Love this park even more. Decided to come here at night, and it was a good choice. There are lights…read moreat night so you can walk which was perfect so we can walk our pup. We also went by the lounge chairs closer to the bay. It was so comfy at night to sit here. We fell asleep since it was so relaxing. The park is so cute with whimsical birds as part of the playground. A huge grassy area for walking was nice and comfy too. We brought a snack to eat at the tables and our pup had his dinner too. This was def a great choice! Parking was street parking and it was free.

This is still a developing park set on 53 acres along Sarasota's beautiful waterfront. There is a…read morepromenade, Ibis playground, mango bayou, sunset deck & cultural venues scheduled. Free kayak tours & outdoor movies under the stars are presented here. There are: Bicycle Trails, Canoe Launch, Equipment/Facility Rental, Hiking Trails, Picnic Facilities, a restaurant In the park, clean stocked restrooms and wildlife / bird watching. The conservatory is free, pet & family, friendly and accessible for the handicapped.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This is a good sized park in Englewood with an area for boat trailer parking and past it for…read moreregular vehicles. There's some shoreline and the Lemon Bay Paddlers have their crewing boats stored here. Nice views. Relaxing area. A lot of the park is parkong. Irony? Still nice to visit and relax.