This is an out of the way botanical (and sculpture) garden that doesn't look like much at the…read morebeginning but gets better as you go along. Admission is paid at a booth as you drive in. They normally accept AHS reciprocal memberships for admission, but because there was a special exhibit (origami) during our visit, we paid a reduced rate vs getting in free. Wrist bands are issued when you pay. Once you've parked there's a booth where you can get a map of the premises. The garden is divided by Riverside Drive. The side where you park is just ok, but much of the real beauty (at least in mid- March during our visit) was on the other side of Riverside. There are lots of sculptural elements, pools, and garden color in that area. There's a koi pond, and we saw a little blue heron there during our visit. We spent about 90 minutes enjoying the scenery. There are apparently plans to enhance these gardens, so stay tuned!

Nice gardens in an area I didn't anticipate seeing something. We were lucky enough to be there…read morefor a metal origami exhibit which was interesting. Nice mixture of trees, plants and statues. The koi pond was nice and you could feed them If you chose. The gift shop was very nice with reasonably priced items. I wish there were more signs on the plants and trees so I knew what I was looking at.

The Life & Times of George Brown is a mural on a wall outside the charlotte County Courthouse in…read morePunta Gorda. It was created by artist Michael Vires and dedicated in February 20, 2014. The artwork is comprised of two murals 7 feet by 11 feet. The mural on the left shows George Brown as a family man while the mural on the right depicts his company the Cleveland Marine Steam Ways. George Brown (1868-1951) was an African-American carpenter and cabinet maker. He came from South Carolina and was a college graduate. In Arcadia Florida he was the superintendent of all of the buildings of the DeSoto Phospahte Mining Company. That is where he met Captain Alfred F. Dewey who towed barges for the company. With support from his friend Capt. Dewey he partnered with Peter Miller and started his own business, Brown and Miller Shipyard in 1897. The company built and maintained the boats shipping phosphate down the Peace River. At a time when it was difficult for African-American workers to get jobs with good wages, Brown hired people regardless of race and paid them a good wage possibly making him Florida's first equal opportunity employer. Under his leadership blacks and whites worked together during segregation. In 1915 Brown sold his half of the business to Miller and started a new business, the Cleveland Marine Steam Ways in 1916 which handled the larger ships of Captain Dewey and other wealthy people who spent their winters in Charlotte Harbor yachting. It was the largest marine railway in southwest Florida, capable of hauling 80 foot long boats ashore. George Brown became prosperous and was devoted to his children and spouse. He was one of the first people to own an automobile in Punta Gorda and he bought many investment properties in the area until he once owned half of Punta Gorda. In 1921 he donated the land for the all black Masonic Tuscan Lodge 92. In 1924 he was the only person with enough land downtown for the new courthouse so he sold the parcel to the newly formed Charlotte County Courthouse which is where his mural resides today. Brown operated Cleveland Marine until his retirement in 1945. He passed away on November 18, 1951 after a two month long illness. He is remembered for his remarkable accomplishments during a time when most African-Americans were held back by segregation. The Punta Gorda Historic Mural Society offers $15 tours of 11 of the 29 murals in downtown Punta Gorda, including this one. Weekly tours are every Tuesday from January to April. Tours last 2 hours and can be booked online.

Thirsty? Well you've come to the right place where it will not only leave you feeling hydrated but…read moreyou'll be glowing too! So this is one of those things that the citizens fought to be saved back when the government decided to put the clean water act in and for good reason they did fight as this water is the most delicious sulfur rotten eggs tasting and smelling thing you could ever hope to drink! So I did take a sip and it really is that taste amplified I instantly spit it out it was just sooo bad but in the end I'm glad I tried it because it's not everyday you get to have a sip from The Fountain Of Youth! Overall something that most people would overlook but let's just say it was fun to visit and not so much to drink especially with the spider that came out in my cup! Stay hydrated my friends!

