Well, the weather gods smiled upon us once again and we were given a several hour stretch ahead of us with no rain in the forecast until late in the afternoon. Jerry and I popped the top down bright and early and headed south to Port Charlotte and Englewood Beach areas which are about 85 miles away from Downtown St. Petersburg.
We had a few houses that the Realtor had given us to drive by and take a look at and see what we thought of the neighborhoods and the town of Port Charlotte. This part of the Gulf Coast is in between Sarasota and Ft. Myers near Punta Gorda. It is within a few minutes to Punta Gorda’s airport and within 90 minutes of Tampa’s as well having Sarasota and Ft. Myers nearby too.
We specifically drove by two darling homes that were on sale. Both of which were brightly decorated and well-kept in established neighborhoods.
What was even more enticing to Jerry was that in established neighborhoods and in future developments, there were plenty of opportunities to purchase land and build your own home. This was pretty evident the more we drove around.
Port Charlotte had a very sweet and charming vibe. The Realtor shared that it is experiencing growth right now. We could tell when driving through the town that they are being very purposeful with their growth. It was seen in their thoughtful choices of design layout, picturesque lampposts lining the sidewalks, etc. It simply had a low-key and down-to-earth vibe to it. Everyone that we encountered there was friendly and helpful which always sets a great tone for how you feel about an area.
We went to the Charlotte Harbor Beach Park and found it to be just as nice as the town itself. It was a sprawling recreational area that had a small little beach, pool, and a pier and deck area that overlooked the water inlet.
I did read that there are over 165 miles of man-made waterways in this area many of which lead to the Gulf of Mexico. You can tell the residents are big boaters here. Life and play time on the water is essential. For more information about this area, you can check out this site: https://www.visitflorida.com/places-to-go/southwest/charlotte-harbor.
After driving around quite a bit, we wanted to see Englewood Beach since Jerry’s Realtor shared with us that it is a very beautiful beach and that it is the nearest beach on the Gulf of Mexico from Port Charlotte.
The distance is just under 22 miles and takes about 30 minutes or so.
We were very glad that we stopped here to check it out because we both felt that it had the prettiest water we had seen all week.
The sand was a bit darker and coarser than further north (Clearwater, Siesta Key, etc.) but it was still a great location for beach-going.
There were restaurants and shops all around and parking was available. There were people at the beach but it was far from being crowded.
If we hadn’t been in a hurry to get back before the storms arrived late in the day, we would have gotten our beach chairs out one last time and soaked in another beach day. All in all, we had set foot on 5 different beaches along the Central Gulf Coast of Florida in just a matter of a few days. The scenery was breathtaking at each location in its own way. I’m obviously very partial to the Gulf Coast!
On our drive back, we were close to crossing my “favorite” bridge when the sky turned pretty ugly. I checked the radar and it was a sea of red. I asked Jerry if he wouldn’t mind stopping and letting it pass through. He knew my nerves wouldn’t be able to take going over the Skyway Bridge in the middle of a heavy thunderstorm (High winds on a high bridge and me do not mix!) so he kindly (and wisely) found a quick place for us to get off the road and get inside.
We did find out later that evening that the same storm I saw on the radar had produced a tornado over Downtown Sarasota! We were not far from being in that storm when it unleashed so I was incredibly grateful we waited it out at a so-so chain restaurant just outside of Sarasota. I do regret not being able to just order an appetizer and save a better meal for later when we went to Johns Pass that evening.
We had a few hours left to enjoy the area so we went back to Johns Pass at Madeira Beach near St. Petersburg that we had visited last July when were at St. Pete’s Beach. This is a fun location to walk around, shop, eat, hop on a sight-seeing boat, etc. (https://www.johnspass.com). Had we not just had a lackluster meal waiting out the storm, we would have easily gone back to The Boardwalk Grill (https://johnspassvillage.net/wp-portfolio/the-boardwalk-grill) where Jerry had the best lobster roll last summer. Instead, we seemed to only have room for a scoop of ice-cream from our favorite sweets shop there, House of Sweets, (https://www.houseofsweetsmb.com).
We also walked through a store that takes “cheeky” to a whole other level. It is full of humorous items that honestly had us pointing and laughing for a good 30-45 minutes in the store. I think we burned off our ice-cream simply from the constant laughing.
I will let you find the name of the shop on the Johns Pass directory. Let’s just say, they opened a new location in Ft. Myers and according to a news story, it is causing quite the controversy!
Trust me the name sounds way worse than it really is but I still would not call the store “family friendly” unless you do not mind explaining adult themed humor to your kiddos. The one thing I did find funny enough to text to my parents was this pair of socks bearing a message that sums up their life perfectly!
Our trip winds down with us heading back to Orlando the next morning. We were on a mission to make it to brunch with his daughter, who was in Orlando for job training for a couple of weeks. The heavy traffic was expected but the dense fog was not. Even though we left in plenty of time with plenty of cushion, the 2+ hour drive back in the traffic and fog was a bit taxing when we had a deadline (We got used to not being on a schedule all week!). Luckily, it all worked out within the necessary timeframe.
The remainder of our day was spent readying the beloved car to be turned back in the next day and waiting poolside (which gave us some needed R&R from a busy week) for us to be able to check into our room at The Florida Hotel and Conference Center adjacent to the Florida Mall. (https://www.thefloridahotelorlando.com).
Orlando at Spring Break is over the top crowded and the pickings were getting pretty slim when we were making our hotel reservations. We were fortunate to get a nice hotel, near the airport (several miles away), at a good rate but we were definitely disappointed with the firm check in at 4:00 p.m., unfriendly staff, and not so “resort” feel that we were expecting. That said our room was very nice (once we eventually got in despite them saying they would text us as soon as it was ready…which turned out to be 4:00 p.m.).
It was convenient to have the mall attached since we did not want to move the car again. We simply walked to the food court and tried a “new to us” restaurant for dinner. I’m indifferent if I would recommend this place. If it hadn’t been for the late check in and unfriendly staff (multiple people), everything else about the hotel was very nice and the location was great for getting to the airport. Pool area was underwhelming (the photos definitely made it more appealing).
We were at the airport the in the wee hours of the morning. The glorious sunrise had me reflecting on what a wonderful week it had been. Jerry and I were able to reconnect and unwind, see and share some of our favorite familiar places and explore new and exciting locations, eateries, and experiences. We met lovely people along the way. Listened to and sang along with nostalgic music, soaked in the wind and sunshine, took in a concert, had toes in the sand, and our top down! This was our first vacation together that was both equal parts expedition and relaxation. I think we balanced it all very well.
In the end, Jerry does have some ideas on a few properties. But if you know Jerry, his love for surprises is legendary, so you will have to stayed tuned for future updates. What is no surprise is that I love traveling and Jerry is a fabulous travel partner who has encouraged me to document many of our trips (since I also do love to talk – ha!).
Thank you, Jerry, for another amazing adventure. I am looking forward to more!
Thoughtful Travels 