It is a great park to take your dog for a walk. Very pretty! I give it a 4.5…read moreI only gave it a 2 because my dog and my friend's dog , got many ticks! Be careful! Not the parks fault , just be careful with your dog.

If your looking for beautiful blue water, breathtaking sunsets and the possibly of seeing dolphins…read moreand/ or manatee, this is it! Interested in the Lemon Bay ecosystem? The best was to learn about the mangrove and its creatures is through a local on the water tour, like a cruise. I highly recommend "Native Charter Company" -- family owned, native to the area, passionate about the Lemon Bay ecosystem, $25.00pp for one hour. They are licensed and take your safety seriously. Search them on Yelp, read my review plus pictures. TIP: wear sunscreen and shoes!!

Very nice park along the Central downtown Venice and Barcelona Avenue strip. Nice shuffleboard…read morecourt. Tennis courts. Even a wall with lainted on net to hit againdt. Two playground areas for older and younger kiddos. Some cool features and things to explore. The Centennial Park fountain you can run or wlk through is nearby too and beaches. So bring a suit. Fun climbing features. And one of those spinner things you can send your kiddos flying off of.

Well on the other side there are two dead ends. There's no parking on the main road so you have to…read morepark in front of someone's house. It's cute if you're a local and live close by but if you're not I feel like there's no point going. It's Akward to park and pretty small although it is pretty.

Great fishing to at high tide! Red fish ,trout etc. People…read morehere are very nice to and it allows pets and there's a kayak launch at the end very convenient park and very kept up and nice

Venice Fishing Pier This pier is kin of cool. It has a bait…read moreshop, Fish Cleaning Stations, Fishing Rod Holders, and Benches throughout the Pier. This Pier had some work done it after the hurricanes and its safe and easy to walk on. It's free to walk out on it and the views are spectacular. While we were out on it, we saw a Dolphin playing in the surf. This pier is a great place for pictures, and we took plenty of then. One end of this pier starts at Sharky's Restaurant and ends with lots of Fishing spots. You can walk from one end to the other easily. Make sure you take a walk out on this pier just for pics. Follow me On FB For More Reviews & Fun Gulf Coast Terry

We came to find shark teeth and boy did we. There is ample free parking, which is rare for Florida…read morebeaches. We arrived early and didn't have issues, but if you come late it will be busy. They also have a bathrooms in the parking lot and outdoor showers to rinse off. The beach is nice, but the sand is pretty rough and filled with broken shells. The fishing pier is just a pier where you can walk out and fish if you want. There is a little stand that sells bait, snacks, and souvenirs. Overall a nice place to check out for shark teeth and shells.

Beautiful park in a rapidly shrinking green space in the once beautiful Sarasota, FL. Park staff…read moreare great, friendly, helpful and generally lovely. Once you're through the entrance, you can pretend Sarasota hasn't been invaded by cancerous northerners who have absolutely trashed the city and destroyed everything in their wake. You can appreciate what Sarasota once was, beautiful, natural, and covered in flora and fauna. God save Oscar Scherer!

To get into the park with one person, it is $4; decent price. The woman at the entry was friendly,…read moregave me a map and a suggestion as where to start hiking since it was windy and cold when I arrived. I definitely got my money's worth, walking a little over 13 miles of trails. Most of the trails are well marked, but I did find it hard to navigate some of the trails resulting in me making a couple circles before I found the correct direction... but, extra steps aren't a bad thing, right?! There is a big lake along one of the trails. I was hoping to see a lot of wildlife here, but it wasn't super active. I did see about four different types of birds. There are a good amount of restrooms available as well as areas to have a picnic. I think most of the trails are doable for all levels of fitness as I saw several benches to rest along the way; they are also marked on the trail maps. I only went to explore for the day, but there are many campsites, a nature center, playgrounds and a beach area that I spotted in my park travels.