Youth? Radioactivity? If that sounds like something your interested in, definitely gotta stop by!…read moreThis place is very interesting. I always love a random little find during my adventures. As for the actual water it smells like rotten eggs and sulfur. I don't know if those are the keys to youth but give it a try if you're brave enough!

There is some confusing info in terms of the city signs, but this is actually located at the A C…read moreFreeman House at the corner of W Retta Esplanade and Cross St 41S. The hours that are stated change from time to time, but I have to say that the location is excellent, there is plentiful free parking in the lot behind it, and they're very helpful. Also, the fliers in the boxes on the deck of the house have some of the most useful info you'll need to explore the city.

From the owner: We are a membership organization organized to promote our business members and the community we…read moreserve. Free Community Guide to inquiries on the area, sell a detailed Charlotte County Map, visitor and tourist information and more.

This is a great library. My closest library was at Mid-County Library at Forrest Nelson in Port…read moreCharlotte, Fl.. But that library got demolished in hurricane Ian in 2022. So sad. I hear rumors they may rebuild. Hope so. Anyhow, this library on Aaron St. is great and they have been busy trying to fill in for the the closed library. And I confess I love the FRIENDS OF THE LIBRARY. I donate and buy many books from the used book stores by the libraries. I just read (from their used book store) the play A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. I confess I never read it before and it was a fun fast read. Then I found the play on television and watched it. Loved them both.

From the owner: Free Wifi, Pubic Computers, Printing (charges apply)read more

Hotel Punta Gorda was one of the first buildings of any kind constructed in Punta Gorda. It was…read morelocated at the southern terminus of railroad service on Florida's west coast, which was provided by the Florida Southern Railway. The hotel was built by Henry Plant who was known for building grand hotels on Florida's east coast like the ones Henry Flagler was building on Floridas east coast. Hotel Punta Gorda was one of 20 grand hotels built in Florida in the 19th century when it opened in January 1888. During it's first season it served over 3,300 guests which was quite the feat considering the area was sparsely populated. The three story building contained 150 rooms all with a view of the waters of Charlotte Harbor. The Queen Anne style included clapboard siding, multi-paned windows, round conical roofed towers and a hipped roof. Not everyone was enamored with the beauty of the hotel. Reporter Mr. Peeples from the Punta Gorda Herald wrote in 1910: "The big unsightly building known as the Hotel Punta Gorda continues to be an eyesore and an incubus to the town and there seems no prospect that it will ever be anything else. ... The huge old hulk standing idle and ugly for nine years past is actually a curse to the community." Located in a remote area of Florida the hotel still had many modern conveniences like gas lighting, electric bells, steam heat and open fireplaces. The grounds were beautifully landscaped with camphor trees and palms. Visitors to the hotel included wealthy and notable snowbirds Thomas Edison, John Wanamaker, W. K. Vanderbilt, and the Samuel Colt family. The hotel declined through the years and closed in 1914. In 1924 Barron Collier purchased the hotel and changed it's name to the Hotel Charlotte Harbor. Over three years and $250,000 he remodeled the hotel and expanded the grounds. He stuccoed the exterior, added a fourth floor private apartments, a fifth floor glassed in ballroom, arches to the porch, a boat basin and a 176 x 80 foot swimming pool. In 1927 two clay tennis courts were put in for famous tennis player Big Bill Tilden who started his career in Punta Gorda and he won a tournament here in 1931. Reopened on January 2, 1927 the hotel flourished again with many famous guests until the Great Depression 5 years later. Upon Colliers death the hotel was sold to G. Floyd Alford in 1944 and he let Martin Fleischman take over the mortgage in 1956. Mr. Fleischman changed the name of the hotel to the Charlotte Harbor Spa and poured money into turning it into a health retreat but it never turned a profit. A fire on August 14, 1959 provided the death knell for the hotel. The fire could be seen or 25 miles and firefighters were called out from three counties. At one point the fire threatened to engulf the rest of the town. By the time the fire was put out there was only a blackened chimney and the twisted metal of the elevators left. The cause of the fire remains a mystery. A dedication ceremony was held on September 9, 2009, at West Marion Avenue for the historical marker. It was paid for by the Charlotte County Historical Center and the City of Punta Gorda. All that is left as a reminder of the hotel is this marker, a downtown mural, and the hotels fountain that sits in Punta Gordas History Park. The land the hotel sat on is currently for sale.

