We stayed at Kings Gate a community for ages 55 and over. It's been low key and they community is full of grandparents so they're so welcoming to our kids! And it was winter break for some northern school systems so there were even some kids for our girls to play with. I thought I would take this opportunity to share with you some of the hidden treasures of the Port Charlotte/ Punta Gorda area. There is a lot to see and do and I encourage you to give it a look if you're thinking of escaping the winter blues!
Beach:
We tried Englewood Beach. It's a public beach in Englewood - about 30 miles from Port Charlotte. This beach is different from what we are used to on the panhandle of Florida, it's darker sand and full of shells. It's a great beach for families. There is a playground for kids and a huge changing area/bathroom pavilion. We went twice. On the first day, there was a lot of shark teeth on the shore, the kids had a blast hunting shark teeth.
I think next visit we will try Siesta Key. Several people recommended it.
Ice Cream:
Near Englewood Beach is an ice cream shop called Swirls and Curls. This is a fun stop! It's all outdoor with a relaxed seating area with corn hole and checkers to play while you enjoy your yummy ice cream.
On Thursday night before we flew out on Saturday, we enjoyed homemade ice-cream at Cubby's in downtown Punta Gorda. It was FANTASTIC!
Shopping:
The Fisherman's village outdoor mall is such a fun destination! It's filled with restaurants, souvenir shops, children's shops even shops that sell oils and soaps. There is also a military museum that we want to be sure to tour next time we visit.
Dinner:
At the end of The Fisherman's Village on the second floor is a restaurant called the Captain's Table. The food was good, but to be honest, the with a second floor view of the sunset from the outside seating area, I don't remember much about my dinner. It was absolutely breath-taking and I just kept telling myself "this is beautiful and we get to have dinner and enjoy it" it was a great evening!
We also had pizza from Bella Napoli it was amazing. I highly recommend the Bella Napoli special pizza. Sliced meatballs, sausage, pepperoni, green peppers, onions...it's amazing! (we had it twice!)
Entertainment:
We had our kids with us so any outing had to be kid friendly, but the Tiki Hut was a great blend. It has a live band, colorful Adirondack chairs for sitting and sipping your drink of choice, and a dance floor or beach volleyball court for the kids. Not to mention it meanders along the bay so all views are waterfront. It's also a great sunset destination. We may do that next time we go.
The trip was relaxing and all around a wonderful week full of time with our kids and Erik's parents. It did inspire us to dream a little... I think next visit we will try a few other adventures such as:
1. An Air Boat Ride
2. Road Trip - We will shoot for Miami or the Keys. I'm thinking more than likely we will try for the Keys. It's beautiful, and we have always wanted to go there. For some reason, we seem to always put it off.
3. Charter a Boat: Either a Deep Sea Fishing trip or Possibly a Sail Boat for the day.
I will close this post with a few more pictures of our wonderful vacation! If you're interested in more information about this area check out this link...and this one too.
What are you doing to beat the winter blues?
We tried Englewood Beach. It's a public beach in Englewood - about 30 miles from Port Charlotte. This beach is different from what we are used to on the panhandle of Florida, it's darker sand and full of shells. It's a great beach for families. There is a playground for kids and a huge changing area/bathroom pavilion. We went twice. On the first day, there was a lot of shark teeth on the shore, the kids had a blast hunting shark teeth.
I think next visit we will try Siesta Key. Several people recommended it.
Ice Cream:
Near Englewood Beach is an ice cream shop called Swirls and Curls. This is a fun stop! It's all outdoor with a relaxed seating area with corn hole and checkers to play while you enjoy your yummy ice cream.
On Thursday night before we flew out on Saturday, we enjoyed homemade ice-cream at Cubby's in downtown Punta Gorda. It was FANTASTIC!
Shopping:
The Fisherman's village outdoor mall is such a fun destination! It's filled with restaurants, souvenir shops, children's shops even shops that sell oils and soaps. There is also a military museum that we want to be sure to tour next time we visit.
Dinner:
At the end of The Fisherman's Village on the second floor is a restaurant called the Captain's Table. The food was good, but to be honest, the with a second floor view of the sunset from the outside seating area, I don't remember much about my dinner. It was absolutely breath-taking and I just kept telling myself "this is beautiful and we get to have dinner and enjoy it" it was a great evening!
We also had pizza from Bella Napoli it was amazing. I highly recommend the Bella Napoli special pizza. Sliced meatballs, sausage, pepperoni, green peppers, onions...it's amazing! (we had it twice!)
We had our kids with us so any outing had to be kid friendly, but the Tiki Hut was a great blend. It has a live band, colorful Adirondack chairs for sitting and sipping your drink of choice, and a dance floor or beach volleyball court for the kids. Not to mention it meanders along the bay so all views are waterfront. It's also a great sunset destination. We may do that next time we go.
The trip was relaxing and all around a wonderful week full of time with our kids and Erik's parents. It did inspire us to dream a little... I think next visit we will try a few other adventures such as:
1. An Air Boat Ride
2. Road Trip - We will shoot for Miami or the Keys. I'm thinking more than likely we will try for the Keys. It's beautiful, and we have always wanted to go there. For some reason, we seem to always put it off.
3. Charter a Boat: Either a Deep Sea Fishing trip or Possibly a Sail Boat for the day.
I will close this post with a few more pictures of our wonderful vacation! If you're interested in more information about this area check out this link...and this one too.
What are you doing to beat the winter blues?
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