Hidden Gem: Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens
A few weeks ago I spent a day exploring Punta Gorda and found a delightful hidden gem, the Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens.
The Peace River Botanical and Sculpture Gardens is beautiful, waterfront oasis in Punta Gorda. I love visiting different gardens. Wherever I travel to I try to find one to experience different flora and fauna of the area. I can’t believe it took me this long to discover the gardens in Punta Gorda, just about a 40 minute drive from my home in Fort Myers.
The gardens cover 15 acres of land, plus 10 acres of waterways, marshland and mangroves. There’s over 4500 different trees, plants and flowers and stunning sculptures throughout the property. In fact, it’s one of the largest botanical and sculpture gardens in the entire state of Florida. I came upon some of the coolest flowers that I had never seen before, so I loved that.
And my favorite sculpture is on the opposite side of where you enter the gardens. There’s a beautiful house, that is the home of the gift shop, with a pool in front. There’s a super realistic sculpture of a woman floating on a tube, it’s SO cool.
Just one of a few super real sculptures. This one is called “Next Summer”
I went alone and spent about an hour there, and saw everything. But if you went with others, there’s a beautiful gazebo out on the end of the pier to sit and chat, so with some breaks while strolling, you could easily spend a few hours. They have a great event calendar, and I’m looking forward to visiting this holiday season for Gardens Aglow featuring holiday lights, hot cocoa, carols, Santa, s’mores and more.
For more info on the Peace River Botanical and Sculpture Gardens and to plan your visit, click here
More photos from the Peace River Botanical Gardens:
Florida Has One of America's Cheapest Christmas Vacations
Christmas is a time to visit family and friends and get away from the daily grind. The holidays can be a wonderful time, but they can also be very expensive. From buying lots of Christmas gifts for family and friends to having to pay for plane tickets and travel, holiday expenses can really add up. But, the good news is that there are some affordable holiday vacations, and Florida has one of America’s cheapest Christmas vacations.
One good thing about traveling during the winter months is that it’s often the off-season for popular vacation destinations. Of course, the holidays are a busy travel time. That makes late December a difficult time to find a deal for travel. But, if you don’t mind the cold and snow, some northern areas of the U.S. offer very good deals. That’s true even during the Christmas season.
Some tips for finding a good deal for holiday vacationing include searching a lot of booking websites, comparing different hotel dates to find the most reasonable ones and finding bundle deals. Also, keep your eyes open for special deals on resorts and hotels that are just opening. That’s because sometimes, during those opening months, new vacation spots try to attract a loyal clientele by offering special deals. One more tip is to search for airfare rates individually even if you are traveling as a couple or a group. If you put in a search for a group of tickets, the algorithms will often leave out information on one or two cheaper tickets being available. They’ll just send you a group of tickets, sitting together, all at the same price. So, you might get a deal if you search for one ticket, instead.
So, what are the best affordable Christmas vacations in the U.S.? Here are some popular spots that won’t break the bank.
America’s Cheapest Christmas Vacations
Marija is a morning show host on WXKB/B1039, midday host on WRXK/96KRock and night show host on WPBB/98.7 The Shark. She loves to write about food, travel, and things to do around the state of Florida.