Do NOT come to the playground here with children…read more Aside from the non fenced shoreline with alligator warning signs on them (doubt that is a huge issue, but dont risk it) the building right next to it is filled with homeless guys generally up to no good. It is NOT SAFE. I went with my child on a walk from sun seeker and tried to pay them no mind, but one man on a bike rolled up and started snapping photos of my daughter. When we grabbed her to hide her from the camera he got verbally aggressive demanding we pose for him and "smile pretty"and kept pressing us as we covered her and kept saying no. It was creepy and so upsetting. And yes, it was 100% a guy being creepy about a child, not a misunderstanding. Im from LA and my skin is not thin, im used to homeless literally everywhere and kicking myself for letting my guard down because this the town I grew up in and it is generally safe, this area in particular has always been sketchy though so maybe its my bad for thinking things had changed from 35 years ago. We called the police afterwards and he was thankfully (apparently!) thrown in jail because he had a list of other things combined with our issue, but those are the sorts of guys hanging out there. He was buddies with all the men at that building and they outnumber you.

Cute little park right on the water in Port Charlotte. Looks like the park folks have invested in…read morethe pier and nice walkway. They also have a sort of canoe launch. I most enjoyed the views from shore of the water fowl and the long walk out on pier.

We drove up to visit on a Sunday when the hosted the little farmers market. We were very surprised…read moreto see all the little buildings on the grounds that are host to different art guilds. The incredible art and craft work being be done there is truly amazing.

This is a 9 acre history park in the center of Punta Gorda. I love the purpose of this park. It was…read moreformed to preserve the historic structures of the city. In 1988 the Hector House which is where the name of the town was changed from Trabeu to Punta Gorda was slated for demolition in 1998 and it was subsequently torn down. The city wanted to save the building but did not have a place to move it to so they created this park to display their buildings. The city moved the historic structures in danger of demolition to the park to protect them. The buildings are arranged around a small community garden meant to look like what you would have found here in 1890. Part of it contains a butterfly garden. The fountain in the center of the park was salvaged from the Hotel Punta Gorda when it was sold in 1925. This fountain and a downtown mural are the only reminders from the hotel built in 1897 as a stop on the Florida Southern Railroad. because the wooden hotel burned down in 1958. The park is maintained by the Punta Gorda Garden Club and the park is owned and operated by the Punta Gorda Historical Society. Right now there are are four structures in the park which include the Price House designed by architect Maxwell Price which now contains offices and restrooms, the Quednau-Hindman House which was a former mayors residence, the Cigar Cottage built to house workers of the El Palmetto Cigar Company factory, and the Trabue Land Management Office which also served as the post office.Three of the buildings are opened for tours from 10 to 2 daily and by appointment. Each of the buildings has a QR code in front of them so you can learn about them even if they are not open. The park also has a community produce garden tended by local families and it is the site of a weekly farmers market on Sundays. The gardens and Price House can be rented for private events. The park also serves as the trail head for Linear Park and the Shared Use path.

Beautiful and scenic bike path with plenty of wildlife and well maintained trails. Stopped to watch…read morethe small planes take off and land at Venice airport.

Nice easy trail. Wide, flat with little shade. Plenty of access points and convenient parking. We…read moreentered from Shamrock Park. Bathrooms were clean. Nature Center was closed. No maps of trails available. Maps were posted. Not sure where Circus Bridge is to cross to other-side. We pedaled north to the Legacy Trail. Lots of wildlife along the trail from waterfowl to iguana, gopher tortoise and squirrels.

Beautiful and quiet. Lots of free parking and clean. Visiting from Tampa and we enjoyed our…read moreweekend here.

This beach is only about 3 miles from our Florida house. It's easy to get to and most of the…read moretime, there is plenty of parking (free parking). The beach is clean... and the sunsets.... You absolutely cannot beat the view.

On a foggy morning, Live Oak Point feels even more remote than usual. The fence line is the first…read morething you notice, a clear reminder that the site is closed and off limits, and I would not recommend trespassing no matter how strong the temptation might be. The closure is well posted, and if the authorities happen to stop by, they will have every reason to point to the signs and enforce it. Even so, the place still carries a quiet sense of history from the public side of the barrier. With the fog settled low over the Peace River, visibility drops to a soft gray curtain. You can just about make out the Punta Gorda side, but only as a faint suggestion through the haze. The bridges, the shoreline, and the usual landmarks all fade into silhouettes, giving the river a muted, almost dreamlike quality. It turns the crossing into something more atmospheric, as if the landscape is holding its breath. Even from outside the fence, the view is impressive in its own subdued way. The water stretches out into the fog, the oaks stand still, and the river feels wider and quieter than it does on a clear day. Live Oak Point may be closed, but the vantage point it offers, even from a distance, still captures the character of the Peace River on a morning when the world seems to dissolve into mist. [Review 1581 of 2025 - 2162 in Florida - 25131 overall]

This is a nice little park along Scenic Drive and the Venetian Waterway Park. There are some…read morebenches. A covered picnic area. And a pond. Enjoy.

We visited Manasota Key Beach this past weekend and only stayed for a little while because it was…read moregetting so incredibly packed. We were lucky enough to find parking pretty quickly and close to the walkway to the beach. We started walking towards the beach and as soon as we got out of the mangroves, we saw how busy it actually was. It was tricky finding a spot on the beach, but we did a little down the way. The water was still freezing, even though it was super hot outside and people of course were looking for shark teeth everywhere. I found a few teeth until my shifter broke and decided to stay for a little longer and then headed towards Siesta Key. It was so busy as soon as we left someone filled our spot. It is a beautiful beach and definitely worth a trip if you haven't been.

This local beach is one of my favorites. When you want the convenience of amenities such as a…read morerestroom, water fountain (with filtered water bottle refill feature), showers to clean off sand after, and a short walk to the beach from the parking lot this is the spot. I enjoy the nearby adjacent parking as well as the facilities here. The walkway/concrete surrounding the building is embedded with sharks teeth of varying sizes and even a few megladon teeth! Speaking of sharks teeth, I always find a good amount at this beach which I enjoy. I like the vibe here and I look forward to my days spent here. I will continue to patronize this beach.

Wow! We left there buzzing from excitement with all the bear reptiles we saw! My daughter is…read moreobsessed with reptiles and we hit the jack pot. We were even able to pay a small fee and have a private session with one of the handlers who even let us pet some of the reptiles! He knew everything there was to know about these animals too. Very impressive! Highly recommend going if you're in the area. The enclosures were very well maintained, beautifully put together, and the animals all had little name/information papers that were attached to their homes. My younger daughter was even able to feed the koi fish and loved doing that. Thank you guys for all you do and sharing your love of reptiles with others!

A reptile-lovers dream! Stopped in on April 14th and was blown away by how nice everything and…read moreeveryone was. Joe was our tour guide and he made the experience so much better than we ever thought it could be. We got to interact with quite a few animals and learned so much from him too. After Joe took us around we walked around ourselves and there was still so many different animals to see. Would recommend getting a tour guide so you can interact with more animals, but it's definitely not necessary. There's quite a variety of well-kept reptiles (we were blown away with how well-taken care of each and every enclosure and animal was), so you'll want to make sure you have at least 2-3 hours to walk around and see everything and still have time to browse the gift shop after.