marina that is a part of Fishermen’s Village. Certainly spending some time on the water is one of those can’t miss things to do in Punta Gorda.
You can board a Kingfisher Fleet boat at the marina. Take a sunset cruise, a trip to Cabbage Key or Cayo Costa, Boca Grande or a fishing trip. You can even charter your own boat here.
When the Kingfisher fishing boats return to the dock, the pelicans are waiting. They put on quite a show scrounging any scraps they can find on the boat’s deck. One little white egret tried to muscle in and a big pelican gave him a swift push out of the way. Pelicans may seem awkward, but they are very graceful in the water and when flying.
Another company at the Village Marina, Holidaze Boat Rentals, rents you anything from a paddleboard to a fully-equipped pontoon boat. If you’re not a water baby, you can rent a covered surrey bike with a fringe on top.
Babcock Ranch
My favorite of the Punt Gorda attractions is Babcock Ranch. In February 1914, a lumberman from Pennsylvania named Edward Vose Babcock saw an opportunity to make money harvesting the plentiful cypress trees and yellow pine. He bought 156,000 acres of what had been the Crescent B Ranch and began logging.
Despite cutting down cypress trees, Babcock was conservation-minded long before it became stylish. They preserved a good bit of the ranch in its natural state. When his son, Fred, took control of the ranch in the 1940s, he transferred 65,000 acres to the state to create Fred C. Babcock / Cecil M. Webb Wildlife Management Area.
Today, you can step back in time there for 90 minutes on the Swamp Buggy Eco Tour and glimpse the natural world of southwest Florida. You’ll drive through what was once the tiny town of Rouxville. A nearby body of water was where Rouxville women did the family laundry. The bridge and bank teamed with alligators when we visited.
Another stop on the tour is the10,000-acre Telegraph Cypress Swamp. The swamp got its name for the miles of telegraph wire that were strung around the swamp. Originally, they planned to run the lines through the swamp, but the undergrowth, mostly saw palmetto, made that impossible.
This is where the “Cracker Cow Hunter” got his name for the whip he used to snap in the air to help his dogs round up the cow out of the stands of dense palmetto. Cracker cattle are descendants of the Andalusian cattle Ponce de Leon brought over in 1521.
On the tour you may see deer, bobcats, raccoon, coyotes, feral hogs, Florida black bear, wood stork, eagles, eastern indigo snake, Florida burrowing owl, crested caracara, gopher tortoise, red-cockaded woodpecker and even maybe even a Florida Panther. One native species, the Osceola wild turkey, is another bird you will probably see. Our guide, Terry, lured them to the swamp buggy with some corn.
You will definitely meet some alligators, including one little critter your guide has aboard the buggy. Be sure to visit the museum to learn more about the history.
If the tour leaves you hungry, sample the ‘gator dishes in their Gator Shack Restaurant.
Kayaking on Shell Creek
Be sure to take a kayak trip down Shell Creek. There is a good launch spot at Hathaway Park in Punta Gorda. It’s a Charlotte County Park with picnic tables, restrooms and the boat launch.
From the park, you can kayak in either direction and have a great experience as there is only a slight current. Go about eight miles east through Shell Creek as it curves and turns for a glimpse of what Real Florida was and still is in only a few places like this.
You can paddle west to where the creek meets Peace River. It’s about five miles to the dam at Peace River. The banks are steep and sometimes you can see shells left from eons ago when a prehistoric sea covered this part of Florida.
Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens
Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens is more than just a garden. It houses 27-acres of botanicals, separated into “rooms” of the different species within one family of plants. There are 10-acres of waterways and international sculptures. Many of the plants are so colorful, you will be amazed.
Be sure to walk out onto the boardwalk and view Peace River. Sculptural exhibits include Carole A. Feuerman’s Next Summer, and Ichwan Noor’s Bronze The Thinker. The Thinker is a modern version of August Rodin’s original Thinker, and is clothed in contemporary style.
Military Heritage Museum
The Military Heritage Museum was once housed in Fisherman’s Village and now has its own building two blocks east. It offers a free golf cart ride from the Village to the museum and back.
The Museum tells the story of our military forces from the Revolution through current conflicts. There are 6 galleries with interactive exhibits, a personal memorabilia collection, a lending library with greater than 5,000 books, 1,000 documents and a 30,000 artifact for researchers. Their 247-seat Gulf Theater offers entertainment both related to military stories and regular shows.
Peace River Seafood
Eating fresh seafood might be on top of the list of things to do in Punta Gorda, and the Peace River Seafood and Crab Shack is amazing. If the seafood was any fresher, it would have to jump out of the river, just behind the restaurant, onto the pots and pans in the kitchen. They have a dock right there and local fishermen bring the day’s catch directly to the Crab Shack.
The food is delicious, and it just kept coming. I got to sample almost everything and didn’t find any I didn’t like. My favorite is the blue crabs. They were soooo big and seasoned well. The mussels and shrimp are perfect. I enjoyed the mullet and catfish although I am more of a shellfish person.
It’s locally owned by Jimmy Beal and his wife Kelly. Jimmy is a crabber, so he understands crabs. The restaurant is housed in a wooden “Cracker” house built in 1927 and is shaded by huge old oak trees. Inside, the resident parrot greets you with a cheerful “hello” but you have a choice of indoor or outdoor seating depending on Florida weather.
Our server kept bringing more food until the table was overflowing. Then he rearranged things around to make them all fit. No one was going to leave here hungry. The side order of corn on the cob is also tasty but save room for some of their traditional Key Lime Pie. Just like the rest of the food, it is old Florida, yellow and a little tart as Key limes are naturally.
Ready for a Weekend in Punta Gorda?
I hope we have shared enough of the things to do in Punta Gorda and Punta Gorda attractions to inspire you to visit this quieter city in Florida. You will return home from Punta Gorda with memories of what Florida was like a century ago. This is the real Florida; no theme parks here.
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Kathleen Walls, former reporter for Union Sentinel in Blairsville, GA, is publisher/writer for American Roads and Global Highways. She is a photographer with many of her original photographs appearing in her travel ezine as well as other publications. She contributes to many online and print publications.
She is the author of travel books, Georgia’s Ghostly Getaways, Finding Florida’s Phantoms, Hosts With Ghosts, and Wild About Florida series. Her fiction includes Last Step, which was made into a feature movie of the same name by Forbes Productions, Kudzu, Under A Bloody Flag and Under A Black Flag.
Member of International Food, Wine, and Travel Writers (IFWTA) and North American Travel Journalists Association (NATJA). You can find her on Facebook, on Instagram, and on Twitter.