I agree with the people from Lee. I spent two years down there and used the south library off…read moreGladiolus (I believe it was on Bass.) and the north Fort Myers just over the Edison bridge. Unlike what is left of the Charlotte libraries, I never left a Lee county library empty handed. Unfortunately, I believe the reason for that is the difference in the size of the population. I'm sure Lee gets a much larger amount of funding. So much so that they have enough books to actually seperate them by type, making it easier to find what you're looking for. There is no excuse I can think of to not have a complete set of a series though. Has happened to me enough times that I no longer take out any part of a series. I tend to just be glad we have a library at all considering the state of things today. Overall I believe these people are doing the best they can with what they have to work with.

We recently moved to Charlotte County from Lee and we're disappointed in the limited selection of…read moreBOOKS at the Punta Gorda Library. Just about anything I'm interested in reading is only available electronically. The Biographies and History sections are minimal. Fiction is no better - as an example, they'll have one book from a series of seven, maybe 3 books from a series of 15 and a 32-book series has only 10 books - and they're not in series order. Makes it frustrating.

I love the colorful art, the beachy vibe and the awesome staff. Fred, a sweet , tuxedo cat is the…read moreofficial greeter. So many beautiful items to choose from but I bought a multi color tuxedo cat painting , since I have tuxedo cats. I would add I did see some small Trump and Desantis items at the register area but the owner has a right to carry items of their choosing, and people have a right to purchase or not.What is deeply troubling to me in previous review , is a visceral reaction which apparently entitles someone to unleash a tirade on a store owner they do not know , it defies logic. This is a lovely store and it is definitely worth checking out if you are in the area.

Really hesitant to give Lovegrove Gallery and Gardens anything more than a 1 star review, but I…read morefeel that a lot of her prints are worth more than the lesser rating I'm giving. The pro-Republican / Trump / DeSantis / GWBush items shut me off from wanting to contribute to a local artist, which is sad because this mix of stances can jeopardize a lot of people (tourists beware). Although there are plenty of Beatles pictures around (on canvas, on paper, on coasters), the sunsets and palm trees were just as splendid, I think the political attitude needs to be kept out of the gallery unless it's a national museum or part of an installation piece. Like a lot of users have stated, there's a disconnect between supporting your rights and supporting nature, surroundings and people. Sure, everyone is entitled to an opinion, however, the Beatles aren't the only band who promote(d) peace and love, and I feel their discography doesn't completely jive with one portion of a governing body. Do painted coconuts know what our leaders do, unless we write something creative on them before we mail them? Are the palm trees fanning the ocean and bridges as the sun sets, or are they shading something wicked from eyesight? After seeing the giant Trump 2024 flag and a corner case full of other Republican memorabilia, I can't put myself on a political bus that looks like it is going down a one way street. I know there is more out in this world than following a one track mind, even though the sculptures and colors were pretty cool. If, by chance, there were positive paintings of Democrats or Liberals alongside the canvas of DJT, I'd totally be on board with this place. Even with the slight obsession with the aforementioned Fab Four... I wonder what they would all think about facility selling their image next to "we love you, George Bush!!"??? Lennon would probably dig it and say there's nothing wrong, but what about the Quiet One (Harrison) or the snare kicker (Ringo)? Macca would probably want his face out of the picture or take 45 compeltely out of the picture. Whatever is easier to remove. Thanks for giving me ideas on creating neat pictures from memorable lyrics, Lovegrove Gallery. I wanted something new to do (and put on my wall)! It just won't be one of your pieces.