USVI-On-Line

Hi all I'm heading to Punta Gorda, Fl on 3/11 any thing I should see? How about places to eat?
Thanks Tom

Hey WG...I just got back from Punta Gorda. The in-laws were renting a house in Northport for the winter, so we went down to visit. BEAUTIFUL area. Not so much Port Charlotte, but Punta Gorda.

Places we enjoyed:

- Fisherman's Village right on the water in Punta Gorda

- Take the drive north either on I-75 or the Tamiami Trail (41) up to Siesta Key...Great white sand beach

- There's a beach in Northport (about 20 minutes north of Punta Gorda in 41) called Manasota Beach...My wife, son and MIL had a blast collecting shark teeth on this beach...Nice little beach too

- The Ponce De Leon State Park in Punta Gorda...They have a bird sanctuary here that the kids enjoyed, as well as a little "boardwalk" through the woods that takes you along the canal...watch guys doing a little fishing....good place

- We also went to the Babcock Wildlife Preserve, which is about 40 mins inland from Punta Gorda...Good place (huge!)...We took a tour through Florida as it used to be...I believe they said it is about 165,000 acres...Wild pigs, gators, livestock...f you saw the movie Just Cause with Sean Connery, this is where the final scene was shot. Cool place.

As for eating, we grilled out every night...BUT...If you like a GOOD donut, please please please make a stop into a little hole in the wall place called "Abbe's Donuts"...It is on 41 (Tamiami Trail) about 20 mins north of Punta Gorda/Port Charlotte...I am not a huge donut guy, but my father in law ended up here about half of the mornings we were there...All homemade the morning of, and the line is literally out the door. I cannot stress enough...Get there.

If I think of anything else, I'll let you know. There's a great deli in downtown PG, just can't remember the name right now.

Sorry - Manasota is actually in Englewood...But not far for you (20 mins)...Here's a link...Fossilized shark teeth all over this beach if you're into that sort of thing...Here's the link:

http://www.bestbeaches.org/manasotabeach/

You could also go south to Captiva and Sanibel (Ft Myers area)...We did not, mostly because we had been there before.

Sarasota is beautiful also...worth the trip north to Longboat Key.

Punta Gorda has a series of canals so folks can house their boat in their back yard. Pretty neat concept. They took a hurricane hit pretty hard a few years ago, but I'm sure have built back up since then. Downtown area is quaint and cute.

We lived in Venice, north of P.G. If you're up that way hit "Sharkey's on the Pier" for some great food and location. Also great shark tooth hunting on that beach. Good shark fishing off the pier.

Ft. Myers area is fun and nice beaches. Sanibel, Captiva are fun with quaint restaurants.

When we went to visit my aunts, we would always take a ride to Boca Grande. The aunts lived across the street from each other near the Myakka River. If you want to see aligators go to Myakka River State Park. When we went there we saw 5 gators from a small bridge in the park.

We will be interested in what you think of the restaurants you visit there. We will be going down in Oct. to help my surviving aunt celebrate her 100th b'day in the nursing center there. We are the closest living relatives so, barring illness, we must go. We also rented a home when we went down in 2006, and will probably do so again.

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Yea my friends that own on STJ bought this place on a canal his boat is being delivered tomorrow I'm going down to wire the dock and boat lift hope to get out fishing a couple of times. Might look for a place of my own while I'm there the prices right now are hard to pass up kind of hard thinking that some one lost every thing and I might profit from it.

Yes, the aunt's house is up for sale to finance her care in the nursing center. Sales are slow and prices low.

My cousin (her nephew) owns across the street and he recently had her house remodeled in order to sell it. The house is just off of Hwy.41 near Myakka River, it might have access to the canal across the street.

waterguy wrote:Yea my friends that own on STJ bought this place on a canal his boat is being delivered tomorrow I'm going down to wire the dock and boat lift hope to get out fishing a couple of times. Might look for a place of my own while I'm there the prices right now are hard to pass up kind of hard thinking that some one lost every thing and I might profit from it.

The housing prices are crazy down there right now. I looked while I was there, but the wife keeps me of sound fiscal mind. I tell her the only people who really ever become wealthy are those willing to take educated risks, yada yada yada. I gues it doesn't pay to be responsible these days!

Anyway, when I got home a few weeks ago, I started poking around on the web for houses down there...I came across a 1600 sq house in Punta Gorda (relatively new) that sold in November for...$28,000. Good looking house, bank owned foreclosure (short sell I'm sure).

I'm still gonna work on the wife - because I have a feeling that in 5 years, we will be kicking ourselves.

SJfromNJ wrote:You are going to be smack dab in the middle of some of the hottest Spring Traing Baseball in Florida.

Red Sox, Twins, and Reds are very close. Pirates are no too far either. The Red Sox park in Ft Myers is a real nice experience.

There is also some good fishing in the Gulf.

Yep you're correct SJ...yesterday was opening day
for the Tampa Rays @ a new facility in Port Charlotte.

So you'd be right in the middle of the Red Sox and
Tampa Bay Rays...cool. Way difficult to score tix for the Sox though. In the 6 yrs I've been here only once did I score.

Waterguy, I live about 30 minutes North of PG, but usually hang around Sarasota area more so than south of me. Have fun!!
We've been having lots of chilly spots this Winter, but better than the alternative I guess.

On STT tomorrow afternoon-life IS good

Hey waterguy if ya make it down to the Ft Myers Beach area make sure ya stop by Lovers Key State Park.
Really nice beach with no development, mangrove behind it lots of birds, very natural beach that is great for shell hunting. Can rent kayaks and explore the mangroves. I even saw a couple Bald Eagles there. It is the next beach right after Fort Myers, that was our old vacation spot until the caribbean.

Cptnkirk,
Did that kayak trip with our kids years ago and loved it. Saw a baby manatee and birds of all kinds. Very enjoyable and relaxing.

So much to see and do down there.