This Charlotte County Park, surrounded by mangrove-laden shoreline, features a man-made sandy beach where the Peace River empties into Charlotte Harbor. Among the recreational amenities are a canoe/kayak launch, boat ramps, fishing pier, playground, horseshoe pits, swimming pool and basketball, bocce, tennis and volleyball courts. The park also has a community building, picnic areas and pavilions, barbecue grills and a dog park. Annual parking passes are available.
Two small municipal parks in the nearby historic city of Punta Gorda have beaches along Charlotte Harbor. Gilchrist Park, 4 miles southeast of Port Charlotte, is an 11-acre park with a small beach, fishing pier, basketball and tennis courts, walking and biking paths, a playground and picnic areas. Ponce de Leon Park, a 10-acre park about 7.5 miles south of Port Charlotte, has a man-made beach, a quarter-mile wetlands boardwalk, two fishing piers, a boat ramp, picnic areas and playground. The park includes the Peace River Wildlife Center, a wildlife rehabilitation center.
Several Gulf of Mexico beaches lie on Manasota Key, all less than 25 miles west of Port Charlotte. Englewood Beach's Chadwick Park, another Charlotte County-owned beach park, is the closest Manasota Key beach to Port Charlotte and includes an expansive sandy beach and amenities such as basketball and volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, picnic pavilions and a playground. Stump Pass Beach State Park lies on Manasota Key's southern tip and has a mile-long beach known for its shells and shark teeth. Other amenities and activities include a 1.3-mile hiking trail, covered picnic tables, snorkeling, scuba diving and surf fishing. Two Sarasota County parks -- Blind Pass Beach and Manasota Beach -- are on Manasota Key's northern half. Both have nature trails, fishing docks and picnic areas.
Several barrier islands that stretch along the Gulf of Mexico are less than 25 miles southwest of Port Charlotte. These include two islands -- Don Pedro and Little Gasparilla -- that are reachable only by kayak, private boat or water taxi. Don Pedro Island State Park, west of Cape Haze, has a pristine, mile-long beach, as well as nature trails, a fishing pier and boat docks. Little Gasparilla Island, also bridge-less, has an unspoiled, 7-mile-long beach and little else but a few private homes. Little Gasparilla has no stores or paved roads -- and cars are not allowed. Gasparilla Island, also called Boca Grande, is accessible via a toll bridge and has numerous beach access points, including Gasparilla Island State Park. Site of the circa-1890 Boca Grande Lighthouse, the park also has a pristine beach and nature trails.