Gilchrist Park has a way of feeling alive even on a cool winter morning. I arrived around 9am on a…read moreSunday expecting a quiet start, but the place was already humming with tennis players, dog walkers, and people easing into the day along the Harborwalk. The breeze off the water made everything feel crisp and unhurried. The public restrooms were open, clean, and very welcome after my morning coffee, which is not something you can take for granted in a waterfront park. Parking is probably tight when there is an event, but on this visit it was easy enough to slip into a spot and enjoy the shoreline without any stress. The view of the bridges was especially lovely, stretching across the wide river with a kind of quiet confidence. From here you really appreciate how much engineering went into building and maintaining them, and how gracefully they connect the two sides of the harbor. The seagulls added their own bit of drama. They were unusually active, circling and calling, and once they noticed I was eating a sandwich they fell into formation behind me like a feathery escort. It was a little unnerving to feel so closely monitored, as if I had wandered into a Hitchcock audition. [Review 1589 of 2025 - 2170 in Florida - 25139 overall]

This 11 acre park is named for Governor Albert Gilchrist, a real estate broker, surveyor, and…read morepolitical leader and one of the founding fathers of the City. Gilchrist grew up in Georgia and came to Punta Gorda as surveyor. Governor Gilchrist first served on the City Council, then in the State Legislature before becoming the 20th Governor of Florida from 1909 to 1913. Upon his death, Governor Gilchrist established a $5,000 endowment to the City for the provision of ice cream to all the children of Punta Gorda on Halloween. This tradition still continues today with the help of community sponsors. The park is located at 400 W. Retta Esplanade in historic Punta Gorda, Gilchrist Park runs along the waterfront between the downtown and Fishermen's Village. In the the park you get a view of Charlotte Harbor. Park amenities include a large pirate themed playground, basketball, tennis and pickleball courts, fishing pier (closed), gazebo, picnic pavilions, and open green space. In the center of the park along the water there is a large statue of Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon memorializing when he came ashore as the first European in this area in the 16th century. The statue was donated by the Royal Order of Ponce de Leon Conquistadors,an organization "dedicated to the preservation of the Spanish heritage of Charlotte County and Florida." The statue was dedicated on March 27, 2005. Weddings, craft shows and concerts are some of the events held in the park. Also located within the park is the Bayfront Center operated by the YMCA of Charlotte County. This facility hosts YMCA programs including a sailing center. The YMCA rents this waterfront facility.

Free parking! Wow! It's a quick walk to the beach. I wore flip flops and took them off to enjoy the…read morewater. There's a lot of small shells so the water is not for the weak of feet. There seems to be a strong undercurrent so the first two feet are safe and then it drops down where the waves hit and you can easily be belly or chest deep. It looks hard to get out if you get that far in. Many beachgoers were tanning or lounging under tents and sunshades. Some were drinking. There's a small rock formation I walked to where people were fishing. There is some fishing along the beach as well so be careful as you walk. The shells are mostly small fragments. There are some larger ones. Nothing worth keeping today. The showers on the way out to the parking lot helped me clean my flip flops. Looks like public bathrooms too near the lot. Nice place to walk and people watch.

If you're considering these reviews for a waterfront fun day, you're probably eager to find the…read morebest spot to enjoy the sun. Here are the key details: The park offers picnic shelters with easy access from your car, which is essential if you have a lot of gear to carry. Just across the street on the bay side of Casey Key, there is a paddleboard, canoe, and kayak launch. Children will love the playground, and you can get a good workout on the volleyball courts. Restrooms are available to keep you comfortable especially when you're staying extra hydrated, and outdoor showers make it easy to rinse off salt and sand. The jetty is a popular spot for boat watching, fishing, and enjoying sunsets. If you're lucky, you might even spot dolphins or a manatee. If you didn't bring everything you need, there's a snack bar serving a variety of food and drinks. Plus, free parking is available and spread across all the beach access points. I'll see you at the beach...

Excellent food and views. Highly recommend . For a casual evening it was a perfect choiceread more

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.