Walking barefoot on the beach in the middle of winter never gets old, and doing fun Christmas activities in shorts and sandals is an easy way to make your friends and family back home jealous! Not to brag, but that’s our normal in Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach.
We’d like to share a few of our charming holiday happenings to inspire a visit when you need a break from the cold and snow. While you may need a sweater at night, the days will likely have you running around free as a bird in tank tops and flip flops.
Light Time is the Right Time
During the holidays, homeowners along the canals of Punta Gorda go all-out decorating the backs of their homes, even some docks and boats, and their de-“light”-ful creations are only visible from the deck of a boat...which is where our various Christmas Lights tours come in. There are several options to witness the wonder:
Christmas Lights Canal Cruises with King Fisher Fleet depart from the elaborately-decorated Fishermen’s Village three times a night for the entire month of December.
Christmas Canal Tours with Punta Gorda Adventures depart from their private dock in Port Charlotte. Their tours also typically run the whole month of December, and they offer both private and public tours and each cruise includes holiday drinks and snacks, and you can also leave a bit early to catch the sunset!
Fishermen’s Village is festooned with over a million Christmas and holiday lights and decorations every year, and the display is a destination in its own right. They typically turn on the display the Saturday before Thanksgiving with their Lighting of the Village event, then the Festival of Lights will illuminate the entire Village for the rest of the year. Alongside the holiday fun, Fishermen's Village is always a great place to window shop, buy gifts, have a great meal, watch an amazing sunset, dance to live music, and people watch.
Enjoy this purely Florida holiday video to get you in the spirit, then read on to start planning!
Seasonal Festivities
We never know exactly what kind of creative events will happen over the holidays, but our local businesses always come up with a lot of festive fun. Some past events have included:
Light Up The Night: Downtown Punta Gorda Christmas Tree Lighting. This celebration usually features a plethora of family-friendly Christmas activities, multiple food trucks, live music, and more. The event is typically scheduled for the first Friday in December. The weather forecast usually calls for a light, whimsical snowfall!
We look forward to Gardens Aglow at Peace River Botanical & Sculpture Gardens every year. The gardens come alive after dark with thousands of lights and decorations, usually from mid- to late-December. Santa has been known to attend, and evens usually include carol singing and S’mores roasting by the fire.
Show Time!
The Charlotte Players can always be counted on to put on a funny, sometimes bawdy, and always touching holiday show, and this year is no different. Don't miss their presentation of No Sex Please: It's Christmas.
Tis the season for the Elvis Christmas Show at Visani Italian Steakhouse and Comedy Theater! One of the top Elvis Tribute Artists in the world, Dwight Icenhower, embodies The King in this special holiday show that will warm your heart.
One of Punta Gorda's favorite people, master saxophonist Mindi Abair, brings her amazing talents back to the area with her I Can't Wait For Christmas Tour. The earlier you get tickets, the better! To really set the stage, attend the VIP Wine + Jazz pre-show event.
The Charlotte Chorale always presents an amazing Christmas show, so keep an eye out for details!
The Gulf Theater at the Military Heritage Museum is presenting a variety of Christmas shows, including a 1940s Radio Christmas Carole, a Three Tenors Christmas, and Christmas-themed Barbra Streisand and Rat Pack tribute shows. Explore and get your tickets here.
Once you’ve experienced “winter” in Punta Gorda/Englewood Beach, you’ll realize it’s definitely worth a “do over” – every year!
There's also plenty of incentive to stay through the New Year: Things to Do for New Year's Eve.
